People v. Lott

In People v. Lott, 102 A.D.2d 506, 478 N.Y.S.2d 193 (4th Dept. 1984), the Court held that where the front door of the defendant's rooming house was locked, the stairway and inner hallway adjacent to his room were considered part of his home for Fourth Amendment purposes. In that case, however, the Court noted that such common areas in question linked the "sleeping rooms of unrelated persons sharing common facilities." (Id. at 510.) Thus, the areas in question were clearly a part of the defendant's home since they connected the defendant's room to other necessary living areas such as the kitchen and bathroom.