Owner of illegal Hempstead home that caught fire has 21 previous code violations, officials say

The owner of the illegally subdivided Hempstead home where a fire broke out Saturday morning had 21 prior violations, Hempstead Village Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. said Monday afternoon.

The violations, dating back to July 5, 2000, were all attributed to Kerry K. Mohammed, owner of 83 Front Street, the site of the fire, according to Keisha Marshall, attorney for the village of Hempstead. Mohammed’s violations include failure to register for a tenant’s license and doing electrical and plumbing work without a permit, officials said.

Despite the violations regarding that residence, Hobbs said, before the fire the village could not legally force people living at 83 Front Street to move. Eighteen people lived in the house, including in the basement and attic, which is not allowed, Hobbs said.

Mohammed is currently in the process of evicting the tenants, Hobbs said.

“We follow the letter of the law in how we deal with these illegal rental locations in the Village of Hempstead,” Hobbs said. “We recently passed an ordinance ensuring that we increase the minimum fine for some of these violations because we want to make sure the fines match the violation.”

Prior violations are handled in the Hempstead Village Court. Mohammed is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 21, officials said.

Although no injuries were caused by the fire, Hempstead Village Administrator Kevin Boone said the consequences could have been much worse.

“If the fire hadn’t come through the attic and come down, it could have been very serious not only for the people living there, but also for our firefighters,” Boone said.

Boone said the village “has seen way more than we would like to see” in illegal rentals, adding “it’s a huge problem.” He added: “There should have been no occupation in this house. »

Nassau County Fire Marshal Mike Uttaro told Newsday the cause of the fire may have been outside the building and was ruled accidental.

Nassau County court records showed ongoing foreclosure proceedings began in October 2022 against Kerry K. Mohammed, who owed more than $428,000 since April 1, 2020, for the property at 81 Front Street, also known as 83 Front Street.

Court records indicate Mohammed purchased the property for $431,250 in June 2019. The case is scheduled to return to court on July 23.

Mohammed could not be reached for comment. An attorney for Mohammed could not be reached for comment Monday.

With John Asbury