Mobile home rent hike draws residents' concern
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

JACKSON - Residents of the Maple Glen mobile home community have been dealt a blow - higher rents which they say they cannot afford to pay.

The senior citizens in the 80-unit community on Bowman Road, most of whom live on a fixed income or supplemental part-time jobs, came before the township's Rent Leveling Board on Jan. 11 and learned that a decision set forth by Ocean County Civil Court Judge Joseph Foster in May 2006 must be carried out.

At issue is the mobile home community owner's request for increases. The request includes increases for bad debt, $5,879, dues and subscriptions, $625, repairs, $10,367, maintenance fees, $18,907, and professional fees, $9,648. The total comes to $45,426 to be divided among the residents.

"In 2005, Maple Glen Mobile (MGM) applied for a hardship increase," said Gary Miller, president of the Maple Glen Homeowners and Tenants Association. "At that time a portion of that hardship increase was granted by the Rent Leveling Board to be paid out over three years."

Miller said MGM sued the board, claiming that the issue was not the amount of the hardship increase, but that it was to be paid out over three years.

"Judge Foster ruled in August that MGM was right," Miller said. "That having [payments] over three years was against township ordinances. They should have been given all of [the payment] or none of it."

Miller said that was not the judge's decision.

"In his decision there wasn't a whole lot of meat that the Rent Leveling Board used to justify any part of the hardship increase at all," he said. "But that was not the issue in front of him. The issue was whether the three payouts were legal or not. He could only assume that the rent leveling board said OK."

Miller complained that the association's board has been limited in the information it has been able to obtain about how the increases were documented, either from the Rent Leveling Board or from MGM as to how that entity is documenting the increases.

At the Jan. 11 meeting, attorney James Tarella, representing the Maple Glen residents, said he realized the board considered the figures and noted that his clients did not have adequate opportunity to review the numbers. He asked the board to reconsider some of the numbers and review certain items.

Attorney Amy L. Bennecoff, representing MGM, said the board reviewed the figures and saw no reason to go over it again.

It was determined by the board's attorney Brian E. Rumpf that certain items could be reviewed.

During testimony it was determined there are 80 units in the mobile home community, but only 77 are occupied. Therefore, 77 tenants or homeowners will have to pay 80 shares of the increase.

"That burden falls on all the other tenants in the park," Tarella said.

The attorney argued that the dues being charged to the residents by the owner is for a private organization which represents the owner and is designed to advance the interest of the owner and had nothing to do with the residents.

Tarella sorted through other bills to no avail.

"We had no information to work with," said Tarella. "You can't comment on a bill if you have nothing to work with."

Community manager Mary Beth Park said she would be willing to work with the residents who now have to pay higher rents.

Board Chairwoman Donna Hopkins said the board members had sincere empathy for the amount of money the tenants had to pay.

"If it were up to us you wouldn't [be paying an increase], but it's not," she said.

Jack Kelnhoffer, past president of the residents' association, said, "This is a hardship for the people we have here. Some of these people are making $6,000 or $8,000 a year. You multiply that number out and you got $4000 in rent. They're going to have to cut back on their dog food. They have medicine to buy. We tried to work together to find a way ..."

A motion was made to have the residents pay the increase over an 18-month period and a vote was taken by the board.

Voting yes were board members Ramon Cruz and Gary Dento. Board member Barbara Spielman abstained. Board member Leslie Savage and Hopkins voted no, making it a split decision and giving cause for a new motion.

Softening the blow, the board reversed the split decision by allowing the residents to pay their share of the increase over 24 months.

Payments will be an additional $48 per month for the five items (bad debt, dues and subscriptions, repairs, maintenance fees and professional fees), $62.50 per month for retroactive back rent, to be added to the $287 paid monthly at the present time by residents, for a total of $397.50 per month beginning Feb. 1.

Residents who do not believe they can pay their share over two years may make arrangements with the management office for an extended period of time.