The two-week minimum got the headlines when Southampton Village rewrote its rental law in August 2025. The way a summer lease in the Village actually gets paid depends on an older New York law that limits how much a landlord can collect before the tenant arrives. A Village registry, which owners can choose to use or skip, is the only way to collect more. An owner who plans a July-and-August rental without that filing has agreed to a payment schedule set in Albany.
Summer 2026 was the first full season under the revised Village code. The order below follows how a lease comes together, starting with the money.
The Payment Rule Comes From Albany
Section 7-108 of New York's General Obligations Law caps the deposit or advance on a covered residential tenancy at one month's rent. The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 extended that cap to unregulated tenancies, so it now covers a shingled house on a village lane the same way it covers an apartment.
For a seasonal landlord the effect is plain. On a two-month or full-summer lease, the traditional Hamptons arrangement of collecting the whole season's rent at signing runs straight into a one-month ceiling. The Village says so in the opening of its own rental chapter. The Board of Trustees wrote that complying with the 2019 law "prohibits landlords from requiring a single payment for the entire term of seasonal use rentals."
The legislature responded in 2021. Senate bill S.6877 became Chapter 428 of the Laws of 2021 and was signed on September 20, 2021. It created an exception for seasonal dwellings. A follow-up amendment, S.7795, became Chapter 111 of 2022 and removed the original option of a state-run registry. Registration now happens only at the local or county level.
Under the current statute, a unit qualifies for the exception only if every one of these conditions holds:
- The lease states that the unit is registered as a seasonal use dwelling and names the agency it is registered with.
- The lease limits occupancy to seasonal use of no more than 120 days, or a shorter term set in the lease.
- The lease includes the tenant's primary residence address, which they will return to.
- The unit is actually registered with the appropriate local or county registry.
- The unit is not rented as a seasonal dwelling for more than 120 days in the calendar year.
The statute also says the registry must be adopted by the local government that handles building administration for the unit, or by the county. In the Village, registration goes through the Building Department.
What the Village Registry Asks For
Southampton Village first adopted its registry on May 12, 2022, under Local Law No. 6-2022, and replaced the chapter in full on August 14, 2025, under Local Law No. 7-2025. 27east covered the original registry vote under then-Mayor Jesse Warren. Trustee Joe McLoughlin opposed it over the workload it could put on the Building Department.
Chapter 89 states the trade-off clearly. Registration is optional. An owner who wants to collect all rent up front has to register. A filing is made with the Building Department before the rental term starts. It includes a copy of the lease, with financial terms redacted if the owner prefers, and an application signed by every owner of the property. The application covers:
- The owners' names and legal or mailing addresses
- The property address and the approximate number of tenants
- Lease language confirming the tenant's primary residence, the unit's registered status, and occupancy of no more than 120 days, plus an owner affidavit that the property has stayed within that limit
- An owner affidavit accepting responsibility for timely refuse removal
- The tenant's name and address, and the occupancy dates
- An affidavit signed by both owner and tenant agreeing to follow Village rules on noise, parking on residential lots, and refuse disposal
A registration fee is set by resolution of the Board of Trustees. The code itself gives no amount. If the tenants on a lease change, the registry entry has to be amended before the new tenant moves in. If a registered unit has no lease on file, or its lease does not meet the conditions, the registration is revoked.
The paperwork does more than permit upfront rent. Each registration puts a named tenant, a primary address, and a signed acknowledgment of Village rules on file. The upfront-payment exception is the reason owners register, and the record it creates is the reason the Village maintains the registry.
The Calendar the Village Added in 2025
The 2025 amendment added limits on when a house can be rented. A seasonal rental shorter than 14 consecutive days is not allowed, with one exception: a one-week rental is permitted twice per calendar year. No seasonal use unit can be rented for more than 120 days in a year. A rental must go to an individual or a family. Selling shares, splitting rent among more than the permitted number of tenants, and renting part of a dwelling are all prohibited.
