Solomon issues Jersey City rent control audit, max penalties for housing violations

Jersey City Mayor James Solomon has issued a citywide rent control audit via executive order, as well as calling for the maximum penalties for housing violations.

By John Heinis and Dan Israel/Hudson County View

“If you work hard and pay your rent, you should expect your landlord to hold up their side of the deal,” Solomon said in a statement.

“Too many landlords in Jersey City are charging rents above what is allowed under the city’s rent control law, or have failed to maintain apartments – leaving too many of our neighbors to pay high rents for crumbling housing. Landlords are on notice that if they are flouting the law or providing sub-par housing, then there will be consequences.”

The executive order establishing the citywide rent control audit directs the Division of Housing Preservation, under the supervision of the business administrator, to identify which residential properties are lawfully subject to rent control, facilitate the detection of violations, and establish the foundation for a permanent public rent control database.

Solomon acknowledged there are good landlords in Jersey City, but that this is about enforcing laws already on the books against landlords who are risking tenants’ health and safety, like the one at 150 Belmont Ave. where the February 19th presser took place.

He said that there will be an independent violation issued to landlords at fault- per tenant, per unit, per day. 

 “We know there’s an affordability crisis and housing stands at the top of that pain point. So we need to work at all levels of government together to make Jersey City an affordable place to live for everyone who has called it home and who wants to continue to call it home,” U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) said at the press conference.

” … And what I also want to say to tenants is there’s a new mayor in town. Whereas previous administrations may have not listened to your concerns, I know that this administration will.”

Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-32) acknowledged that the tenants at Portside Towers helped bring some of these issues to light.

“The folks at Portside Towers have been fighting for this for years. We all know somebody who’s been overcharged by a landlord who thinks the law does not apply to them. And these issues are bigger than Jersey City,” she noted.

“This is a statewide issue, and I want everyone here to know that I am fighting this in Trenton. One of the very first bills that I introduced closes the loopholes that landlords use to claim they’re exempt from rent control, even when they’re actually covered by it.”

The audit may be initiated independently of tenant complaints, and findings of noncompliance will be referred for enforcement action.

Where the audit identifies a building lawfully subject to rent control, tenants will be promptly notified in writing and provided with clear guidance on how to file complaints with the Rent Leveling Board to contest potentially unlawful rent increases.

“So my message to tenants: It doesn’t take that much to get organized, to exercise your rights. Reach out to our office, to any of the elected officials here. We can educated you on your rights. It just takes. A few tenants standing together and telling landlords that you deserve better,” explained Ward B Councilman Joel Brooks.

“We will have your back. Lastly, a message to landlords: if tenants get organized, and they tell you they’re not living in dignified conditions and that you’re breaking the law, things are going to change. You’re not going to be let off the hook anymore.”

The second action directs the chief municipal prosecutor to enforce the city’s recently adopted minimum penalty ordinance for housing-related Violations, which was unanimously approved by the City Council in October 2025, sponsored by then-Ward E Councilman Solomon.

The ordinance requires mandatory minimum fines for qualifying violations and ensures that unaddressed habitability violations remain continuing violations until properly addressed.

“Landlords, you’re on notice. There’s a new sheriff in town, and those laws are going to be enforced,” declared Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2).

“Now we’ve got a mayor who’s going to let the prosecutor, the court, the enforcement officers know that if they’re not enforcing the law the way it’s supposed to, well then there might be a new prosecutor, a new judge, some new inspection officers.”

Despite the strength of the city’s rent control ordinance on paper, lack of transparency and inconsistent enforcement have undermined its effectiveness in practice, according to the mayor’s office, who also noted he was making good on a campaign promise.

Additionally, the business administrator will provide monthly progress updates to the Mayor’s Office on audit findings and enforcement actions.

“We support this decision to hold bad actors accountable, landlords who ignore violations, dodge rent control laws, or allow buildings to fall into disrepair must face real consequences,” added 32BJ SEIU member Joe Toressi.

“Safe housing is not a luxury, it’s a right. We also stand with the mayor as the state turns its focus to luxury developers who too often leave out the average resident, pay low wages, and try to silence workers who want a union voice.”