njchenlouer
New member
Greetings:
On behalf of many other tenants at Hutton Lafayette apartment complex in West Orange, NJ 07052, we are experiencing an unconscionable increase in garage renting fees in our 2019 lease contract even though we have lived here for at least 22 years. Due to a shortage in parking spots as the landlord allows 2 parking spots (first come, first serve) for one bedroom apartments and 3 for two bedrooms and abusive tenants whom regularly park two or three cars even though there is only one or two drivers per household. Some of us have had no choice but to rent a detached garage within the apartment complex unit, to guarantee a parking spot. Depending on renters seniority and those grand fathered in, we are all paying from $25 to $70 a month over the past several decades. The garage rent has been gradually increased by a dollar, after the new acquisition in 2016 and many vacant apartments have been renovated since. For unknown reasons and out of the blue, the rent now cost $125 a month for an ill maintained garage which is flooded whenever it rains. Some tenants even suffer from their cars being totaled, due to the collapsed roof when branches fell from a tropical storm about a year or two ago. I presume the landlord try to compensate for these recent renovation expenses by increasing fees wherever they can. What I am afraid of is if tenants succumb and agree to this increase, what will prevent the landlord from increasing the garage fee by more 200% every year? I have been searching the internet and read publications such as LSNJLAW, West Orange Rent Control Ordinance Chapter XV and am unable to find anything related to this subject. I would really appreciate if you can offer advice and guidance of how to approach this exorbitant increase.
Your time and help is greatly appreciated.
On behalf of many other tenants at Hutton Lafayette apartment complex in West Orange, NJ 07052, we are experiencing an unconscionable increase in garage renting fees in our 2019 lease contract even though we have lived here for at least 22 years. Due to a shortage in parking spots as the landlord allows 2 parking spots (first come, first serve) for one bedroom apartments and 3 for two bedrooms and abusive tenants whom regularly park two or three cars even though there is only one or two drivers per household. Some of us have had no choice but to rent a detached garage within the apartment complex unit, to guarantee a parking spot. Depending on renters seniority and those grand fathered in, we are all paying from $25 to $70 a month over the past several decades. The garage rent has been gradually increased by a dollar, after the new acquisition in 2016 and many vacant apartments have been renovated since. For unknown reasons and out of the blue, the rent now cost $125 a month for an ill maintained garage which is flooded whenever it rains. Some tenants even suffer from their cars being totaled, due to the collapsed roof when branches fell from a tropical storm about a year or two ago. I presume the landlord try to compensate for these recent renovation expenses by increasing fees wherever they can. What I am afraid of is if tenants succumb and agree to this increase, what will prevent the landlord from increasing the garage fee by more 200% every year? I have been searching the internet and read publications such as LSNJLAW, West Orange Rent Control Ordinance Chapter XV and am unable to find anything related to this subject. I would really appreciate if you can offer advice and guidance of how to approach this exorbitant increase.
Your time and help is greatly appreciated.
