In order to protect our friends & neighbors who rent their homes, this is how you vote on the large landlord led ballot question.
Leave a CommentVOTE NO!!!
Category Archive: Latest News
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Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA) & Hoboken United Tenants (HUT) are pleased to announce an “oh, so Hoboken” fundraising event. A film screening of “Delivered Vacant”
Leave a CommentIf you’ve never seen it, here’s your chance! If you have seen it, we’re guessing you’re ready to see it again.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Friday, October 11th at the Community Church, 6th & Garden
Doors open at 6:30
WE LOOK FORWARD TO GREETING EVERYONE THERE. -
Op-Ed: Hoboken’s real estate lobby is engaging in dishonest campaign tactics
Leave a CommentReposted from an Op-Ed on Hudson County View
By Hudson County View -September 28, 2024 1:25 pmIn an editorial, three housing groups come out against the Hoboken rent control referendum on the November 5th ballot, alleging dishonest campaign tactics by the other side.
In a shameful display of deception, an anti-rent control landlords’ group is trying to undermine the very fabric of our community by co-opting the name of the Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA), a nonprofit that has fought for decades to protect renters and tenant rights in Hoboken.
By falsely using the name Hoboken Fair Housing as their Instagram handle thus associating themselves with the HFHA, this powerful real estate lobby is attempting to mislead voters into supporting a ballot referendum that would decimate rent protections.
This isn’t just a political maneuver; it’s an outright assault on the renters who make up a significant portion of our city.
The landlords’ group, Miles Square Taxpayers Association (MSTA) backed by wealthy developers and portfolio/corporate landlords, is using dirty tricks to trick voters—particularly renters—into voting against their own interests.
By falsely claiming they are “supporting affordable housing,” they collected signatures for a referendum that would actually dismantle key rent protections. If they truly believed their proposal was beneficial for Hoboken, they wouldn’t lie.
They wouldn’t piggyback off the trusted name of the Hoboken Fair Housing Association, which spent years defending the rights of renters.
This underhanded attempt to deceive the public is grotesque, and we must call it what it is: a manipulation of democracy and an attack on renters.
At the core of their dishonest proposal is a loophole designed to benefit landlords.
The referendum would allow landlords to raise rents on their rent-controlled properties to the maximum/unrestricted market rate by making a minimal $2,500 contribution (less than the average monthly rent in Hoboken) to the Hoboken Affordable Housing Trust Fund when a tenant leaves or is pushed out.
This will jack up rents across the city and eliminate any and all existing affordable rentals in Hoboken in short order as the property owner exchanges a $2,500 payment for a permanent windfall.
For renters living below market rate—working families, longtime residents, seniors on fixed incomes—this spells displacement. This is not a solution for affordable housing; it’s a gift to developers who prioritize profits over people.
The Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA), alongside Hoboken United Tenants (HUT), strongly condemns this referendum and the tactics used to promote it.
Collectively these two groups have the active participation of both longtime and newer residents – owners and renters alike.
They are urging everyone to vote NO on the ballot question, not only to preserve affordable housing but to protect our neighbors from being pushed out of the homes they’ve lived in for years.
This is a fight for the future of Hoboken—a fight to keep our community diverse, fair, and accessible to all.
Remember: this ballot initiative is designed to benefit real estate developers/investors, not renters.
If the anti-rent control lobby succeeds, Hoboken will become even more unaffordable, pushing out the very people who make this city vibrant and inclusive. We cannot let that happen.
For those voting by mail, please note the question is on the back of the ballot. A vote NO on this referendum is a vote to protect Hoboken’s renters, preserve affordability, and ensure that our city remains a place for everyone—not just the wealthy.
Let’s not be fooled by the deceitful tactics of a group more interested in their bottom line than in the well-being of Hoboken’s residents. Protect your neighbors. Protect your city. Vote NO on the anti-rent control referendum.
The HFHA, an affiliate of the New Jersey Tenants Organization (NJTO), stands united with renters. Together we will continue to fight for the fair and just protections that Hoboken deserves.
