Montclair, NJ – Due to the continued COVOID-19 pandemic, Montclair’s town council passed Resolution R-21-046 on Tuesday, extending the rent increase moratorium through June 30, 2021.
Montclair Township Council passed Ordinance O-20-08 at the May 19, 2020, Council meeting, to place a temporary moratorium on rent increases during the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency. The moratorium prevents any increase in the amount paid in rent or any additional charges by residential tenants in all residential rental units in the Township. The Governing Body also passed a resolution declaring an emergency in order to have the Ordinance take effect retroactively and immediately.
Ordinance O-20-08 was amended twice to extend the rent increase moratorium period.
“In light of the ongoing financial hardships, the severe disruption to the economy at all levels, and in the spirit of the moratorium on the execution of warrants of eviction, the Township has determined that the immediate stability of rents is necessary for the public interest and is best served by placing an immediate, temporary moratorium on all rent increases,” reads Ordinance O-20-08.
On March 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac announced the suspension of all evictions and foreclosures for 60 days. A day later Governor Phil Murphy issued Executive Order 106 to immediately suspend evictions throughout the state.
The rent freeze Ordinance is a township government effort to provide additional relief to residents experiencing housing insecurity and financial difficulties.
Exemptions are:
Rental units in properties that are owner-occupied with no more than one additional rental unit;
Rental units in properties exempt from local rent regulation by state or federal law;
Rental units in which the rent is determined as the function of household income; and
Rental units in hotels.
It would be good until those 2,800 Montclair rental units come out of the rent freeze and then not covered under the Council’s rent control ordinance. Guess which ward’s tenants will be impacted the most?
The good news is that these 2,800 units I’m representing are a small fraction of the 15,000 rental units that are in Montclair according to the Tenant’s Organization Of Montclair. I laugh every day at that 15,000 rental units number. The fact of the matter is the Council can’t push back on that 15,000 figure because it does not know how many or why types of rental units are in town. And no way are we bringing up the gray market units. However, Councilor Cummings appears to have recently received an education from his constituents. Ouch!
43% of Montclair dwelling units are rentals.
44% of 2-family rental dwelling units are in the 4th Ward.
41% of 3-family rental dwelling units are in the 4th Ward.
43% of 4- family rental dwelling units are in the 4th Ward.
Has anyone ever heard of Benford’s Law? Anyone want to guess where 43% of gray market housing is located? If you guessed the 4th Ward, you would be wrong.
Remember transparency everyone. Complete transparency. We stand on it, by it, for it.
Remember how the community meetings on a rent control ordinance were held in the churches? You don’t? Your Council has the a list of of where & when all the community meetings held. Everybody had ample opportunity to have their say. Parish members, general public.
And those same churches, along with a few more, will now have a discussion about why some tenants in their congregation will receive protections the ordinance offers and other tenants in that same congregation, of identical incomes & ages will not. The difference who gets and who doesn’t?Because of where they live. Because of who owns their building. That should be one interesting & enlightening conversation for the clergy to moderate.
Remember, transparency please. No more back rooms.
PS: Everybody keeps saying we have been doing it this way – when it comes to the rent control issue – for 40 years. It seems Montclair hasn’t changed in all that time. And you say you don’t have preservation in your blood! Ha!
Wow, no way to see this issue arising.
The numerous State & Federal liaisons on the Mayor’s COVID-19 Task Force should consider representing us in this New York-led initiative. I’m not sure of the Task Force’s bandwidth, but it should be possible to work concurrently with the Essex-Hudson Greenway thing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/nyregion/commuter-transit-benefits-mta-covid.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
PS: I suggested this here in late Summer of 2020. https://montclairlocal.net/2020/08/montclair-continues-efforts-to-support-townships-small-businesses/