Nutley Rent Leveling Board Caps Increase on Garage Rent

In a recent Nutley Rent Leveling Board meeting, a motion was carried to limit the rent increase for a garage on Warren Street to 5%, including it under the rent control ordinance. This decision followed a dispute between a tenant, who argued that the garage had always been part of her rent, and the landlord, who claimed the garage was not a living space and thus not covered by rent control. The board referenced a 2011 memo by former attorney Mr. Gizzo, stating all rent is subject to the code, but also acknowledged that the definition of a dwelling unit could be open to interpretation. Despite the landlord’s attorney presenting three main points to exclude the garage from the rent control, the board ultimately decided in favor of the tenant, recognizing a clerical error omitted the garage from the 2020 lease but did not change the terms of occupancy.

The board also discussed follow-up action on a prior hardship increase granted to 14 Park Avenue, as unresolved issues were reported by tenants. Mr. Hannon has been in contact with the attorney for a property on Park Avenue, and further investigation will be pursued to ensure tenant safety and proper maintenance of the property.

Additionally, the board decided to send out letters to landlords who have not complied with submitting rent rosters and emphasized the need for timely action on this year’s rent roster distribution.

Note: This meeting summary was generated by AI, which can occasionally misspell names, misattribute actions, and state inaccuracies. This summary is intended to be a starting point and you should review the meeting record linked above before acting on anything you read. If we got something wrong, let us know. We’re working every day to improve our process in pursuit of universal local government transparency.

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