Committee amends rent ord., creates leveling board
Minimum exemption upped from two to four rental units
Rental properties in Ocean Grove and Neptune Township that contain three or four units are no longer subject to rent control.
The Neptune Township Committee [pictured above] on Monday approved an amendment to increase the threshold for minimum exemptions under the township’s rent control ordinance and established a rent leveling board to oversee rent control regulations.
The vote passed 5-0.
Any rental property within Ocean Grove and Neptune Township consisting of five units or more is still subject to rent control. Under the ordinance, rent increases are linked to the regional consumer price index.
The original language of the ordinance exempted residences with two units or less.
“It was the feeling of the committee to increase the threshold for what [the ordinance] is applicable to,” Neptune Township Clerk Richard J. Cuttrell previously told the Sun.
The committee increased the minimum number of units in an effort to get some of the “small owners” — landlords that own one or two smaller rental properties — out of the rent control net, Neptune Township Committee Member Mary Beth Jahn previously said.
In addition to passing the amendment, committee members selected five residents who will sit on the rent leveling board for a one year term.
“They are people we are comfortable with,” said Mayor Eric Houghtailaing. “They are level-headed and will take a position in the middle rather than being one-sided.”
Members include Fred Porter, Deacon Morrel Massicot, James Manning, Jr., Charles Woolfolk and Constance Holmes.
The board will hear complaints from tenants about rents charged in excess of the limits set, possible maintenance issues and reduced services. Landlords can apply to the board for rent increases for capital improvements. They can also apply for hardship rental increases if the controlled rents do not allow a fair financial return on the property.
The township attorney will sit on the board along with the five residents, as well as a part-time secretary who will work on a stipend.
Two alternate positions on the rent leveling board are still available. Any interested resident of Ocean Grove or Neptune can contact Rick Cuttrell at 732-988-5200 ext. 234, or speak to any of the township committee members.
As yet, the committee has not announced when the board will meet.
————————————————————
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook and Twitter.