Hoboken Fair Housing Association
Hoboken United Tenants
New Jersey Tenants Organization -
The Cost of Gutting Rent Control
Leave a Commentand Why You Should Vote No on Hoboken’s Ballot Question
Posted Thu, Sep 26, 2024 at 9:51 am ET | Updated Fri, Sep 27, 2024 at 2:38 pm ET On Patch
Posted by Samantha T, NeighborHoboken voters have yet another choice to make by the end of Election Day this November. An anti-rent control initiative is on the ballot (PSA: if you vote by mail, flip your paper ballot over and find the public question on the back.) The measure, if passed, will change Hoboken’s housing landscape for the worse and alter the character of our city forever. Its dire consequences for overall quality of life, and our already high housing costs and dwindling affordability, will touch nearly everyone in the Mile Square: renters, current and future, in units both private or public, and, yes, even owners.
The proposal was brought via referendum by a group called The Mile Square Taxpayers Association (MSTA), which is led by an out-of-town lobbyist. Their initiative asks Hoboken voters to allow landlords, including large corporate landlords, to purchase the right to full “vacancy decontrol.” This means they can remove rent control rules from their property once a unit is vacated, then raise the rent an unlimited amount for a new tenant. All they’d have to do to claim this mega-perk is to pay a small one-time fee of $2,500, to be placed in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which, reasonable people can agree, will never come anywhere close to replacing the housing stock the measure will systematically destroy.
Our task is both simple and crystal clear; in a city where rents are already among the highest nationally, Hoboken must vote NO to the anti-rent control referendum by November’s Election Day.
Vote NO to save rent control.
Here are just a handful of the reasons why:
Weakened rent protections, which would be the result of passing this destructive ballot measure, lead to increased market rates across the board, whether you live in a rent-controlled unit or not. When stock of rent-controlled units is driven down, which this referendum would also do if passed, it forces rents up in non-controlled apartments as well. The floor for pricing then becomes that much higher, creating a domino effect that will make Hoboken even less affordable for everyone.
Long-term tenants with stable rents will bear a heavy burden from this policy, at times becoming targets of both overt and covert pressures and subtle harassment to vacate their apartments from unscrupulous landlords, eager to maximize profits. Renters who are currently residing in 2- or 3-unit owner-occupied buildings will be made particularly vulnerable, where the owner may prefer to secure a higher rent for their unit, and can legally evict them at the end of their lease.
The obvious negative consequences for their friends and neighbors who rent aside, Hoboken homeowners might assume the gutting of rent control will not otherwise harm them. The truth is more complex. Think of the impacts on community support when affordability declines. Consider Hoboken’s dedicated essential workers, childcare workers, those who keep residents healthy, safe, and educated. What kind of climate do we create when teachers, nurses, social workers, and first responders can no longer afford to live here? Hoboken already has a large essential workforce that commutes in, often by car. Traffic and (you guessed it!) lack of parking, are worsening problems. How will these conditions be further exacerbated both for commuters and residents when what remains of housing affordability gradually becomes a thing of the past? As a homeowner myself these days, it is my hope that other owners will recognize the key part they can play in this effort, in prompting conversations to raise awareness, and why solidarity matters. It’s so important that we all spread the word and vote NO.
For public housing residents, reduced private rent control protections means fewer affordable private units should they wish to move out.
Small business owners, reliant on local customers, will also suffer. As residents stretch their budgets to afford higher rents, they’ll have fewer elective dollars to spend. Rising residential rents and additional gentrification will drive up commercial rents, making business ownership riskier.
Elders already living on fixed incomes will face challenges if they need to move closer to family. Will residents who may otherwise be making ends meet have the bandwidth to relocate and support their aging relatives as rents rise? How diminished would Hoboken be with fewer of our cherished senior citizens?
An increase in the number of unhoused individuals will also be a terrible inevitability. Stable housing is crucial for public health and safety. Forced relocations also disrupt care access and social connections, threatening individual mental health as well.
There are many more recent homeowners who, as transplants, deliberately chose to buy in Hoboken over a suburb because of its social fabric, history, and cultural diversity. What is lost when material conditions limit the array of residents who can make or keep a home here?
Our city benefits from its many engaged citizens committed to ensuring Hoboken is a place where all can thrive. Whether you regularly volunteer, organize or advocate for our public services, champion our local schools, housing, environment or health, you are natural allies to the vote no campaign to defeat the anti-rent control referendum, as it aligns with all efforts to assure the stability and wellbeing of our residents.
Finally, every single Hoboken resident will benefit from sending a very loud (think helicopters on the Hudson loud) message to corporate-funded groups thinking of trying to destabilize our community or unfairly profit from our residents: you will not divide us against ourselves. We are Hoboken Strong.
