WOODBRIDGE — Fines and penalties were levied against two property owners in the Iselin section of the township for allegedly operating illegal multi-family rooming homes in a residential neighborhood, according to township officials.
“Illegal and overcrowded housing and property maintenance violations are the most significant issues that impact the quality of life for township residents,” Mayor John E. McCormac said in a statement on June 7. “Recent inspections by the Code Enforcement Task Force have uncovered violations that include illegal rooming/boarding houses and multi-family dwellings, accumulated trash and debris that severely impact the health and welfare of the neighborhood, potentially dangerous building code violations, residential properties being used for commercial purposes, and numerous violations for the illegal posting of advertising signs and placards.”
The township-wide Quality-of-Life Code Enforcement Task Force Inspection program targets illegal multi-family residential boarding home/apartments and property maintenance violations, officials said.
From May 15, 2017, to May 15, 2018, the Code Enforcement Task Force issued 3,474 notices of violation charging property owners with various quality-of-life violations, including 50 violations for operating illegal boarding homes and/or multi-family dwellings; 60 violations for illegal basement apartments; and seven violations for overcrowded housing conditions, according to officials.
In two recent cases, the Woodbridge Township Bureau of Housing and Inspection had responded to complaints about residential properties on Fume Street in Iselin. The complaint alleged the owner of the property at 108 Fume St. was renting four converted rooms in the house for $400, $500, $800 and $1,000 per month respectively, according to officials.
Inspectors determined that at least six renters were occupying the residence at the time of the Bureau of Housing inspection on Sept. 11, 2017, according to the statement. Further inspection of the property allegedly uncovered evidence of single-room occupancy as opposed to use of the home as a traditional single-family residential property, according to officials.
The property owner, Amit Yadav, was issued violation notices charging illegal multi-family dwelling, failure to register the property as a rental unit and non-permitted use of a residential property, officials said.
On May 11, Yadav appeared in Woodbridge Township Municipal Court and was found guilty of operating a non-permitted illegal multi-family residential property. The court imposed $4,000 in financial penalties and ordered the property owner to correct the illegal conditions and submit to re-inspection, according to the statement.
In a second case, inspectors from the Code Enforcement Task Force issued a notice of violation on Dec. 4, 2017, to Amit Kapoor, the owner of a single-family residence at 113 Fume St., according to officials.
The violation charged Kapoor with operating an illegal multi-family dwelling and maintaining an illegal basement apartment. Inspectors determined at least two renters were allegedly occupying two converted bedroom areas in the basement of the single-family residence. On May 11, the township Municipal Court imposed a $1,250 fine and court costs and ordered the property owner to correct the illegal conditions and submit to re-inspection, officials said.
Fourth Ward Councilman Viru Patel, whose ward oversees Iselin, said the Township Council is working closely with the mayor and township inspectors and will provide the resources necessary to continue to go after landlords who illegally convert properties for their own financial gain.
“Non-conforming boarding homes and apartments pose a real danger to public health and safety and the midnight conversion of single-family properties into illegal boarding homes by absentee landlords will continue to be a priority for the Code Enforcement Task Force,” he said.
To report property and housing violations and other quality-of-life violations, contact the Bureau of Housing at 732-634-4500 ext. 6009. All complaints will be investigated and all information will remain confidential.