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Oroho Bill to Crack Down on Delinquent Rooming/Boarding House Owners Passes Committee
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 • 8:45am
Legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) to clamp down on absentee owners of rooming and boarding houses was passed today by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee. The measure was drafted in response to several problems the town of Newton has been experiencing.
“Our communities deserve and expect a certain level of decency and cooperation from operators of shared housing complexes,” said Oroho. “Hearing from both town officials as well as the residents living near these boarding homes, we realized greater enforcement powers are needed to rein in delinquent owners of such properties.”
Specifically, the bill, S-2559, adds rooming and boarding houses to the state’s existing “Animal House” statute which holds property owners responsible for offending behavior by permitting municipalities to enact ordinances to require posting bond against disorderly behavior.
“By giving towns an additional enforcement tool against a bad actor, we can help curb disruptive behavior and maintain the positive character of a neighborhood and improve resident’s quality of life,” Oroho said.
The bipartisan bill, co-prime sponsored by Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-Hudson), now moves to the full Senate for consideration. The companion Assembly bill, A-3822, is sponsored by Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) and is pending in the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee.
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