How long are landlords liable for the past?
The second recommendation, Mason said, is to implement a statute of limitations on rent control regulations. Mason has recommended six years, which is the typical term of limitation for legal contracts. Most importantly, the limitation will minimize the liability for landlords, which is now unlimited. In 2005, the City Council approved a two-year statute of limitations, but then repealed the amendment when local rent control activists like Dan Tumpson collected more than 1,500 signatures in support of a voter referendum to overturn the council’s vote. Tumpson’s move mirrored similar moves over the last 30 years, when Hoboken governing bodies have attempted to modify the law and were beaten back by advocates who held petition drives. Now that the question of the limitations is resurfacing, and Tumpson and other rent control advocates want at least one other component to any limitation. Tumpson and Cardillo agree that tenants should be notified each year of their rights under rent contro
