More than 100 tenants from around the state gathered into the meeting room of the Bruce D. Walter Recreation Center in Union City on Feb. 24 to discuss issues concerning rent control, tenants’ status as taxpayers and protection against unjust evictions.
They were there for the annual membership meeting of the New Jersey Tenants Organization, a meeting that was hosted by Union City’s Washington Towers Tenants Organization.
According to James McGreevey, the Mayor of Woodbridge and a candidate for New Jersey governor, the New Jersey Tenants Organization (NJTO) is the largest and oldest statewide tenants’ organization in the country.
“We are the organization that tries to establish tenants as first class citizens,” said the organization’s president, Matt Shapiro. “Because we are not [first class citizens]. We are 10th class citizens.”
NJTO represents tenant organizations in 110 municipalities throughout the state and has worked to get at least 18 major landlord and tenant laws passed.
“Our tenants have the strongest legal protection in the country,” said McGreevey.
Taxpayers too
With the recent $3.5 million tax hike in Union City, talk of establishing tenants as taxpayers was key at the gathering.
“When we pay rent,” said Shapiro. “Part of that rent goes towards real estate taxes. Tenants are taxpayers.” To help ease the burden of Union City taxpayers, Union City Mayor Brian Stack spoke about how new development in the city would help to bring the tax rate down, therefore relieving tenants and other taxpayers of their burden.
“We want to bring in new development to supplement the tenants already living here,” said Stack. “I don’t want to see [tenants] forced out. I am definitely pro-tenant.”
Along those lines, the statewide organization wants to see that tenants get the benefits of their landlords’ tax refunds. “Tax refunds to landlords ought to be transferred properly through tenants,” said McGreevey.
The new REAP Rebate Act, passed in June of 1999, affects tenants living in Hudson County due to the regionalization of the local fire departments. Through this act, the state gives the rebate in trust for the tenants. According to Waffaa Mikhail, president of the tenants’ organization at Washington Park Towers, a landlord has 30 days to report the rebate to his tenants. If landlords do not comply and are convicted, they are responsible for twice the rebate plus a $100 fine.
Washington Park Towers’ landlord received a $31,000 rebate from this act.
Since the landlord is now past the 30-day grace period, Mikhail and her organization went before the tenant board on Feb. 27.
Affordable housing
McGreevey spoke to the gathering about his plan to focus on the development of affordable housing.
“[New Jersey] has the most expensive fair market rate in the nation,” he said. “Nearly half of the tenants in New Jersey cannot afford their rent.”
Mikhail, who recently has been fighting against Union City’s rent hikes and the Rent Unit Preservation Allowance (RPA) system that was added to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance in 1996, agrees that more affordable housing is necessary.
The RPA system allows landlords to take an apartment off rent control after the apartment has been renovated and has passed numerous inspections. However, Stack has set up a committee to possibly update the ordinance. “Rents are really high,” said Mikhail. “There isn’t enough affordable housing to meet the needs of the people in the community.”
If elected governor, McGreevey plans to target multi-family housing for urban communities and dedicate a source of subsidy funds for their development.
In the last gubernatorial race, McGreevey lost by a narrow margin to Gov. Christine Todd Whitman with the backing of the New Jersey Tenants Organization. While McGreevey’s attendance at this meeting does not necessarily secure him backing, the organization did seem pleased with his remarks.