Tenants Fight Back After Facing 20-30 Percent Rent Increases In Jersey City And Hoboken

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — "Please read our story as a warning of what is happening all over the country," says a group of tenants in Jersey City who started a GoFundMe late last month to fight against sudden rent spikes.

They're not alone in fighting. Facing what are now among the highest average rents in the country, tenants in both Jersey City and Hoboken have been asking if unexpected rent increases of 20 percent or more are legal.

Some of the increases have run afoul of local or state law, but tenants don't always have the time or money to fight for their rights, they say.

Despite increased awareness of laws about rents in both towns, tenants say some landlords are still giving them increases that may be what the state of New Jersey deems "unreasonable or unconscionable" — a number that, based on legal precedent, tenant advocates say could be around 25 percent.

Last year, some tenants in both Jersey City and Hoboken, spurred by huge increases, looked into the law and found out that their newer buildings fell under local rent control, as their landlords failed to prove that they had gotten an exemption from local rent control 30 years ago.

But even the tenants in buildings that don't fall under rent control — because they're too new or were exempt for one reason or another — also have rights when it comes to rent increases or evictions.

One Hoboken mother who has a child in the public schools told Patch on Monday that her family may have to move out of town, even though they set down roots over the years and want to stay. She said she was just told her rent will climb more than 30 percent — which comes to more than $1,000 per month.

"We’ve lived in the building since it opened in 2015," she said. "We’ve loved calling this home but just cannot justify spending an extra 30 percent monthly just to stay in our apartment with no improvements or upgrades whatsoever. We are one of three families at Park + Garden who are facing an exponential increase and it’s really disheartening to see young families being run out of town."

She added, "I’ve filed a legal rent calculation request with the city and am waiting to hear back if the building is, in fact, exempt from rent control. But the only reason I knew to do this was thanks to a friend of mine who went through this same thing with The Rivington, as mentioned in your article."

She noted that they had renewed their lease before COVID hit and had gotten increases each year, so she wasn't part of any pandemic freezes or discounts that might justify a high increase this year.

Tenants have said that even when they know the law, they have had to turn to city officials, volunteer advocates, and neighbors to try to fight unprecedented spikes.

Part of the problem, some say, is that national equity firms have bought up large buildings in Hoboken and Jersey City, then set rents as if they had no idea about state or local laws. The increases seem far out of line with what tenants had been paying, but moving and looking at new rentals has high costs as well.

Some firms have determined the rent by using the same computer program, experts say — resulting in many buildings raising their rents at once, forcing longtime tenants to choose between accepting an unexpected change or uprooting their families.

Jersey City Twist

This week, the tenants' association at Portside Towers in Jersey City — who discovered last October that at least one of their buildings fell under rent control — found out about a recent update to a 2022 precedent-setting legal case nearby in Union City.

Back on July 7, 2022, the New Jersey Superior Court told the owners of Willow Ridge Apartments in Union City — which borders Jersey City — that their complex, constructed just 20 years ago, is not exempt from rent control, because the owners did not have an exemption from rent control on file.

The case set a legal precedent for other relatively new buildings in Hoboken and Jersey City that might otherwise be exempt.

This week, a leader of the Portside Towers Tenant Association in Jersey City presented a letter showing that the New Jersey Supreme Court had decided not to review the judgment in the Union City case:

The Jersey City group has retained the same lawyer who represented the Union City Rent Leveling Board in the Willow Ridge case, they said.

They also have started a GoFundMe to raise awareness around these issues.

"We find ourselves in a situation where we know our rights have been violated," said Kevin Weller, one of the founders of the Jersey City group, this week. "Tenants in our buildings are still overpaying by over half a million dollars per month. Our friends and family are being effectively evicted. Some of our once-neighbors are now homeless."

Other Controversies Looming

Tenants in both towns also say they've had to fight other aggressions against the laws. Besides rent spikes, tenants have reported issues such as:

• Being told they have to leave their buildings because the owner has sold to someone else — even though tenants in New Jersey have a long list of rights in those cases.
• Landlords suddenly raising "amenity fees" in order to get around a rent control cap. (Rent control allows landlords to apply to evenly pass along increases in taxes, water charges, and other types of surcharges.)

How To Get Free Help

Besides local officials and activist groups, there are advocates and nonprofit organizations in local cities who are charged with helping tenants and landlords understand the laws and rights.

• In Hoboken, the city retains a tenant lawyer to answer tenant and landlord questions. Find out more here.
• In Jersey City, nonprofit groups including the waterfront group can help. Find out more here.
• Northeast New Jersey Legal Services can also help.
• So can the New Jersey Tenants' Organization, which helps tenants organize. It's based in Fort Lee.

You can also ask your city for a calculation of your legal rent.

See prior reporting here.

Property Owners' Group Responds

Ron Simoncini, the leader of the Mile Square Taxpayers' Association, has fought against various aspects of rent control in New Jersey communities in the past. He issued a statement:

"The vast majority of property owners in Hoboken operate their apartments in compliance with the city’s Rent Control Ordinance. While sympathetic with the tenants experiencing these situations – it is not an accurate representation of what’s happening in the city as a whole."

He added, "Runaway inflation hurts everyone including property owners. Combining that with the two years of mandated rent freezes, many property owners are struggling to stay afloat. If not allowed to raise rents to cover their bottom line many will sell and covert to condos – further exacerbating the housing shortage.”