He has been a strong advocate of Jersey City adopting a right to counsel, noting that other cities and states have such a law on the books already. See the public notice of the meeting here. 2nd District Hudson County commissioner candidate Adrian Ghainda called for rent control for all buildings as well as right to counsel. GoFundMe HELP!!! | Portside Towers Legal Fight for Rent Control They could do anything. The dispute and similar fights over rent control around New Jersey center on a state law enacted more than 35 years ago. Portside Towers residents again dominated the public portion of the Jersey City Council meeting, reiterating calls for the city to enforce rent control and asking Mayor Steven Fulop to take a stance. SUV $38/day. No filing, no exemption, said tenants from Portside Towers who stood in front of Jersey City, The issue of unenforced rent control ordinances by the city, at Portside Towers was not unbeknown to the. Anna Davies, a Portside Towers resident for eight years, and also characterized Equity as a corporate bully. Portside Towers Legal Fight for Rent Control! We cannot let this happen. We are a growing movement. Saleh said several council members had been working on the larger package but they could focus on a narrow ordinance that would be passed faster. According to the council, the company owns 79,322 residential units. But, Rasulo said her landlord said that ordinance does not apply to her high-rise. Ive now missed eight bedtimes and eight dinners with my children, Jessica Rasulo said. Floor 16, 913 sq.ft. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. a tenant emailed a simple question after being subject to crazy high rent increases: Is my building subject to rent control?, We obtained these statements for our buildings, which confirmed, under the signature of our landlord, and subject to penalty, that. Warning This browser is no longer supported. Our journalism needs your support. See apartments for rent at Portside Towers in Jersey City, NJ on Zillow.com. I find these statements to be a farce. The group argues their buildings not only fall under rent control but their landlord, Equity Residential, was unrightfully exempted from it as it never filed for the exemption. Easy Access to NJ Turnpike and Holland Tunnel. Monday morning, the WSJ followed up on the issue of Portside, a pair of luxury waterfront towers in Jersey City that were determined recently to be under the city's rent control laws, as Patch . An Equity spokesperson said the company used market comparisons and software in lease negotiations; the software can determine what rent a unit can get on the open market, but could not have predicted a large hike would prompt tenants to research rent legislation. Better still, avoidance of it would involve economic activity, expanding the bases of other taxes and allowing their rates to be reduced, so that everyone elseincluding tenants, home owners, and landlords with tenantswould pay LESS tax! Its not enough with representation for tenants. The office of tenant-landlord relations does not enforce rent control regulations, he also declared. Some NJ landlords may ignore local rent control rules. Here's why. According to the law, this must be decided by a judge in court. So many people are going through this. / Initially, we were going to do a complete overhaul. Jessica Brann said that last year, a Pro Publica investigative report found that the company Real Page feeds an algorithm used by real estate companies, including Equity, which likely leads to inflated rent and breaks anti-trust laws. Jersey City has become ground central for debate over the law giving exemptions for rent control, Cohen said. No filing, no exemption, said tenants from Portside Towers who stood in front of Jersey City council members, pleading to follow through with city rent control ordinances as tenants faced rent increases of over 30 percent. The vacancy tax, as it is sometimes called, is not limited to what real-estate agents call vacancies, i.e. Another resident, Lawrence Sneed, said only three percent of tenants are represented in court while pushing the right to counsel, as well as that Jersey City is the most expensive city in the nation for renters, citing a New York Times study. The average asking rent in October was $2,850 per month, according to CoStar, a 28 percent increase from 2012. The official title of the Director of the Office of Landlord-Tenant Relations is Rent Leveling Administrator. The buildings owners did not respond to requests to comment. Saleh then praised the idea of a simple form. Both Hoboken and Jersey City have tenant advocates and officials to help, and nonprofits like the Waterfront Project and others can also help. Portside Towers Jersey City My neighbors and I have been here for the last seven-plus council meetings. Your early support inspires others to donate. The typical rent in Jersey City was $2,935 per month as of December 31, according to the latest available data from the Zillow Observed Rent Index, which measures changes in asking rents over time. Laws are being violated with willful disregard. I want the rent to hopefully get better. 