In closing, for the sake of our community and collective futures, please VOTE NO on Hoboken’s Public Question by November 5th.
~For more information on our campaign to defeat this anti-tenant initiative, visit the Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA) or Hoboken United Tenants (HUT) Facebook pages or websites and please consider donating to our campaign. You can also email us at HobokenFairHousing@gmail.com.
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Vote NO on the Ballot Question which Would Weaken Tenant Protections
Leave a CommentNote for people who vote by mail: The question is on the back of the VBM ballot, make sure you turn over the ballot & vote NO
Posted Sat, Sep 21, 2024 at 6:14 pm ET on Hoboken Patch
Postcard courtesy of Mary OndrejkaOn Election Day, an anti-rent control initiative will appear on the ballot. It’s crucial that residents who support or benefit from rent control understand that this initiative will harm Hoboken renters.
The initiative, sponsored by —the Mile Square Taxpayers Association (MSTA) an organization representing landlords, developers, and real estate interests—falsely portrays itself as an affordable housing measure. In reality, its goal is to decontrol rental units, allowing rents across Hoboken to rise to the maximum amount the market will bear. Currently, according to Apartments.com, average rents in Hoboken are already sky-high: $2,906 for a studio, $3,691 for a one-bedroom, $4,467 for a two-bedroom, and $6,033 for a three-bedroom. These eyepopping numbers will skyrocket in short order if the ballot question passes when tenants that are paying lower-end rents move or are pushed out of their homes.
MSTA’s consultants and some elected officials claim that current tenants won’t be affected and are protected, but that protection is hollow. In 2–3-unit owner-occupied buildings, tenants can be evicted without cause at the end of a lease, and owners who claim that they plan to move into a 2–3-unit building can also evict tenants without cause. Even in larger buildings, eviction can happen through condo conversion, and if you’ve been listening you’ve probably heard MSTA landlords repeatedly threaten to do this if they don’t get their way – and their way is to jack up rents as much as possible. Additionally, below market rate renters in other buildings may find that they start experiencing subtle and hard to prove harassment. In reality, this initiative incentivizes evictions so that landlords can charge new tenants significantly higher rents.
Many tenants and property owners who support rent control were misled into signing MSTA’s petition, believing it was about affordable housing—another misrepresentation of the initiative’s true intent.
On (or before) November 5th, renters must not vote against their own interests, and property owners should consider the impact on their friends and neighbors who rent. This initiative does not protect tenants; it makes them eviction targets, with the promise of financial gain for landlords who could jack up the rents beyond what the average person can afford.
If you don’t want to see Hoboken’s renters pushed out of their homes, vote NO on the ballot question. (Note for vote by mail voters, turn over your ballot to vote NO on the question which is on the backside) For more information on our campaign to defeat this anti-tenant initiative, visit the Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA) or Hoboken United Tenants (HUT) Facebook pages or websites and please consider donating to our campaign. You can also email us at HobokenFairHousing@gmail.com.
— Cheryl Fallick, longtime resident and HFHA member
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Vote “NO” on NO-vember 5th
Leave a CommentWe DEFEATED the city council’s “compromise” with the landlord group MSTA.
We DEFEATED the deceptive wording of the interpretive statement that will appear on the rent-control ballot question in November’s election.
But for our biggest fight yet, we need you. We need you to VOTE “NO” on the rent-control ballot referendum on November 5th.
As if rents aren’t already unreasonably high, landlords in Hoboken want to remove all barriers to UNLIMITED rent raises for new tenants after a previous tenant moves out. Together, we can send them packing by voting “NO” in the upcoming presidential election.
This vote will affect the lives of thousands of tenants, so please SPREAD THE WORD far and wide, and help us defeat this latest brazen attempt at gutting rent control in Hoboken.
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Did You Sign ‘Affordable Housing’ Petition In Hoboken? Here’s What It Really Was For
Leave a CommentSignatures are being collected by a landlord group for a special election to allow a one-time unlimited rent increase if a tenant moves out.
Posted by Caren Lissner on Patch April 3, 2024
Photo by Caren LissnerHOBOKEN, NJ — Housing is something most people want to afford — so signing a petition for “affordable housing” might be a no-brainer. It’s especially true in a town where the median rent has risen to above $4,000.
