Remote-work checklist for a year-round rental

Working from a Hamptons rental means checking four things the listing will not tell you: whether the connection is fast enough where your desk will be, what happens when the power fails, how the room is heated, and what the lease promises. In the Town of East Hampton, 26% of workers work from home, against 17% in the Town of Southampton and 17% in New York City, so you will not be alone. Search year-round rentals with the checklist below in hand.

Before you sign

1. Connection. Ask for the provider and plan, then follow the address check. Run a speed test at the desk during your visit.
2. Power. PSEG Long Island says estimated restoration times usually run two to eight hours, longer after a major storm; see storms and outages. Decide now how you will work through an outage: a hotspot, a laptop battery, or a library.
3. Heat. The room that will be your office must be heated. Ask what heats the house and who orders fuel; see the rental utilities checklist.
4. Space. A room with a door, away from the furnace and the kitchen, and a power outlet where you need one.
5. Cell signal. Walk the house with your phone on your carrier and note the bars.

What to write into the lease

• the provider and the month internet service must be active
• who pays for internet, and whether the owner will allow installation
• fuel arrangements and the tank level at move-in
• whether you may run a home office, if the lease or permit has occupancy limits (see rental permits)

State rules on deposits, notice and fees are in lease basics.

Taxes and days

If you also keep a city apartment, the number of days you spend in each place matters for New York income tax. The state’s definitions of domicile and the 184-day rule are explained on the residency page. Keep a day log if you split your week.

The commute

If part of the week is in the city, the travel half of remote work belongs to Hamptons Commute’s remote-work guide.