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SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT
As first reported here on FAA News, back in May 2023, tenants of Prime Apartment who were represented by Attorneys Ian Goldman, Adam Pfeffer, and Cassandra Distefano Esq. of Levin Shea Pfeffer and Goldman, served their landlord and his property manager with a Superior Court lawsuit alleging a long list of illegal rent increases and associated harassment, intimidation and retaliation.
As previously reported here on FAA News, back in June 2023, Marlton Attorney Lori C. Greenberg, Esq., representing Prime Apartments, filed an Answer to the Complaint together with counter-claims and separate defenses, asserting that the tenants are in breach of their leases because they failed to pay their rent or had too many occupants residing in the unit. The landlord's counter-claims included Frivolous Claims; Unjust Enrichment; and Misrepresentation.
The contentious litigation continued for a year with extensive motion practice on both sides.
For his part, immediately following initiation of the lawsuit, the landlord filed a hardship rent increase application with the Lakewood Rent Control Board on the basis that he is bleeding money from this property and must raise rents in order to support the economic viability of the apartment complex.
The landlord noticed the neighbors that per the language of the Township's Ordinance, the Rent Control Board has to rule on the increase in 60 days or it is granted automatically. As the (non-existent) Board did not rule on the application by August 9, 2023, it became granted automatically retroactive to 30 days prior. As such, as of August 1, rents were increased to $2,483 as requested in the hardship application to the Rent Control Board.
The Lakewood Rent Control Board used to be the only venue granted jurisdiction to accept complaints from tenants of illegal rental increases, investigate complaints, reduce rents based on landlord's breach of covenants in lease or implied covenants, such as habitability, as well as to accept applications from landlords who are seeking rental increase based on hardship, unusual expenses, tax surcharge or other circumstances, and to adjust rents based on landlord's subsequent change in position caused by law or economic conditions. The Township’s ordinances provided that the Board needs to rule on the hardship application in 60 days or it is granted automatically. At the time the Board was created, the thought process was that the Board would definitely rule on hardship applications within 60 days. However, years ago, to help "one of the boyz who was in some trouble," the Township Committee abolished the Rent Control Board - but left intact the ordinance which provides that the Board needs to rule on the hardship application in 60 days or it is granted automatically.
This is the ordinance on which the landlord relied.
As the news was broken here on FAA News, back in May 2024, Judge Valter Must tossed the lawsuit completely, agreeing with the landlord that; a) in all this time, the tenants failed to prove any of their allegations against their landlord; b) the Township's Rent Control Board ordinances, including the provisions permitting landlords to file for hardship related rent increases remains valid; therefore as of August 1, 2023, rents were increased to $2,483 as requested in the hardship application to the Rent Control Board.
Judge Must specifically added that the landlord has the right to rely on the Township’s ordinances and if the tenants want any recourse, they need to sue the Township to require the Committee to reinstate the Rent Control Board.
Herein the uncomfortable issue for the Township Committee - they had been hoping that everyone had forgotten about their little naughty behavior in abolishing the Rent Control Board. However, this litigation (which was commenced by the tenants who were represented by the attorney who also serves as the Township Prosecutor) and the judge's ultimate ruling, brought to light front and center the fact that the abolishment of the Rent Control Board continues to cause havoc for landlord and tenants alike.
So... what to do with this big headache?
Turn the victim / messenger / landlord into a villian, apparently!
The landlord recently filed eviction proceedings against two tenants due to lots of unpaid rent.
A court appearance which should have been handled appropriately by two private attorneys received an unexpected guest - Mike McNeil, who was sent at the behest of the Township Committee.
Mr. McNeil threatened the landlord that if he doesn't settle the eviction proceeding and allow the tenant to stay for at least another two years, a federal lawsuit will be filed against him alleging Fair Housing Act violations for....
Brace For Impact...
Only leasing to Orthodox Jewish tenants!
Yup!
That is how the Township Committee members - who are uncomfortable with all the exposure of the havoc the abolishment of the Rent Control Board continues to cause - are dealing with their personal crises!
Public records obtained by FAA News indicate that in 2023, the Township paid STEPS, which is Mike McNeil's non-profit organization that "settles disputes between landlords and tenants" a modest salary of $978,433.78.
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6 comments:
became ליהודים
Why is the Township paying this Mike McNeil's org almost a million dollars a year from our taxes?
This Township is just a bastion of corruption. #DrainTheSwamp
When Menashe The Abolisher abolished the rent control board he gave the ridiculous excuse that it was “too expensive” for the township to keep the volunteer board members meeting the few times a year that was necessary for them to continue convene a meeting. So, instead her’s the township paying a hefty million dollars to an inexperienced and incapable and, per our ordinance, powerless - individual to really screw things up for everyone.
Why does Menashe The Abolisher not care that had we still had the rent control board, this entire debacle (and many others) would have never occurred, because the Board would’ve been able to listen to both sides’ arguments and issued a binding ruling - which would have avoided this entire mess and huge headache for dozens of families.
The answer truly lies in the question: Menashe The Abolisher truly doesn’t give a da*n about the common citizen. Yes, he could care less if you lose the roof over your family’s head. As long as he collects his cool 95K annual salary, receives his free lifetime health insurance, his wife collects her monthly MUA paycheck, and he gets a twp CO to live in his rental house - then everything is just fine.
Thanks Menashe. This could not have happened without you!
Committeeman Miller abolished the Rent control board on behalf of Danny Rottenberg and West-gate Apartments.
Why is Menashe The Abolisher still refusing to reinstate the Rent Control Board? It’s been made clearer than day that he made a very bad decision when he decided to abolish it. The time has long since arrived for him to do teshuvah and bring back the board.
All of the Members of the Township Committee have over stayed their time of service, time to clean house- oops the VAAD.
That's the fish head that stinks first.
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