New course for mobile home rent hikes? ALYSSA PASSEGGIO, Senior Staff Writer,The Courier, Nov. 6 Posted:11/08/08
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About 900 rent-paying tenants of mobile home parks can expect some changes in Hazlet.
The township has taken on alterations to its rent-control system.
Specifically, the Rent Control Board is being dissolved, and the duties of the board would fall under the responsibilities of the township administrator, attorney and chief financial officer, if the governing body approves the changes.
This would eliminate the need for separate professionals at another layer of government.
Although the hearing was postponed during the Oct. 21 meeting, there is an urgency to pass it since renters are awaiting the cost of their residency for the year.
Similarly to years past, mobile home park owners would submit an application to raise the rent in their parks, except it would not be given to the town, not the board. The application would include proof of expenditures as well as increases in fees.
As previously established, rents can be raised for increases to water, sewer and garbage services as well as taxes and licensing fees, officials said.
Other cost escalations — such as employee healthcare, insurance increases and the maintenance of vehicles — are not included in the rent adjustment, officials said.
This system was put in place years ago, according to Maryellen Santopadre, a co-owner of the Bayshore Mobile Manor.
“[That system] is because they don’t get increases for every single expense,” Santopadre said.
One item of potential debate is the additional charge to renters for capital improvements, which are also listed for depreciation on the owner’s income taxes.
There seemed to be some confusion among the Hazlet Mobile Homeowners Association, park owners and officials regarding the correct procedure, in the past and future, for capital improvements.
Township Attorney Colleen Patterson said she would seek guidelines on such a situation to spell out the proper procedure in the ordinance.
Similar to previous years, if a tenant wishes to appeal a rent raise for an individual reason, not a calculation error, there will be a $100 surcharge, officials said.
Patterson urged that if any calculation errors are noticed, although unlikely since the township’s chief financial officer will now be involved, that it be brought to the administrator’s attention. Any mathematical errors would be rectified to all tenants affected, as before, she said.
As in the past, tenants would be notified that the rent-increase application is on file, and could be viewed at Town Hall, but this year there will be a deadline for a written objection, she said.
New with these changes, if no objection is filed, there will not be a hearing about the rent increases. Some association representatives voiced their concern about not being able to speak out regarding the increases, as they have done in the past.
However, Patterson said it was not necessary.
“If there is not one single objection — what’s the point of a hearing?” Patterson asked.
The entire application to raise rents, including the bills to back up the need for rent increases, would be available at Town Hall for anyone to see, officials said.
Although the ordinance has been introduced, changes are still being made, so its public hearing and possible adoption has been deferred to the Nov. 25 meeting.
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