Riverside revokes landlord's rental license for six properties, assesses $12,000 in fines

Riverside Township's governing body voted on Nov. 18 to revoke the landlord license for a single property owner covering six rental addresses and to assess $2,000 fines for each property, a total of $12,000, after accepting a hearing officer's report documenting repeated violations of the township's rental-property code.

The move followed an administrative hearing and a report from the hearing officer that summarized testimony from the township's code enforcement officer and zoning/administration staff. The hearing officer wrote: “It is therefore recommended that the penalty for the repeated violations of the Township Code with respect to the properties owned by the subject landlord . . . is that the license of [the property owner] to rent these properties should be revoked.” The committee accepted those findings and the recommended fines.

Why it matters: the ordinance adopted in 2022 requires annual registration and inspections for rental units and empowers the township to suspend or revoke licenses when owners repeatedly fail to remedy unsafe or unlawful conditions. Township staff told the hearing and the committee the six addresses included multiple outstanding violations such as overcrowding, unpermitted changes of use (including conversions of garages and accessory sheds to living space), missing Certificates of Occupancy and property maintenance deficits.

What the hearing found: Kevin Johnson, the township's Code Enforcement Officer, testified that inspections at 210 Kossuth Street revealed that an attached garage had been converted to living space and rented without the required inspections or a certificate of habitability; violations remained open in municipal court. Inspections at 709 Bridgeboro Road showed the house was being operated as a rooming/boarding situation with locks on bedroom doors and multiple tenants renting single rooms, which Johnson said created fire and safety hazards. At 728 Filmore Street, the inspector found an expanded shed being used as living space, an in-ground pool added without permits and evidence of overcrowding. Administrator and zoning officer Meghan Jack testified several properties had recurring violations and that some owners had failed to arrange required annual inspections.

Landlord absent; court matters pending: the report and hearing record note the property owner did not appear at the Oct. 28 hearing and has multiple outstanding municipal court cases related to the code violations. The hearing officer's report said the owner had repeatedly failed to appear or otherwise resolve the municipal-court complaints.

Committee action and next steps: the Township Committee's resolution revokes the owner's license to rent the six identified properties effective immediately and assesses the $2,000 fine per property. The resolution directs enforcement consistent with township code; the municipal clerk certified adoption of the resolution on Nov. 18. The municipal court cases referenced in the hearing record remain open, and the revocation resolution does not eliminate the court process or civil remedies such as abatement orders.

Council and staff comment: the hearing officer's written findings were entered into the record and presented to the committee by the township solicitor prior to the vote. The hearing officer recommended the fines and revocation based on the record of repeated and unresolved violations. The committee voted unanimously to adopt the recommendation.

What is not in the record: the owner's response to the specific allegations was not presented at the hearing because the owner did not attend; the resolution records the hearing officer's recommendation and the committee's acceptance of it. The municipal court docket contains the cited violation charges and remains the venue for adjudication of those offenses.

The committee adjourned after returning from a brief executive-session recess; no additional action was reported on the landlord matter at adjournment.