2023 Equity Residential. We will continue to shine on a light on these injustices.. All rights reserved (About Us). We have had no response or acknowledgment from Mayor Fulop on the lack of enforcement.. / Portside Towers Apartments For Rent in Jersey City, NJ | ForRent.com Please subscribe today NJ.com. The system is broken and overloaded, exclaimed Judith Feury. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I just think that as a city, when we fall short, we just gotta own it, so to say, said City Council President Joyce Watterman. Well help you find another Equity home you love when its time to make a move. While we're minutes from Manhattan, Portside Towers maintains the ambiance of a closely knit suburban neighborhood. I urge Jersey City to enforce its rent control laws The tenants demonstrated there was no timely filing. Compact $28/day. Rent increases for part of Portside Towers are now capped at 4 percent. See Mobile Apps Skip main navigation Sign in Join Homepage All rights reserved 2023 The Real Deal is a registered Trademark of Korangy Publishing Inc. NJ real estate influencers accused in $2M apartment scam, Blackstone lists six industrial properties in NYC, Long Island, Tides Equities flew too close to the sun. We need this right to counsel to be funded for tenant education advocacy by the developers pricing out longtime residents.. Whether you are a socialist or not, letting a major selectively enforce only the laws he or she likes is a bad idea. Portside Towers Legal Fight for Rent Control! The New York Waterway, Path Station and the NJ train are minutes away and Wall Street is just a 10 minute commute. Crowdfunding For All | Portside Towers Legal Fight for Rent Control No filings were located for either of Portsidesbuildings. The 1987 law is mentioned in a copy of a 2019 lease for Woodbridge Hills provided to NJ Advance Media. Gary Murphy, a former chair of the rent leveling board, was another resident who spoke in favor of the Portside tenant. The Hudson Reporter found out through reviewing documents filed by Equity Residential, owned in 1998, in a question asked if the property fell under rent control, the real estate firm responded yes.. It is known for having been the native city of Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano, [3] of architect Rosario Candela, as well as the ancestral homeland of the American singer, actor, and . Building owners must file an exemption claim with their municipalitys construction official to be considered exempt from local rent control laws, according to the law. Under New Jersey State law, all landlords of residential rental dwellings are required to register their rental units through a Landlord Registration statement, filed to the Division of Housing Preservation and the Office of Landlord/Tenant Relations, both departments that are under the citys Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce. I am asking for fairness and for you to enforce 260.. Furthermore, Mark Boyles demanded the council adopt a simple form just for their case first. I do. Some of it might require state involvement. Floor 17, 889 sq.ft. Floor 19, 695 sq.ft. He noted some in the crowd assembled behind the speakers podium nodded and gave a thumbs up, agreeing to help on an expanded form. Portside Towers Legal Fight for Rent Control! Jersey City board hears Portside tenants in rent-control fight. Join us to make a stand that sends a. One of the luxury Portside. / Get Started. There are cabs in front of the bus station that can drive you to the beach for just 4 Euro/person. Jessica Rasulo got the news last May that the rent on her apartment in a downtown Jersey City high-rise was going up by almost 20%. The city has failed to enforce its rent control laws. 155 Washington Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302, See more information on our Resident Benefits. Mayor Fulop, where are you? / At this price point, we would never have moved here, Weller said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. March 31, 2023 2:32 pm 0 The Portside Towers Tenants Associations in Jersey City are gearing up for their long anticipated rent leveling board hearing, going in feeling optimistic due to a recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision. There was no movement in the state legislature to change the Rent Exemption Act of 1987. Kevin Weller, a tenant of Jersey Citys Portside Towers, addressed the City Council at its January 11 meeting. Portside Towers residents have been contending for weeks that the owners of the building, Residential Equity, did not file a rent control exemption despite claims to the contrary. We are working on it, Saleh stated. Were hearing of many longtime lifetime Jersey City residents having to leave the city.. We vote. He further stated that having an eviction record makes it harder to find a good place to live. Palermo Apartments for Rent - Nestpick A new wrinkle for leaders to grapple with is the fact that some of the newer luxury buildings previously thought to be too new to be subject to rent control have been determined to fall under the law because they didn't file on time for a 30-year exemption that New Jersey began allowing in 1987. There are not many better locations in the city and while prices here are higher than elsewhere, Palermo isn't a horribly expensive