Legislators Call For Immediate Action To Pass “Safe Sanitary Subsidized Rental Housing Bill of Rights”
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Beck & Rice Deem ‘Renter Hell’ Inspection Results ‘Unconscionable’
Legislators Call For Immediate Action To Pass “Safe Sanitary Subsidized Rental Housing Bill of Rights” Senator Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) and Senator Ron Rice (D-Essex) today called for immediate action following information showing that Garden Spires, a Newark property featured in the APP series “Renter Hell”, had inconceivably passed an inspection by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Sens. Jennifer Beck and Ron Rice are calling for immediate action on their “Safe Sanitary Subsidized Rental Housing Bill of Rights” to protect tenants and hold negligent landlords accountable. (SenateNJ.com) “The fact that Garden Spires passed a HUD inspection is unconscionable. Our State inspectors at the Department of Community Affairs have issued more than 2,300 violations for this property,” Beck said. “There were more than 500 fire safety violations noted by DCA; that alone should result in a failing HUD score. In the HUD inspection, the actual units in Garden Spires failed, but the exterior passed. Resulting in a REAC (Real Estate Assessment Center) score of 66, which means the building passes.” Several months ago the Senators introduced “Safe Sanitary Subsidized Housing Bill of Rights” (S-3270) to hold negligent landlords accountable, and ensure they do not receive government payments if they fail inspections. Beck and Rice have met with numerous stakeholders in their bipartisan effort to ensure safe and sanitary housing for New Jersey. Included in these meetings has been Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Chuck Richman and HUD Region II Administrator Lynne Patton. Both have been working with their teams in order to ensure better oversight for subsidized housing. “Administrator Patton has personally attended multiple meetings and worked to try to tighten HUD’s inspection requirements. Congressman Payne, U.S. Senator Booker, and local officials have all joined our efforts,” Senator Rice continued. “This has been a bipartisan and collaborative effort at all levels of government, but there is still more work to be done.” “Families and children are being forced to live alongside hordes of rats, cockroaches, mold, and structurally unsafe facilities. Immediate action must be taken. Senator Rice and I call on our colleagues in the Legislature to come together as soon as possible to vote on our bill. We must not allow landlords to force our residents to live in these conditions any longer,” Beck concluded. Related Facebook Post: Related Tweet: Website Post: |
