http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 7959528052

Enforcing rental rules

Housing inspectors find themselves caught in the middle as Lakewood acts to eliminate overcrowding, other hazards
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 09/24/06
BY JOHN VANDIVER
TOMS RIVER BUREAU

LAKEWOOD — He's been chased down the stairs by a raccoon-sized rat. He's walked into invisible walls of gag-inducing stink. He's been cursed as he points his flashlight into dark rooms.

There's a crisis in Lakewood, says Ed Araujo, a housing inspector on Lakewood's quality-of-life task force.

He can tell you about a man paying $300 a month to live in a closet or homes where people without plumbing relieve themselves in buckets.

"How can a landlord let people live like that?" asks Araujo, as he drives toward a home on August Drive where more than 20 possibly illegal immigrants are suspected to reside.

In Lakewood, where there's a combustible mix of political angst, ethnic tension and class division, a sense of urgency is in the air. The town's Spanish-speaking population continues to boom, and many of the people are assumed to be poorly paid illegal immigrants. But housing doesn't always come cheap. Some landlords prey on the vulnerability of illegals, charging exorbitant rents, say the inspectors and township officials.

Araujo, 55, and his partner, Dan Vitello, find themselves in the center of the storm as they try to enforce township codes. The Lakewood Landlords Association says the inspectors are out of control and are suing the township for "unjust enforcement of township ordinances," that are "unconstitutionally vague."

"We're the test. People are going to be looking at us to see what happens," Araujo says.

The landlords group, which has about 50 members, owns roughly 1,000 properties in town, says Marcel Katz, a founding member of the group.

"They're trigger happy with the pen," Katz says of the inspectors.

Meanwhile, the inspectors say they also take criticism from people who want them to get tougher. "We're more hated in this town than the cops are," Vitello says.

When Araujo and Vitello, 24, arrive at the home on August Drive to investigate, they wait in their car.

"You know what, I don't know if anyone is home, but I don't want to go in there myself," says Araujo, as he radios police for backup. "When we go to an overcrowding complaint, we never know what we're going to find."

Will this house be another roach-infested horror show? Will the people inside be confrontational? Araujo wonders.

The cops arrive. Araujo and Vitello walk to the door. They knock. No answer.

"We'll have to come back at night," Araujo says.

Frustration all around


It's been nearly a year since Lakewood enacted a series of quality-of-life ordinances, a response to public outrage over issues such as overcrowding. Although the crackdown and fines are angering some landlords, many residents say more needs to be done.

Mark Russell, 41, says the evidence of overcrowding in his neighborhood is easy to see. At night, the front yards of neighboring homes fill up with cars.

"It used to be a mix of nationalities. Jamaican, Russian, Puerto Rican. Everyone got along. It's different now," says Russell, who lives on Dewey Avenue, the street where he grew up.

Last week, vandals spray-painted gang signs on cars along Dewey.

"No one around here owns their house. We just put new siding on ours. I ain't moving. They can try and block-bust me all they want. It ain't going to work," Russell says.

Eventually, the homes that are rentals will be renovated and occupied by members of Lakewood's Jewish Orthodox Community, Russell speculates. It'll be a religious neighborhood, he says.

When the inspectors return in the evening to the neighborhood of the August Drive home they're investigating, they're approached by a resident frustrated with overcrowding.

As they wait around the corner for police backup to arrive, a homeowner wants to share his concerns.

"I've counted as many as 20 cars there," says Howard Nelson, 40. "I'm sick of it."

"Have you called the quality-of-life hotline?" Vitello asks.

The inspectors are allowed to investigate a home only if a complaint has been filed — no random inspections. Even then, permission to enter must be granted by the residents. Many landlords advise their tenants to not let inspectors in, Araujo says. The township is seeking administrative warrants to enter about 90 properties where access has been denied.

Nelson says his neighborhood has gone from one of single families to a slew of rentals in the last six years. "Everyone is leaving," he says. "Renters are moving in. There's drug activity."

