Battle Between Tenants and Landlord Wages on at Troy Towers

A proposed ordinance that would put the brakes on high apartment rental prices in Bloomfield will be introduced at the Feb. 14 council meeting after residents complained to township officials of rent increases at on Conger Street.

Third Ward Councilman Robert Ruane said the proposal will regulate rents by tying apartment prices to a formula that takes into account current economic factors such as the Consumer Price Index, he said. The ordinance will also control when landlords can increase rents.

“I want it to be fair to everyone,” said Ruane, who added the ordinance is a copy of an old regulation that was struck down in 1994.

Ruane said he decided to introduce the ordinance after many residents at Troy Towers, a two-building complex with 15 stories each and about 350 units, started receiving letters of rent increases from 15 to 20 percent. Many of the occupants, which include Ruane, are senior citizens, on low income, or are unemployed and pay rent from $700 to $1,500, he said.

“I say it’s unconscionable that landlords can set market rates and drive people to the streets,” he said.

Troy Towers manager Joshua Allen did not return several messages from Bloomfield Patch seeking comment. Troy Towers is owned by .

Paper fliers to residents blame rent increases on capital improvements at Troy Towers, including window replacements, elevator modernization and the installation of a new park located near the back lot. An uptick in staff salaries, contractors, and vendors expenses - along with repairs and regular maintenance - are also noted in the fliers, signed by Troy Towers management.

Other letters to occupants also said many of their rents were set at a “discounted rate” and needed to be increased.

Troy Towers residents have come in droves to town council meetings, pleading council members to stop Allen from hiking rents to "unconscionable" rates. Tenants said they're being driven out of their homes by Allen's landlord bullying techniques, like charging an exorbitant amount to replace a parking permit sticker. Allen and management have been unresponsive to complaints about leaks, clogged drains and cockroaches, tenants have said.

Kevin Lindahl, a Troy Towers resident since 2000, has been a vocal force at council meetings. He said he received notice that his $1,148 a month rent would increase by $233 a month - or 20 percent - when his lease ends in March. Lindahl had previously received a notice to cease letter, the first step in the eviction process, for handing out fliers urging tenants to attend the Jan. 10 council meeting.

"Also, please cease acting in a hostile fashion and using profanity towards residents," the letter said.

Lindahl, a lifelong Bloomfield resident, has pressed Mayor Raymond McCarthy and council members to consider reinstating rent control in town, in an effort to protect tenants.

"In good economic times, raising the rent 15, 17, 20 percent can cause a real financial problem. Raising them in bad economic times is just a disaster," he said. "We need to do something to keep people in their homes."

At the Jan. 24 council meeting, Lindahl said he received another letter saying he must sign his new year-to-year lease by Feb. 19.

"To force us to sign a lease by Feb. 19, knowing this is in negotiation that we're trying to get a decent price on our rent," he said to the council, "I think you should talk to (Allen) and say, 'Let's solve this problem first' before you hold us to a date."

McCarthy and Councilwoman Peggy O'Boyle Dunigan met with Allen last month in attempt to reach an agreement between the landlord and tenants. The mayor said Allen, who skipped out on a subsequent meeting, agreed to look into tenant complaints but was not "as agreeable" regarding rent increases.

“I asked him to rethink it, consider the economic conditions,” said Mayor Raymond McCarthy, referring to the recession.

McCarthy promised tenants will receive a synopsis after the next meeting with Allen, which Ruane and Dunigan will also attend.

But Ruane said he doesn’t think Allen or his company will budge. He suspects Allen wants to attract DINKs - or people with double income and no kids - who are drawn to Bloomfield because of the nearby New Jersey Transit train station and its proximity to Manhattan.

“If Allen gets away it, then every other landlord will do it knowing they will not be challenged,” he said.

The controversy surrounding the rent increases have also raised possible litigation.

Glenn D. Curving, an attorney with the Morristown firm Riker Danzig, sent a letter to Ruane last month threatening legal action if Ruane persists in making allegations about Troy Towers management that are “entirely false, unfounded, and defamatory.”

Phone calls about the letter to Curving’s office were not returned.

Ruane dismissed the letter and said he will continue to fight for his fellow residents’ well being.

“I am going to do my job,” he said, urging tenants to be patient.

Click here to watch the Feb. 7 town council meeting.