The homes across Putnam County
| Measure | Putnam County | Across the six towns |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 35,545 | 3,698 (Patterson) to 12,046 (Carmel) |
| Owner-occupied share | 83.8% | 78.7% (Southeast) to 89.7% (Putnam Valley) |
| Renter households | 5,767 | 419 (Putnam Valley) to 1,758 (Carmel) |
| Single-family detached | 77.2% | 61.3% (Southeast) to 96.1% (Putnam Valley) |
| Median rooms | 6.2 | 5.9 (Kent, Patterson, Southeast) to 6.5 (Carmel) |
| Median year built | 1968 | 1961 (Kent) to 1975 (Southeast) |
| Built before 1940 | 17.4% | 12.4% (Carmel) to 28.8% (Philipstown) |
| Held for seasonal use | 1,458 (margin ±350) | Largest: Putnam Valley 377 (±196), Philipstown 306 (±134) |
- Whole houses of middling size. The median Putnam home has 6.2 rooms and a median build year of 1968. Stairs and the number of bathrooms, more than floor area, set the length of a visit.
- Second homes. Putnam Valley, Philipstown, Carmel (295, ±164) and Kent (247, ±144) hold the most homes kept for seasonal use. A house shut all winter needs a deep clean to open, not a regular visit.
- Older houses along the Hudson. Philipstown, home to Cold Spring, has the oldest stock in the county, with 28.8% built before 1940, against 12.4% in Carmel. Houses that old often keep original wood floors, which call for careful floor care.
- Few renters. Carmel has 1,758 renter households and Southeast 1,547. Southeast, home to the village of Brewster, also has the lowest single-family share in the county (61.3%).
Every town, village and hamlet in Putnam County
Putnam County has six towns. Mailing names such as Mahopac or Brewster cover more ground than the Census places of the same name, so here is where each one sits.
- Carmel
Mahopac, Carmel hamlet and Mahopac Falls. 12,046 households, the largest town.
- Southeast
The village of Brewster, Brewster Hill and Brewster Heights. 7,256 households.
- Kent
Lake Carmel. 4,594 households.
- Putnam Valley
Lake Peekskill and Putnam Valley hamlet. 4,086 households.
- Philipstown
The villages of Cold Spring and Nelsonville, and Garrison. 3,865 households.
- Patterson
Putnam Lake and Patterson hamlet. 3,698 households.
Sales tax on house cleaning in Putnam
New York taxes interior cleaning of a home (TSB-M-91(4)S), and Putnam's combined state and local rate is 8.375% in every town (Publication 718, effective 1 March 2025). Carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning is exempt in New York (Tax Bulletin ST-740).
The tax follows where the home is. Southeast shares a border with Danbury, where Connecticut's 6.35% applies, but a Brewster house pays Putnam's 8.375% no matter which side of the line the cleaner comes from.
Short-term rental and rental rules in Putnam towns
Two Putnam towns have adopted rules that affect renting out a home, and the village of Cold Spring has a draft. All were read 19 September 2026.
| Town | What the rule says | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| Putnam Valley | A short-term rental is allowed only as an accessory use of a single-family house in the R-1, R-2, R-3, LP and CD districts. It needs a Planning Board special use permit plus a Building Department permit good for 3 years, with a fire and safety inspection every year. One owner may hold at most 3 permits. | Zoning Ch. 165, Art. X (Local Law 3 of 2023, amended by Local Law 1 of 2025) |
| Southeast | Every rental unit needs a rental occupancy permit, renewed every two years after a Code Enforcement inspection. A short-term rental also needs a Planning Board conditional use permit. | Town Code Ch. 108 (Local Law 7 of 2025, adopted 9 Oct 2025) |
| Philipstown (Village of Cold Spring) | A draft Chapter 100 on short-term rentals had hearings in 2021 and a committee report in 2022; ask the village whether it has since been adopted. | Village short-term rentals page |
In Carmel, Kent and Patterson, ask the town building department what it requires. If you rent a lake house by the week, our vacation rental turnover cleaning resets it between guests. For long-term leases, New York gives landlords 14 days after move-out to return the deposit with an itemized statement (General Obligations Law 7-108).
What Putnam households ask for most
Setting aside general house cleaning, the services on our list that Putnam County searches for most each month (DataForSEO, pulled 19 September 2026) are carpet and upholstery cleaning (460), deep cleaning (390), floor, tile and grout cleaning (380), add-ons such as fridge, oven and laundry (180) and window cleaning (170). That order suits a county where 77.2% of homes are detached houses: carpets, floors and windows are the jobs a house has far more of than an apartment. Our pricing page explains how a visit is quoted.
Common questions about house cleaning across Putnam County
Which towns and hamlets do you cover across Putnam County?
All of them: Carmel and Mahopac, Kent and Lake Carmel, Patterson and Putnam Lake, Philipstown with Cold Spring, Nelsonville and Garrison, Putnam Valley with Lake Peekskill, and Southeast with Brewster. Put your street address or ZIP in the quote form and we will confirm the visit. We also clean just over the county lines in Westchester, Dutchess and Fairfield County, CT.
Do you open and close lake houses and second homes across Putnam County?
Yes. An opening clean is a deep clean: dust and cobwebs off ceilings, fans and window tracks, the kitchen and fridge wiped out, bathrooms scrubbed and floors done. A closing clean empties and wipes the fridge, cleans the kitchen and bathrooms and finishes the floors, so the house sits clean until you return. Tell us when the house was last used, how we get in and whether water and power are on.
How much does a house cleaning cost across Putnam County?
We quote each home rather than publish one price. The median Putnam home has 6.2 rooms, but the quote turns on your bathrooms, stairs, how long since a deep clean and how often you want us; tell us about pets when you book. Send those details online and we usually answer the same day. See our pricing page for what changes the number.
Do I need a town permit to rent my house short-term across Putnam County?
It depends on the town. Putnam Valley requires a special use permit and a three-year Building Department permit with yearly inspections, and Southeast requires a rental occupancy permit for every rental unit plus Planning Board approval for a short-term rental. In the village of Cold Spring the rule was still a draft on 19 September 2026. For Carmel, Kent and Patterson, ask the town before your first guest.
