Is rent control under siege in Hoboken?

HOBOKEN — Is rent control going to be altered in Hoboken? Well, not the entire law, but some people feel that it needs to be updated. The existing Rent Control Ordinance was passed in 1973. Currently, it applies to tenants of most buildings built before 1987. It does the following: It limits the annual increase in rent to a few percent each year, with exceptions such as a “vacancy decontrol” every three years if a tenant moves out voluntarily, and certain hardship increases and tax/water pass-along charges from landlords.
However, a group of property owners and taxpayers would like to change certain aspects of the law, and of legal proceedings related to enforcement.
But will the taxpayer lobby be able to make any changes they want? And what exactly will be changed?
Tenant advocates anonymously posted signs in Hoboken this week encouraging renters to come to Wednesday’s council meeting to start paying attention to what’s going on, although the signs are not specific about what might happen. The council has been planning for some time to re-examine the rent control law to see which changes need to be made.
Want to know more? Watch future editions of the newspaper or come to the council meetings, which will air live on this page, www.hudsonreporter.com.

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