Jersey City Heights tenants and activists decried “illegal” evictions and “abusive” living conditions at a rally at 186 Bowers St./995 Summit Ave. last week.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The system is stacked against tenants. Landlords take as much of the income of tenants as they can get away with because we need access to a place to live,” began Elijah David, a spokesperson for the Jersey City Tenants Union.
“There are laws on the books to protect us but there’s a reason Isaac Sebbag is so comfortable ignoring them for no reason – there are landlords across the city doing the same thing every day. Complaints with the city take at least a year for any response. We can’t wait for some authority to come in and help us, and we can’t fight this battle alone. We need each other.”
The rent-controlled building was purchased in April 2024 by Sebbag, the founder of the real-estate development company Golden Sky Equities, which owns properties throughout New Jersey and Florida, deriving profits through “strategic renovations,” per their website.
Since the purchase, Sebbag is accused of using illegal and intimidating tactics to force the tenants out.
The tenants began to receive notice of illegitimate and random fees, such as pet fees and AC installation fees.
In the middle of a heatwave in July 2024, management informed the tenants they would have to remove all AC window-units by July 31st or have them professionally reinstalled for a $100 fee to the company’s handyman.
The tenants collectively refused to comply and the fees were removed, according to building tenants who spoke at the rally.
“Slumlords like Isaac Sebbag need to be held accountable by a proactive city government that enforces our pro-tenant laws. We also need to fully implement and fully fund our Right to Counsel, so that renters like those on Bowers St. can have the power to fight back in housing court,” exclaimed Ward D council candidate Jake Ephros.
“Beyond this, we need to build organization through growing tenant unions across this city. Only through a powerful tenant movement can we win universal rent control, build permanently affordable social housing, and guarantee housing as a human right—not a vehicle for profit.”
In addition to these fees, tenants went without heat for a period of time during the winter and have had the water shut off multiple times without any notice.
The hallway lights, which landlords are responsible for, were shut off in Spring 2024 because Sebbag did not pay the utility bill.
The building has also allegedly no superintendent since Sebbag acquired the building.
The landlord received citations from the city after the trash was not taken out for collection, creating unsanitary conditions which management then blamed on the tenants.
It was later discovered that Sebbag has received numerous large fines from other municipalities for failure to comply with trash collection.
These abusive actions are commonly used by slumlords, who buy up rent-controlled properties, displace the tenants through harassment or evictions, and hike up the rent after completing minimal renovations.
In February 2025, the tenants, most of whom were on month-to-month leases, received lease renewals which included illegal conditions and violations of Code 260, Jersey City’s rent control ordinance.
The violations included requiring tenants to pay for gas, water, and sewer services and to provide management with keys so that they could enter units at any time they wanted.
The new lease stipulated that tenants sign by March 31st or vacate their apartments. The tenants organized and collectively refused to sign the new lease, demanding a legal and just contract.
At the end of April, the landlord sent illegal eviction notices from the law firm Castano Quigley and Cherami LLC to the tenants who refused to sign the lease.
In New Jersey, only a court can initiate and authorize evictions; in other words, a privately hired attorney cannot send eviction notices to tenants. Tenants were given until May 31st to either sign or vacate their homes.
“From Bowers St. to Portside the system is failing our tenants. We need to close the loopholes allowing landlords to hide behind LLCs, disregard rent control, and harass our neighbors and, to keep evening the playing field and hold folks accountable, universal right to counsel,” noted Katie Brennan, a state Assembly candidate in the 32nd Legislative District.
“These tenants have already won victories against their landlord because they’ve banded together to stand up for their rights. The only reason we are hearing about this is because of the collective action of the tenants. North New Jersey DSA will always support tenant unions and tenant’s rights,” declared Michelle Guengue, co-chair for the Hudson County branch of the DSA.
Sebbag could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
