Hoboken Eviction Case Friday Could Set Troubling Precedent In NJ: Advocates

HOBOKEN, NJ — There's money to be made from Hoboken apartments, which currently have among the highest rents in the nation, an average of $4,264 according to one source.

That means landlords have an incentive to force longtime tenants out, or jack up the rents.

The state of New Jersey and the city of Hoboken have laws in place to keep tenants stable, but that doesn't mean the rules are always followed. Or that it's easy to fight a legal battle when laws are ignored.

One Hoboken case that's been going on for several years may set a troubling precedent for current renters, advocates say.

Could Set Statewide Precedent

The case of Hoboken tenant Jeff Trupiano was scheduled be heard in Superior Court in Jersey City on Friday.

Tenant advocates say Trupiano's landlord has been trying to raise the rent on his one-bedroom walkup by at least $2,800 per month, after converting the building where he's lived since 1991 into condos.

While the unit fell under Hoboken's Rent Control Ordinance — which limits increases to a few percent per year — there are provisions in the law allowing landlords to make a fair return on their investment, particularly after renovations.

But advocates say that the landlord's proposed increases have been much higher than what's allowed.

"Many of us in town know Jeff Trupiano quite well from his longtime service as a nutritionist at Basic Foods and, previously, the Hoboken Farmboy," says a GoFundMe for Trupiano that has so far raised $11,000. "Jeff has been under relentless attack by his landlord for several years now. His case has been bouncing between the courts and the Hoboken Rent Board but is now coming to an unconscionable head.".

Trupiano moved into a unit on the fifth floor of 700 block of Park Avenue under a previous landlord, advocates say.

Dana Wefer, who has been acting as Trupiano's pro bono lawyer for more than three years, said in a story on NJ 101.5 last month that "as a low-income renter, he [would normally] be protected from eviction for more than another 20 years because of the Tenant Protection Act."

Unless the court case goes a different way.

Hoboken-based advocate Cheryl Fallick of the Hoboken Fair Housing Association told Patch on Thursday: "The laws that protect renters when multi-family buildings are converted to condos include special protected status for seniors and low-income renters, and this resident qualified
for that designation."

Wefer has said the Tenant Protection Act (find out more here) could be jeopardized if she can't protect Trupiano.

'A Travesty'

Fallick said this week, "Levying a hardship increase that circumvents those laws would be a travesty."

She said, "The fact that this Hoboken tenant is still dragged through the courts in this matter is outrageous. The Hoboken rent leveling board spent hours upon hours hearing this case ... and issued a well-considered and just decision on what an appropriate and fair hardship increase for this unrenovated 5th floor 1-bedroom, 1-bath walkup."

She encouraged people to donate to the GoFundMe.

Where Can Tenants Turn?

Advocates in the Hoboken area have become concerned, in general, that tenants are being pressed to leave their homes without understanding the state laws that protect them, or without being given adequate time to find a new home.

"I get an average of 2 calls a month from tenants that live in buildings that are being, or have been, recently sold where the landlord has told them they have to move," Fallick said, noting that many aren't aware of their rights.

An advocate even taped anonymous messages around the mile-square city (as pictured above) encouraging tenants to know their rights.

Get Free Help

New Jersey's Truth in Renting laws are here.

Hoboken also employs a tenant advocate, a lawyer who will help tenants (or landlords) with questions for free. Find out more here.

Find out more about Fallick's organization here.

FURTHER READING: Rivington Rent Hikes Reduced; Hoboken Says They're An 'Injustice'