The purpose of this article is to enable the Township of Ewing
to take effective action to assure that excesses arising from irresponsible
rentals, when they occur, shall not be repeated, and that landlords
be held to sufficient standards of responsibility in order to preserve
the peace and tranquility of the Township for its permanent residents.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
HEARING OFFICER
A licensed attorney of the State of New Jersey appointed
by the governing body, who shall not be an owner or lessee of any
real property within the Township of Ewing, nor hold any interest
in the assets of or profits arising from the ownership or lease of
such property.
LANDLORD
The person or persons who own or purport to own a building
in which there is rented or offered for rent housing space for living
or dwelling under either a written or oral lease which building contains
no more than four dwelling units. In the case of a mobile home park,
landlord shall mean the owner of an individual dwelling unit within
the mobile home park.
SUBSTANTIATED COMPLAINT
A complaint for a violation of any provision of Title 2C
of the New Jersey Statutes or any municipal ordinance governing disorderly
conduct, upon or in proximity to any rental premises, and attributable
to the acts or incitements of any of the tenants of those premises
which has been substantiated by prosecution and conviction in any
court of competent jurisdiction.
If in any twenty-four-month period a specified number, which
shall not be less than two complaints, on separate occasions, of conduct
upon or in proximity to any rental premises, and attributable to the
acts or incitements of any of the tenants of those premises, have
been substantiated by prosecution and conviction in any court of competent
jurisdiction as a violation of any provision of Title 2C of the New
Jersey Statutes or any municipal ordinance governing disorderly conduct,
the municipal governing body or any officer or employee of the municipality
designated by the governing body for the purpose may institute proceedings
to require the landlord of those premises to post a bond against the
consequences of future incidents of the same character.