city and there are some bargains to be found within the historic walls of Quattro Canti . / Portside Towers Apartments brings Manhattan elegance to the heart of a historic, vibrant Jersey City neighborhood. For anyone who has been following the Portside Towers tenants' ongoing fight against their illegal rent increases and Jersey City's/Fulop's self-admitted lack of rent control enforcement, the day for the City to finally uphold its own law is drawing very near. Every penny raised will fund our legal battle as we take this to the courts of New Jersey. And they have said they believe the city is not following its own rent laws. Rent Control. Mayor Fulop, I invite you to share your face here at the next meeting. Also read: New York's new rent control law would drive out small landlords. Where is our ever-smiling mayor? The Jersey City Council meeting was again dominated by Portside Towers protestors demanding the city stop rent gouging, which several speakers noted was all the more reason to have a right to counsel. Compact $38/day. Plus enjoy 25% off your first month. Floor 19, 913 sq.ft. Bringing that could take a little longer than you guys want. See the public notice of the meeting here. Dawkins said his landlord just went off the rails with rent increases after the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020. Residents of Portside Towers could finally find out whether they were being illegally charged a massive 40% increase in rent by their landlord from . Ive experienced many injustices around the crisis of housing in Jersey City. Similarly, Dina Bologa questioned what quasi meant in this instance. This is my home, she said. Weller's rent for his two-bedroom apartment increased by nearly 35%, or an additional $1,500 a month, in just over a year, he said. The landlords are all winning.. / The outcome may very likely set precedent and case law for tenants that come after us. Car Rental at Palermo Airport from $18/day - KAYAK YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The law says the exemption can last for either 30 years or the length of the owners initial mortgage financing loan on the property whichever is less. / Patch has written more than 10 articles over the past year on these issues. READ MORE: Rivington Rent Hikes Reduced; Hoboken Says They're An 'Injustice'. Sign me up Already have a WordPress.com account? Save up to 40%. In practice, new owners of some luxury buildings, such as the Rivington in Hoboken, initially said they didn't believe their buildings were included in municipal rent control until city officials told them they were. The 1987 Act is referenced in a copy of a 2019 Woodbridge Hills lease provided to NJ Advance Media. View rent, amenities, features and contact Portside Towers leasing office for a tour. Hoboken Delays One-Time Rent Rise, Considers Injunction, Tenants Fight Back As Rents Soar In Jersey City And Hoboken, Hoboken Tenants Facing New Fears Of Displacement. Portside tenants again ask for Jersey City to enforce rent control Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee. Full size 3943 2470 Post navigation. A vacant-property tax makes it less attractive NOT to! / Things were coming into focus. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Market rate rents should not include rats. Latest prices: Economy $18/day. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Sources have said that Hoboken may file an injunction in court as a result, as a "test case" to determine the standard for unconscionability. Portside Towers Apartments brings Manhattan elegance to the heart of a historic, vibrant Jersey City neighborhood. Ron Simoncini, a representative for Woodbridge Hills, said the Woodbridge rent leveling board expressed concern about our rent increase practices, which we believe are fully consistent with local and state rules.. Jersey City is the most expensive city to live in in the United States, Hudson County Commissioner candidate Adrian Ghainda, who is running in District 2, said. Tenants facing big rent hikes figure out they are illegal. Please switch to a supported browser or download one of our Mobile Apps. The Hudson Reporter attempted to reach out to Equity Residential and the citys Rent Leveling Board department in relation to the rent level increase at Portside Towers, none have provided comment so far. She explained that all the elevators were broken in her building when she was pregnant. We then learned about Jersey Citys rent control ordinance (local law, Ordinance 260), the Office of Landlord-Tenant Relations exists to enforce that Ordinance, and rent control is the default in our city unless a buildings original owner takes specific steps to gain a temporary exemption to rent control. These facts are written in our local Ordinance and New Jersey state law. Tara Smythe thanked Ward F Councilman Frank Educational Gilmore and Ward E Councilman James Solomon for attending their community meeting at 70 Greene St. at the beginning of the month. citys council members, said Weller, who spoke on the issue at the last Jersey City Municipal Council meeting earlier in November. I would like to invite Mayor Fulop to the next meeting to speak with us. Furthermore, Tahera Hamdani said she had seen rats in Portside