The city council in Elizabeth is reviewing rent control laws that capped monthly increases. Residents and advocacy groups are calling for those controls to be extended as the cost of living continues to rise.
Sara Cullinane, director of Make the Road New Jersey, says New Jerseyans were dealing with a housing crisis well before the pandemic. A recent Make the Road report on housing issues in Elizabeth as well as in Passaic and Perth Amboy showed rents had increased by more than 30% over the past year. “We found that many tenants are having to choose between rents and paying for food and other basic necessities.,” Cullinane said.
Attorney Derek Reed, past president of the Property Owners Association of New Jersey, said rent freezes are not the answer. “There needs to be more investment in good decent, affordable housing,” he said.
