Residents lose faith in pastor renting North Amityville house without permit
Babylon Town officials said the Rev. Keith Hayward, of Bethel AME, has rented a home in North Amityville to a family since at least September without the required permits. Credit: Alejandra Villa Loarca
Residents of a North Amityville neighborhood are upset after learning that a member of a Babylon Town board who is also a pastor has been renting out a church-owned house without a rental permit.
Town officials said the Rev. Keith Hayward, of Bethel AME, has rented a home on Sunshine Lane to a family since at least September, which is when Hayward first submitted a permit application. Under town code, landlords must have a permit before renting a property. Town records show inspections were done at the house in October and December, noting only the need to replace locks and fix siding. A rental board hearing was held last month but no decision was made.
The rental board, which was formed in 2020, is tasked with reviewing all rental permit applications for houses and buildings. “Many, many” of these permits are submitted for properties that have been rented out for some time, said rental board attorney Jorge Rosario, but the applicants are not fined as long as they are complying with the board’s requests.
“The purpose of the rental board is not to hammer landlords but to work with them and make sure that everybody’s quality of life is maintained,” Rosario said.
Town officials said Hayward told them last week that the home is being rented to a mother and her two sons who had been displaced. Hayward joined the town in 2015 as an alternate on the zoning board and in 2018 he was appointed to the accessory apartment review board, for which he receives $8,000 annually. That board is charged with reviewing apartments in homes with an on-site landlord.
“He should have known better,” Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said last week, noting that as a board member in the town and a religious leader, Hayward is “held to a doubly higher standard.”
Schaffer said he did not ask Hayward why he had rented without a permit but that Hayward apologized and would not be reprimanded.
Hayward declined to discuss the rental with a Newsday reporter who contacted him last week, saying, “If the neighbors had an issue, all they had to do was call me.” He then added that “the lawyer is handling everything.” Asked for clarification, he said, “I’m not going to discuss our business with the media,” before hanging up.
Residents said it’s Hayward who should have come to them. They said they have been left in the dark about the rental but have long been concerned about the property. Town records show officials received several complaints about overgrown grass, debris and an abandoned vehicle on the property in 2018 and 2019. Neighbors have submitted a petition with 65 signatures asking the board not to issue a permit.
“He’s collecting money, paying no taxes and this is why everyone here is upset,” said Mildred Hodgson, who has lived on Sunshine Lane for 51 years. “This is not a rental area, it was designated for homeowners.”
The board is accepting comments on the property until April 27, when the matter is due to be discussed at Town Hall at a 6 p.m. meeting.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
Suozzi visits ICE 'hold rooms' ... U.S. cuts child vaccines ... Coram apartment fire ... Out East: Custer Institute and Observatory
Suozzi visits ICE 'hold rooms' ... U.S. cuts child vaccines ... Coram apartment fire ... Out East: Custer Institute and Observatory
