LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY LANDLORDS

For any residents of Lakewood who have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with some of the landlords there; you will be able to appreciate this blog.

I for one feel there needs to be some place set up where tenants can report, and get help with, abusive landlords; absentee landlords; landlords who rent to illegal aliens; and landlords who feel themselves "above" the laws of the state of New Jersey.

Currently, there is no place to turn for a tenant who may feel they are being treated unfairly here in Lakewood, NJ. That needs to change.

I am a renter and have been for decades. I have no desire, at this time, to purchase my own home. I prefer not to have to deal with the daily maintenance of properties, or the yearly burden of taxes on said property.

Being a renter, if you wish to reside in a decent, clean dwelling, you will pay a pretty price. But with such price, certainly comes other bonuses. Like a well maintained property; a safe property; and decent landlord. No, the landlord doesn't have to be perfect, but surely needs to be willing to communicate with the tenant; as opposed to bullying the tenant using intimidation to get their way. That's a no-no!

Case in point, my own landlord, Meir Hertz of the LTRAP in Lakewood, NJ;

When we first looked at a rental of his, he was so kind, accomodating, etc. We were just so pleased and the property was very dirty; (the former tenant had seven friggin cats in the place) but we considered such minor. We took on the responsibility of a total cleaning of the place, which in hindsight was a mistake because it took me a week just to scrub off the horrific grim on the stove. Turned out to be a completely different color, that's how dirty it was. Don't think it was cleaned in years.

We also took on the task of painting the entire place. What we didn't know was that Hertz would soon show his true colors and agenda.

As described in Room for Rent, which was written about this situation by a reporter here in Lakewood, Joyce Blay, we had some trouble with the flooding, that Hertz was very much aware of; and other issues.

To date I wanted to comment about his continual need to send us monthly Statements from his office location in the LTRAP.

Hertz still is claiming that we owe him rent for a month and a half Security Monies that we used for rent due after we discovered that the Security Money, which was legally supposed to be deposited in a bank and draw interest, was stolen by him.

Even though we obtained this information from the bank directly, the bank Hertz had listed on the Lease as being the location of said funds; we still gave him the benefit of doubt. We have asked Hertz, for over a year now, for proof that said funds were in said bank accuring interest as of the date we gave same to him. To date, he has outright REFUSED to do so. So naturally, after seeking advice from counsel, his time was certainly long past to offer such proof, and the money was then used for rent due - counsel stated that the State of New Jersey can never force Hertz to pay back the money he stole from the Security Deposit; therefore, the only recourse was to utilize said funds for rental payments due. Otherwise, we would be completely out of that $2,550.

This was certainly not our desire; for we wanted that money to accrue interest and be there when it was time to move out. Thanks to Hertz, that is no longer an option for us. It was unfair to take those funds, yet he feels no accountability for doing so.

Second problem; our original Lease stated we were to "pay" for a heating maintenance contract from Dover Oil Company. We didn't want to, but had already given him the money for the move in costs. So we stated, in his office, my husband and myself, that we would pay it for that initial year, but were not going to get stuck with it again. He assured us it was no problem and that we could discuss same when the time came.

When the time came to renew the Lease, he claimed it was renewed "automatically" and he didn't need our signatures - We objected strongly, in many letters because he never gave us any option for discussions - we were told by counsel that being he never received our actual signatures, the Lease was considered to be a month to month status. We did not pay for the heating contract this year, as we had already promised him such.

According to the laws of the State of New Jersey, the landlord is responsible for supplying heat for the tenants. It's his heating system that will obviously provide heat, if he wishes to purchase a contract to maintain same, that is certainly his choice, not our choice. Nor is it our responsibility. If something happens to that heating system, he must repair same and ensure heat is provided, period.

He is also, legally, responsible for providing safe well water - being his property is located where they have well water. Legally every six months he is to provide the tenant with proof that the well is safe and certified as such. He was to provide same when we signed the Lease. He has failed to do so to date.

There was a light switch that my son tried to use that began to smoke and spark. Scared us to death. Very dangerous worrying about faulty wire that may start a fire inside the wall and burn the entire house down. We called Hertz, immediately, about the problem. He sent an electrician before the week was over. But then billed us for same in his monthly statements! The electrical wiring in a rental unit, certainly is not the responsibility of the tenant.

Also, to obtain his initial certificate of occupancy (C of O), Hertz falsified documentation. He was, again legally, to clean out the furnace; clean out the fire place chimney; and make sure it was safe for operation. He did neither. When we tried to use the heating system, all the alarms went off and wouldn't go off. Carbon monoxide was leaking and the fumes were completely blocked; one with an actual tile! He was supposed to have same cleaned out BEFORE he was to obtain a C of O. When we had these services rendered; documented; and photographed, along with a signed statement acknowledging that it was in a lethal condition; and we paid for same, he refused to reimburse us. So we took it out of rent; after notifying Hertz, according to the state laws, in writing, and providing him with ample time to respond.

So if you begin to see the big picture and add all of these things up; he stands to make DOUBLE for his theft of our security monies; and thinks he should get paid for not adhering to the state laws of New Jersey.

Is this landlord an isolated incident here in Lakewood?

No, it is not. There are countless tenants who have no place to turn when being abused, threatened, intimidated by landlords who feel themselves above the laws and rules that regulate the rest of us.

Remember, Hertz was convicted of stealing one million dollars from a housing unit in Newark; he certainly has no problem stealing a few thousand from us...

When does it end? Do we risk taking this guy to a court of law for justice? He has buckets of money; not to mention his "connections" all the way up the federal ladder.

Here in Lakewood, we have seen the "influence" of the Orthodox to extreme. They are not held accountable as the rest of the residents here are. They follow their own beat and are allowed to get away with it.

They house illegal aliens; they hire illegal aliens; they demand cash from them for rent, and charge a hell of a lot more because they know they won't ever complain because they are illegally here. They are absentee landlords who don't give a damn about how their tenants are keeping the property. And they are block busting the entire township.

They will rent a piece of crap house to illegals; then drain it for all they can. It may take a few years, but they will milk it completely. Then when it is literally falling to pieces, they will tear it down and replace it with a brand new mega home for their "own". Trust me, we have documented proof of such happenings.

People like Hertz give all the Orthodox in this area a very bad taste in our collective mouths. And it's just not fair. G-d forbide the shoe was on the other foot, you know all too well what would happen.

There's a particular mentality among "some" of these people. And it's not sitting well with the majority any longer. There is a quiet war being waged and it's only going to get louder and louder as time goes on.

And if you think that it doesn't have any effect on YOU, your sadly mistaken.

Property values are plummeting; those neighborhoods that are being targeted. And there are too many to count, folks. Private Yeshivas are popping up, as we speak, in PRIVATE homes in Jackson. It's spreading like wild fire and coming to a neighborhood near YOU.

If these self righteous, non law abiding landlords continue to abuse the tenants that ultimately pay their mortgages and taxes, the tenants will only swallow so much before they take action against them.

It's time to set up some organization that will help in ensuring this kind of abuse is stopped before it becomes malignant.

I'm completely open for suggestions, folks.

What say you?