How do I sell a house with tenants on Long Island?

The first question is whether the tenants have a lease, and if so, how long is left. That answer drives everything else.

If it is a multi-family property and at least one unit is vacant, it may be possible to sell to an owner-occupant, which usually brings a better offer than selling to an investor. If the property is fully rented, the buyer has to wait for the leases to expire, or may ask the seller to remove the tenants before closing. That is sometimes possible and sometimes not.

If the tenants have a lease, the question is whether they would leave voluntarily. If they do not have a lease, written notice is required under New York Real Property Law section 226-c. That rule is statewide, so it applies in Nassau and Suffolk the same as in New York City: thirty days if the tenant has occupied the unit for less than one year, sixty days for one to two years, and ninety days for two years or more.

One possible approach, if the tenant will leave voluntarily, is a cash-for-keys agreement. The owner and the tenant agree on a payment in exchange for the tenant moving out by a set date. The lease, the notice, and the agreement should be reviewed by a landlord-tenant attorney. I do not draft that agreement.

Good Cause Eviction and rent stabilization are different. Good Cause Eviction applies automatically only in New York City. Outside the city, a town or village has to opt in by local law, and as of 2026 roughly nineteen municipalities have done so. No Nassau or Suffolk town appears on that list. Rent stabilization exists in a handful of Nassau municipalities under the Emergency Tenant Protection Act, including Glen Cove, Long Beach, North Hempstead, Freeport, Great Neck, and Hempstead. Suffolk has none. Check the town before assuming either applies.

If the tenants will not leave voluntarily and the lease does not allow it, the seller may need a landlord-tenant attorney. I do not give legal advice. That is their job.