And it’s especially true in a town where the Zoning Board recently approved the demolition of three rent controlled apartment buildings where tenants currently live, meaning, they’ll be looking for something comparable.
But if you signed a recent petition “to put affordable housing on the ballot in Hoboken,” the petitioners might have left something out. It’s really a petition to have a special election in Hoboken to allow a one-time unlimited rent increase if a tenant moves out of a rent controlled building.
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No outreach to tenants for rent-controlled building teardowns
Leave a CommentWe’ve attended 2 zoning board meetings (virtually) in the last couple of weeks. Over the course of these 2 meetings 3 different tear-down/replacement plans were heard or partially heard. Collectively in these 3 tear downs (total of 5 buildings being torn down) there are 25 rent-controlled properties that will be eliminated. The 3 projects collectively have 42 units. One project includes 4 affordable units. If these projects are all rentals only 2 would be rent controlled although the base rent will be at exorbitant market rate as one replacement building (where there are currently 4 rental units) will only have two units (3–4-bedroom apartments) which I suspect won’t be rentals.
Two of the 5 buildings being torn down are completely vacant. I don’t know for how long but, regardless, Hoboken has anti-warehousing laws and buildings are not allowed to be vacant for more than 60 days. At least two of the buildings have some occupancy. Check on, https://marinhobraz.com.br/2022/07/04/100-free-online-rushing-motorcycle-games/
The zoning board REFUSES to consider the tearing down of rent controlled properties as a negative criterion even though there is wide latitude in the municipal land use laws on what can be considered a detriment to the public good and no notification is made to the rent leveling board of planned tear downs although, ironically, notification IS made to the shade tree commission about trees that will be included in any plan and the shade tree commission weighs in on the trees. There is ZERO outreach to the tenants to explain their rights.
TEARING DOWN A BUILDING IS NOT GROUNDS FOR EVICTION IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.
This is a serious and urgent problem and, if you ask me, what is going on is the city is an administration that is tacitly and effectively ending rent control via wrecking ball.
We really must organize to stop this practice.
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HFHA encourages Hoboken renters and their friends & neighbors to attend tonight’s city council meeting: 7 PM at city hall or online, to speak out against the amendments to Hoboken’s rent control laws
Leave a CommentHousing is a huge issue. Decisions that change laws that impact housing must be approached with caution and input from interested and/or knowledgeable residents who come to the discussion with a watchful eye. The administration neglected to do this, and the result is a proposal that is problematic in many ways.
The proposed ordinance is on the agenda for 1streading which means that, if it passes tomorrow, it does not become law. For this reason, it will probably pass tomorrow. (it shouldn’t, but it probably will.) There is a 2nd vote on the law 2 weeks after the 1stvote. If it passes on the 2nd vote (2nd reading,) it goes to the mayor for a signature and, if the mayor signs it, it goes into effect 20 days after the city council passes it.
The only exceptions are: 1) if the law is an emergency allowing the city council to vote that it is an emergency and then it goes into immediate effect (it would be a BIG mistake for anyone on the council to even think of doing this 2) if the mayor does not sign it, it does not go into effect 3) if the citizens submit enough signature within a designated period of time (referendum) to put the proposed law on the ballot to be voted on by the voters of Hoboken. (If this were to happen, it would be months before the law goes into effect (should the voters approve it) or, it will not and cannot become law for 3 years (should the voters disapprove it.)
I know that rent control laws can seem confusing, even daunting, particularly if you are not familiar with the nomenclature. Don’t let that stop you from speaking up and/or attending. If you are considering selling your house and are certain that you would want to do so, employing a home dealer rather than attempting to find a buyer on your own might help you avoid the anxiety and difficulties of the process of trying to sell your property. They are going to take care of everything for you, including the assessment and the conclusion of the business transaction. People who are looking for a fast and trouble-free way to sell their houses can discover that selling to home buyers is the finest choice available to them in their situation. Visit https://www.mobile-home-buyers.com/utah/.
Put simply if you are a renter and if this proposal were to become law:
Your rent will go up, your protections will go down & your existing rights will be negatively impacted.TO JOIN TONIGHT’S MEETING ONLINE (FACEBOOK), CLICK HERE
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Hoboken Fair Housing Association (HFHA) releases statement on proposed amendments to Hoboken’s Rent Control Laws
Leave a CommentReposting this for those who want to share it:
An ordinance introducing comprehensive changes to Hoboken’s rent protections is up for 1st reading on Wednesday’s city council agenda. The proposed legislation is intended to settle an interpretation disagreement between the rent leveling officer and head of housing, and the rent leveling and stabilization board. The mayor has, literally, shut down administration of our rent control laws and all rent board meetings (since October 2022) until passage of the amended law. All decisions or rulings on legal rents, capital improvement surcharges, hardship increases, requests for rent reductions or appeals to the rent board have ceased.
