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Committee advances bill setting legal test for 'unconscionable' rent increases and sealing older eviction records
Summary
A3507 would codify factors courts use to decide whether a rent increase is unconscionable and seal certain eviction records; the committee released the bill after supporters including legal-services advocates and some landlord representatives voiced support.
The Assembly Housing Committee released A3507, legislation that would codify the factors courts should consider when deciding whether a rent increase is unconscionable and seal certain eviction records that did not result in eviction or are older than seven years.
Under the bill read into the record, courts would weigh the size of the proposed increase, comparable rents in the geographic area, the landlord’s expenses and profitability, the tenant’s bargaining position and length of tenancy, the length of ownership and the condition of the property. The bill specifies that no single factor is controlling and permits courts to consider other relevant factors on a case-by-case basis.
Supporters who testified included Nicholas Kekes of the New Jersey Apartment Association, Maura Sanders of Legal Services of New Jersey and Matthew Hirsch of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. Sanders said the bill represents a compromise that could help tenants facing dramatic rent increases and urged continued work on related protections. The committee moved to release the bill, and roll call votes recorded unanimous support among those present.