Nelson says he's ready to move. In time, he believes the neighborhood will come to be dominated by the Orthodox community, which would not be a bad thing, Nelson says.

"They (the Orthodox) are putting down their roots and establishing a community here," he says. "It's in a transition state right now."

Tougher measures?


"This is about greed. People are getting rich off of poor people. They're turning a deaf ear to what's going on," says Robert W. Singer, a township committeeman and state senator.

Singer says he thinks he has a solution to the problem.

Years ago, prostitution was rampant on Route 9, where passing drivers would solicit. Prostitutes no longer gather on Route 9. The reason, Singer says, is that the township went after the solicitors by having their names published in the newspaper. Negligent landlords should be publicly shamed in the same manner, he says.

"We aren't doing enough to identify these landlords. It's not some hidden person. These are local people or have connections to local people. They should be chastised for it," Singer says.

The proliferation of rundown rentals is tied to a flurry of real estate speculation that's occurred in town in recent years, according to Singer.

"A number of houses were bought under the hope they'd become religious neighborhoods. There's nothing wrong with being an investor. But it doesn't happen right away," Singer says.

Lakewood is home to more than 6,000 Jewish Orthodox families — more than any other town in New Jersey — and those numbers are growing rapidly.

Some landlords choose to neglect what's happening inside their properties, Singer says.

"It becomes my problem when it's a safety issue. The residents are the victims. The renters are the victims," Singer says.

The landlords involved in the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in July, say they're in a tough position.

At the time the lawsuit was filed in July, the landlords involved had received more than 150 summonses from building inspectors for offenses ranging from overcrowding and failure to obtain certificates of occupancy to poor maintenance. More the 50 landlords are involved in the lawsuit.

Katz says instead of fining landlords, the tenants should receive the citations for cases of overcrowding. "Overcrowding is not good for anyone," he says.

In most cases, the landlords don't know when their properties are overcrowded, says Katz, who believes the town is singling out landlords who lease to Hispanics.

"We're definitely sure they're targeting Hispanic people," Katz says.

Whenever Araujo hears that complaint — that the inspectors are going after Lakewood's immigrant population — his blood boils.

"These are people that are being taken advantage of. We're trying to protect them," he says.

Back where they started


After Araujo and Vitello leave the August Drive home, with a plan for a return trip later that evening, they head to a house on East County Line Road for a follow-up inspection. Then they stop at a run-down two-floor house on South Clover Street, where there's been an overcrowding complaint. Araujo knocks at the door. In Spanish, he asks a woman how many live there.

Seven people, she tells him. There is no certificate of occupancy for the first-floor apartment, the fire alarm doesn't work and there's a roach infestation. The landlord can expect a $500 fine, Araujo says.

The inspectors make a few more stops before heading back to the office for lunch. They'll be back on the road at 6 p.m. to check homes where no one was home in the morning.

The first stop that evening is August Drive, where they started their day.

As they drive by the house, a group of cars is on the street. A work truck is in the driveway. Once again, the men call for backup and pull around the corner.

"If I knew what I was getting myself into I would've said "no thanks,' " says Araujo, a retired cop from Newark. When an officer arrives, the inspectors approach the house.

Giovanni Mata, 35, opens the door before they knock. He gives the men permission to enter. A big pot of black beans cooking on the stove; the house is immaculate. Three people are home, but Mata tells the inspectors about 16 people live there. They're all from Costa Rica, he says, and have work permits.

Seven people will have to go, Araujo tells him.

"How much time do we have?" Mata asks.

Araujo tells him they have 48 hours.

"I'm sticking my neck out. We should have cleared out seven people (right now)," he says.

Mata looks stunned and clenches his jaw nervously.

"Two days is not enough," he says.

ON THE WEB: Visit our Web site, www.app.com, and click on this story for a link to: Lakewood Township.

John Vandiver: (732) 557-5739 or jvandiver@app.com

Text Size| E-mail