The proposed changes are fairly comprehensive and cannot be characterized as ‘fair to both tenants and landlords’ which is a frequent talking point that historically accompanies proposed changes to the ordinance regardless of whether it is a factually accurate statement.
Hoboken’s rent control laws are decidedly nuanced, and our local rent control history is rife with a tangled web of fires, displacements, referendums, court challenges, accusations, and contentious ballot questions. Over the 50 years that Hoboken has had rent control in place, it has gone from a centerpiece on the platform of aspiring local political candidates to a topic that candidates and elected officials do their best to avoid, ignore, and misconstrue.
In general, changes being proposed on Wednesday make the following amendments to the ordinance:
• Folds surcharges into the rent. Tax, sewer and water surcharges are now paid on top of, and in addition to the rent. Folding surcharges into the rent will raise the yearly increases, which are a percentage added to the existing rent. In the past, the increase was calculated as a percentage of the rent amount without surcharges. If the proposed changes go forward, the yearly percentage increase will be calculated using to the rent + any surcharges.
• Clarifies that new buildings with 4 or more units are exempt from the ordinance for 30 years only if they 1) file the required paperwork before the building receives a certificate of occupancy and 2) notify potential renters at the time they take occupancy that the property is not rent controlled. Check on recovery centers
• Hoboken’s subsidized buildings such as Marine View and Clock Towers currently have affordability controls from agreements that will soon expire. Our currents laws mandate a transition to rent control and the proposed law does not and would leave the tenants without rent control.
• Codifies (legalizes) all rent updates done by the rent leveling officer to date. including hundreds of calculations done in contradiction to the plain language of the existing Code and which denied all appellants (in these cases a renter) their right to challenge the rent calculation within 20-days of the decision.
• Continues to permit landlords to submit alternative proofs of rent increases and vacancy decontrols in perpetuity thereby incentivizing lack of compliance with the ordinance’s filing requirements.
• Reduces the cap on the maximum yearly increase from 7.5% to 5% or the consumer price index (CPI) whichever is the lesser number.
• Requires the rent leveling and stabilization board to get the permission of the administration in advance of promulgating any rules.
• Increases the annual filing and application fee for yearly registrations, capital improvements, legal rent calculations and appeals to the board.
• Removes the penalty for not filing a registration form and substitutes a requirement to pay a double registration fee, incentivizing landlord’s non-compliance to file
No outreach was done to Hoboken renters, rent control activists or the rent leveling board members in connection with crafting the proposal. Staff in the Housing Division did consult with investor/developer real estate lobbyist representatives and sources have stated that the administration, including the mayor and his chief of staff, met with and/or spoke with a representative from the Mile Square Taxpayers Association (MSTA), an organization that lobbies for the abolishment of rent control in Hoboken.
At a recent city council meeting, the administration proposed, and the city council approved, a contract to engage retired Judge Sarkisian to review Hoboken’s rent control laws. Despite members of the public requesting an answer to what the directive of the contract was, no answers were provided. However, based on these outcomes, it is clear that the contractor was directed to modify the ordinance in order to codify any and all administration, practices and processes that contradicted the existing language of the Code and to codify administration, practices and processes that ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that the rent control files list legal rents so exorbitant that it would be impossible to secure tenants willing to pay those amounts thereby nullifying key consumer and community protections that ironically remain in the ordinance.
Watch Wednesday’s city council meeting. Let us know what you think.
BECOME A MEMBER OF HFHA
To the thousands of tenants out there who benefit from the work of HFHA, we need you to JOIN US!
PLEASE REMEMBER: When your moment of crisis comes and you call or e-mail us, we cannot help you if you don't join. We simply don’t have the resources!
NOTE: Hoboken Fair Housing Association does not provide legal representation or legal advice of any kind.
If an HFHA member’s situation calls for an attorney, or if a member wants one, HFHA can refer members to experienced attorneys who specialize in landlord-tenant law.