Towers, something that became an almost weekly issue. A city granting exemption to rent control would not have a lawful basis, Hudson County Commissioner Anthony Romano said during the public portion of the meeting last night. Dont go around making assumptions about peoples living situations because you dont know how theyre living. Floor 14, 913 sq.ft. The purpose of the exemption is to encourage the construction of new rental housing, the law states. It was, however, amazingly, not the highest increase, said Brann, who has lived at the property managed by Equity Residential, a real estate company. Thomas Conroy, also of Portside Towers, said Equity had previously admitted the building is under rent control and claimed he had been overcharged $14,000 over the span of 14 months. The western building of the 500-unit Portside Towers lost its exemption on Aug. 24, the city ruled. Search and find Palermo Airport rental car deals on KAYAK now. Housing is a human right, and we need laws that actually represent that.. Weller spoke at Jersey Citys council meeting in January with dozens of tenants from multiple apartment buildings behind him. B. Pritzker Should Lift Illinois's Rent Control Ban to Provide Relief for Renters Brian Bennett and Helena Duncan Jacobin Illinois cannot act to provide relief for its renters struggling under the coronavirus pandemic because of a 1997 rent control ban pushed by the Right. Portside Towers supporters again dominate Jersey City Council meeting Shop around! Here we go again after three weeks later, the press is here with us again, only now there is even more interest, said Weller, referring to the article published by the, The state of New Jersey carries out one of the highest numbers of municipal rent control laws in the country. Floor 7, 1129 sq.ft. Jessica Brann and other tenants saw rent increases of up to 34 percent, eight times higher than the citys rent control ordinance permitted. Minutes from Manhattan and soaring over the Hudson River, Portside Towers Apartments offers apartment homes with spacious interior upgrades designed for both luxury and convenience. Jordan Coll can be reached at jcoll@hudsonreporter.com. Woodbridge Hills is an age-restricted community for renters 55 and older. Rent Control | Portside A phalanx of tenants from Portside Towers in Jersey City, owned by national firm Equity Residential, attended Monday's regular City Council meeting in Jersey City to ask city officials to do a. In another instance, the Hudson Reporter. Lets move it along. A tax on vacant lots and unoccupied buildings. / The average asking apartment rent in Jersey City was $2,850 a month in October, up 28% from 2012, as reported by the WSJ. Portside Towers Apartments - 155 Washington St, Jersey City, NJ 07302 I love this building and LOVE my apartment. We dealt with all kinds of issues that no one whether is a luxury building or not should have to live with. Montelepre ( Italian pronunciation: [montelepre]; Sicilian: Muncilebbri) is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. To Mayor Fulop, I truly regret that I voted for you. The rent is too damn high, Sneed said. Portside Towers tenants in Jersey City buoyed by recent N.J. Supreme He praised Ward E Councilman James Solomon and Ward F Councilman Frank Educational Gilmore for attending the Tenant Town Hall organized by some of the residentson Tuesday. We lived there when no one else wanted to live there. Jersey City has a rent control ordinance that limits increases to 4% annually for some buildings. The state of New Jersey carries out one of the highest numbers of municipal rent control laws in the country. The Woodbridge Township Rent Adjustment Board did not respond to NJ Advance Medias request for comment. Refer your friends to an Equity community and get rewarded with a gift from us. We're directly across the river from Manhattan, meaning the view in Jersey City is unmatched, and so is our convenience! Now, nearly six months later, we know we need to fight with a force larger than that of Portside tenants alone. We arent going anywhere. Search prices for Target Italy, Easy Car Hire, Rental Plus, Italy Car Rent, Viaggiare Rent, NOLEGGIARE and Felirent. Renters in other New Jersey apartment communities are also challenging rent increases. Ill run it with the law department tomorrow, Saleh said, also indicating that they are creating a new database on housing issues in response to their demand. All Rights Reserved. Dawkins said he was one of more than 20 tenants who moved out after Woodbridge Hills announced the 9% rent increase in April. Tenants have petitioned the Jersey City Landlord/Tenant Relations Bureau alleging their rents were illegally increased, Weller said. The mayor of Hoboken has written letters to at least four landlords in that city, telling them to comply with the above city or state laws, but according to tenants, some landlords have resisted. By browsing this site, we may share your information with our social media partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy. My increase was one of highest increases tenants in Portside Towers East or West received in the past several years. How much longer can they hold those 30 percent [rent] raises? Bautista asked. Portside was not the owner at the time the CO for 100 Warren was issued in August 1992 and. Whether you think a law should be changed or not, that issue is separate from the issue of enforcement of current laws. Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh, who has said hes working on a rent control ordinance, noted that noted there are four different types of rent leveling board cases they want new forms for, including their issue. Our connection with Zipcar gets you a special discount, plus $50 in free miles. December 7, 2022 "No filing, no exemption," said tenants from Portside Towers who stood in front of Jersey City council members, pleading to follow through with city rent control ordinances. Tenants of Portside Towers have filed petitions with local officials to roll back their rent, alleging the building should fall under Jersey Citys rent control law. Hudson County Rent Control Controversy Gets National Attention The owner needs to submit the claim at least 30 days before the issuance of a certificate of occupancy that allows tenants to move in. Every week, were knocking on doors. The company owns 79,322 apartment units, according to the council. The special meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 31 at 39 Kearney Ave. in Jersey City, in the Board Room of the Holloway Building. Its not enough with rent control. Our friends, church and community was there. While. You have failed to protect us by not enforcing your own law. Why is the rent control enforcement authority for Jersey City trying to be the first in the history of New Jersey to allow illegal rents? said Jessica Rasulo, who has been a tenant at Portside Towers on 100 Warren St. for nine years and a mother of two. We should be rent controlled. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. But Rasulo said her landlord said the ordinance doesnt apply to her high-rise. Mel Wilson expressed frustration that Fulop declined to comment on their situation yesterday, telling HCV that it would be highly inappropriate for me to weigh in on an issue that is before a quasi-judicial process.. Then we began appearing regularly to speak at City Council meetings. 155 Washington St Jersey City, NJ - Apartments.com Every time I find a place where the rent is good, they want to raise it, stated John Acosta. Asking a landlord after years to now accept draconian rent control rules to subsidize your lifestyle is unfair and most likely legal. Were trying to be cautious on how its going to impact people. Portside Towers housing management declined to comment. Our journalism needs your support. Equity Residential is committed to working with our residents with disabilities to enhance their living environment. The determination letters contained statements that demonstrate she was not following the law when she made her determinations, which were in favor of our landlord, Equity Residential. On the waterfront, apartments could get $1,000 more; the 40 percent increase one Portside Towers resident faced would have pushed the rent past $6,000 for her two-bedroom. Skip one ribbon cutting, Sonja Kirschner exclaimed. Thousands of lives have been upended and ignored.. because if paperwork was not filed correctly, I see your point. These statements require proof if the landlord claims the building is not subject to rent control. Send help right to the people and causes you care about. We are confident youll love your new home - but if you choose to leave in the first 30 days, you will only pay for the days youve stayed. I definitely had to start thinking about what next year was going to be like, which would be devastating for my family.. Learn more about us please watch the impassioned, fact-based speeches weve given during our City Council meetings: January 25, 2023> Hudson County Commissioner =>, February 8, 2023> Hudson County Commissioner Letter =>, Your building address to show JC stands together, A message to our mayor, the council or Equity Residential. Floor 19, 1330 sq.ft. As everyone likely knows, it is our belief that these buildings were never exempt from rent control. The purpose of the exemption is to encourage the building of new rental housing, the law says. Building owners must file an exemption application with their community building authority to be exempted from local rent control laws, under the law. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Come check out everything Portside Towers Apartments has to offer and realize that it's the perfect place to call home. Hudson County Official Tells Jersey City: Enforce Rent Control Rules Portside Towers at 155 Washington St. in Paulus Hook We offer our residents access to a unique set of coverage options. Where is his answer? Hudson County Executive candidate Eleana Little explained she was there in support of rent control and the right to counsel. You are automatically approved with Cort Furniture. / When youre dealing with a corporate bully thats been enabled for a while, it takes time to shake it down. Weller also said they plan to confront Fulop frequently on this issue and have started a GoFundMe page to raise money to fight their landlord, Equity Residential, in court. At one such meeting, Joyce Watterman, Jersey Citys City Council President, stated ".