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TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would change existing State law governing local rent control ordinances in order to protect senior tenants was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 21-14.

“New Jerseyans face some of the highest costs of living in the entire nation, and it can be difficult for individuals on fixed incomes to make ends meet,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “In order to ensure fairness and predictability for New Jersey renters, municipalities throughout the State have instituted rent control ordinances to keep their communities affordable. We have to make sure that the protections guaranteed by rent control are extended to all people, and this bill would eliminate an exception to the current law to create uniform standards for senior renters.”

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Joseph F. Vitale which would remove an exemption in local rent control ordinances in order to protect senior tenants was approved by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today by a vote of 3-2.

“New Jersey has an extraordinarily high cost of living, and it’s difficult for renters – particularly those on fixed incomes – to make ends meet,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex. “In an effort to ensure fairness and predictability for New Jersey renters, municipalities throughout the State have adopted rent control to keep their communities affordable. However, the existing law governing rent control ordinances carves out an exemption for dwellings built after 1987, and folks living in senior rental communities are left without the vital and necessary protections afforded under rent control.”