SENATE COMMUNITY AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

 

STATEMENT TO

 

SENATE, No. 426

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

DATED:  SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

 

      The Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 426.

      This bill would revise the definition of “landlord” for purposes of P.L.1993, c.127 (C.40:48-2.12n et seq.) in order to include owners and operators of rooming and boarding houses.  This would authorize a municipality to adopt ordinances to enforce standards of responsible conduct in a community with respect to these houses.

      Section 3 of P.L.1993, c.127 (C.40:48-2.12p) grants a municipality the authority to adopt an ordinance to curb and discourage occasional excesses arising from irresponsible rentals in an effort to protect a community’s interest in preserving peace and tranquility.  Currently, only smaller, non-professionally managed rental properties of less than four units and owners of mobile home units may be the subject of such an ordinance.  This bill extends the definition of “landlord” in section 2 of P.L.1993, c.127 (C.40:48-2.12o) to include owners and operators of rooming and boarding houses.  Specifically, this revision would authorize the governing body of a municipality to adopt an ordinance holding owners and operators of rooming and boarding houses to the same standards of responsibility as may be required of smaller, non-professionally managed rental properties of less than four units and mobile home owners.

      This revision would not impact the applicability of any existing municipal ordinance.  If a municipality has adopted an ordinance pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1993, c.127 (C.40:48-2.12p), another ordinance would have to be adopted with respect to owners and operators of rooming and boarding houses.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.