HOBOKEN AND BAYONNE – As if you don’t have enough to think about…this Tuesday’s vote in Hoboken and Bayonne includes a public question on the future of rent control.
Rent control laws limit annual increases based on the cost of living increase and other matters. In some cases, rent control has kept units lower than market-rate units.
In Hoboken, a taxpayers’ group has put a measure on the ballot to eliminate rent control from any rent controlled unit once a current tenant leaves. For buildings with five or more units, the building will return to rent control after a new tenant comes in and starts paying the new market-rate rent.
To approve these changes in Hoboken, vote YES. To vote against them, vote NO.
The matter is so controversial that people on both sides of the issue have still been arguing with each other in the comments sections of our stories (see “most commented” on the lower right of our homepage) even during the Hurricane Sandy cleanup efforts.
In Bayonne, a YES vote will strike down the Bayonne City Council’s measure from last year that allows landlords to eliminate rent control from any unit when a current tenant leaves. A NO vote will keep the changes in place.
For the many stories we’ve written on these issues, see the links below at hudsonreporter.com.