Dear Editor:
I recently received a letter from the Liberty Board of Realtors saying that rent control in Hoboken is “broken,” and that homeowners should pressure our councilpersons to support an ordinance that would effectively abolish rent control for buildings with up to four units. As an informed voter in Hoboken, I know that this would affect most of the housing under rent control in our city, as most of the larger buildings are too new to be under rent control. My husband and I have lived in Hoboken for almost 30 years. Most of that time, we have been homeowners and landlords. (We have a rental apartment in our house.) And we absolutely oppose gutting the rent control laws in Hoboken. Doing so would result in a population of transients who would live here a few years and move on. This would have a devastating affect on our community. We are committed to the community of Hoboken. We are raising our children here. We want to keep our neighbors who rent their homes and are also committed to being part of the community. We absolutely oppose harming rent control in Hoboken and would not vote for a representative who harmed our town by voting to support the big money real estate complex. We know that some of the big time landlords are pushing to ruin rent control because they were caught illegally overcharging their tenants. They continue to do so, and want to get away with it. If they can buy a right to get away with their rent control violations, it would be shameful. We obey the laws and ordinances, and we feel that everyone, including landlords and realtors, should obey the laws, too. If they didn’t like our laws they could buy property in another town that doesn’t give a damn about the stability of its residents. Please do not give in to them! It’s definitely the WRONG thing to do.
Harriette Lewis