27east reported the 4-1 vote. Trustee Ed Simioni voted no, saying the rule took away homeowner rights and would be hard to enforce. Mayor Bill Manger said residents had complained about noise from weekend renters in what amounted to "party houses." Deputy Mayor Len Zinnanti called it a "quality of life" issue.
The same report noted that Manger described Southampton Village as the only municipality on the East End without such a restriction before the vote. The two-week minimum brought the Village closer to its neighbors, with two one-week exceptions written into the rule.
For an owner, these rules divide a summer into set pieces. A season can hold two one-week lets plus any number of rentals of two weeks or longer, all within the 120-day cap if the unit is registered as seasonal use. A house rented from June through Labor Day uses most of that cap.
Where the Village Line Changes the File
Southampton Village sits inside the Town of Southampton, and the two use different systems. The same paperwork does not carry across the boundary.
| Southampton Village | Town of Southampton | |
|---|---|---|
| Rental permit | Not required, per the Mayor at the 2025 vote | Required for any rental of any length |
| Minimum stay | 14 consecutive days | 14 days |
| Short-stay allowance | One-week rental twice per calendar year | None in the standing code |
| Maximum | 120 days a year for a registered seasonal use unit | No maximum stay |
| Registry | Optional, needed to collect all rent up front | Permit and registration number tied to the permit |
The Town's rental FAQ says any home rented for any period needs a rental permit, that anything under 14 days counts as a transient rental and is not allowed, and that there is no maximum stay. According to 27east, a Town permit requires a property survey, floor plans, certificates of occupancy, a notarized smoke-detector affidavit, and an affidavit from an engineer or architect confirming compliance with state fire and safety codes. The fee was reported at $400, or $175 for seniors, veterans, and fire or ambulance volunteers.
June 2026 showed how far apart the two systems can be. For the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, 27east reported that the Town allowed rentals as short as three days between Monday, June 8, and Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Only homes with valid rental registry permits qualified. That was a Town resolution. A house inside the Village during tournament week still had its two one-week allowances and the 14-day rule.
For a buyer comparing a house just inside the Village with one just outside it, the rental plan is a different file on each side. One side needs a permit backed by surveys and professional affidavits. The other needs no permit but has a lease-by-lease registry if the owner wants rent paid up front.
What the First Full Summer Did and Did Not Show
No post-season count of Village registrations, citations, or fines had been published as of October 2026. Any claim about how strictly the rule was enforced in 2026 would be guesswork.
The code sets the possible consequences. Officers, fire marshals, ordinance inspectors, and building inspectors can issue summonses. A violation found carries a minimum of $1,000 and up to $2,500 for each day it continued. The Village Attorney can also seek a civil injunction with court-set penalties of up to $2,500 per day, and every owner of record is named as a defendant. Notices of violation served on a tenant must also be sent by certified mail to each owner.
At the 2025 vote, Trustee Roy Stevenson asked how the rule would be enforced. Manger described East Hampton Village's approach, based on his conversation with Mayor Jerry Larsen there. When police get a noise complaint, they tell the homeowner about the two-week minimum, and that usually settles it. Under that model, a lease is most likely to be checked after a complaint about a specific house.
A Short FAQ
Does Southampton Village require a rental permit? At the August 2025 vote, Mayor Manger said residents would still not need a rental permit. The registry is optional, but it is the only way to collect a season's rent up front.
Can a Village house be rented for a single week? Yes, twice per calendar year. Any other seasonal rental has to run at least 14 consecutive days.
Who qualifies as a seasonal tenant under the registry? Under Chapter 89, a tenant must have a primary residence to return to, and the registry covers dwellings leased for 120 days or less in a calendar year.
Did the Town's U.S. Open exception apply inside the Village? No. It was a Town of Southampton resolution covering homes with valid Town rental permits.
The Lori Schiaffino Team helps buyers and owners understand how these rules apply to a specific house, working alongside their attorneys, before a lease or a purchase contract is signed.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
