Rent Control Amendment: 'No' Vote Leading In A Landslide In Hoboken

Updated 12:05 a.m. Wednesday

HOBOKEN, NJ — Should Hoboken modify its rent control ordinance? A landlord group suggested changes earlier this year, and gathered enough signatures to put an amendment on the ballot. Hoboken's 1973 Rent Control Ordinance keeps rents to a certain percentage (usually less than 5 percent), but allows increases for various circumstances.

[UPDATE: See responses landlord and tenant groups here.]

Updated Vote Count

With 98 percent of districts reporting, just after midnight Wednesday the numbers were:

• YES (for the change): 5,629
• NO (rejecting the change): 15,184

With ballots mailed in as late as 8 p.m. Tuesday, final numbers may not be known for days. Check the Hudson County election website here for updates.

A landlord group suggested the change this year, forcing the matter to a public ballot. They encouraged voters to choose "Yes" to make the change, while pro-tenant groups and top Hoboken officials came out for a "No" vote.

The public question would allow landlords to get a one-time decontrol when a current tenant leaves an apartment, and landlord must contribute to an affordable housing fund. Critics say this will just lead to more landlords pushing tenants out, because they can get a larger rent increase when a long-term tenant leaves. And it could be years before new housing is built.

(See a full story with an explanation here or here).

Further Reading

• You can read the language of the statement at the very end of this story.
• Read a story about tenants in modern Hoboken here.
• See the New Jersey voter information here.