Rent Has Soared At Montclair Apartment Building, Tenants Say: Report

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Tenants at an apartment building in Montclair may have scored a victory in their attempt to push back against recent rent increases, a report says.

The Montclair Rent Control Board adopted a resolution last week regarding The Alister on Pine Street, ruling that the property is not exempt from the town’s rent control law. It isn’t clear if the building’s corporate owner – Mill Creek Residential – plans to appeal the decision, NJ.com reported.

Some tenants said their rents have gone up between 20 and 40 percent since Mill Creek Residential purchased the building in 2021. Read the full article here.

Montclair rolled out a rent control law last year. It limits annual rent increases to 4 percent (and 2.5 percent for senior citizens) at most apartment buildings.

• See Related: Montclair Rent Control Advocates Share Some FAQs About New Law

Montclair isn’t the only Essex County municipality where soaring rents have spurred action from the local government and housing advocates.

In nearby Newark, nearly half of the city’s residential properties are owned by corporations, one of the leading reasons behind the rising cost of rental housing in the area, a recent report claimed.

• See Related: Corporations Own Most Of Newark's Homes. New Laws Are Pushing Back
• See Related: More Corporations Are Buying Homes In Montclair, Study Says

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