Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla today announced that the City of Hoboken will seek to introduce new legislation to address the prolonged and intentional vacancy of livable rental units, commonly referred to as “warehousing,” by empowering the Division of Housing with enhanced enforcement and inspection authority.
At the upcoming Hoboken City Council meeting on June 4, the Administration will present an ordinance amendment for introduction that aims to streamline the inspection process and strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure compliance with the City’s existing anti-warehousing regulations.
The proposed amendment would authorize the Head of the Division of Housing, or a designated representative, to inspect any non-exempt property after providing the property's owner with seven days’ written notice. Currently, property owners can indefinitely delay inspections by refusing access, significantly hampering enforcement efforts. Under the proposed amendments, failure to accommodate or allow a scheduled inspection would constitute a violation of the ordinance for each vacant unit.
If adopted, a first offense under the amended ordinance would carry a fine of up to $500 per unit found in violation. Any subsequent violations would result in fines ranging from $100 to $500 per unit.
“This amendment is a critical step in our fight against residential warehousing and in ensuring residents have access to every available rental unit during the ongoing housing crisis,” said Mayor Bhalla. “By empowering our Housing Division with the authority to carry out timely inspections, we can hold negligent property owners accountable and help return much-needed units back to the market where they belong. I thank Councilman Paul Presinzano for working with my administration on this important amendment and I encourage the other members of the Council to vote unanimously for this simple solution for our community.”
“I’m proud to sponsor this common-sense legislation to prevent warehousing vacant homes, which only worsens our housing shortage,” said First Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano. “This ordinance ensures that housing units are not held back and are made available to families who need them most.”
The ordinance amendment is scheduled for introduction at the Hoboken City Council’s regular meeting on Wednesday, June 4, at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, 94 Washington St.
