One tenant of the Hudson Tea building -- where studio apartments start at $500,000 -- said he intended to renew his lease with an option to buy but now has to take his 2-year-old, 55-pound lab to a building across the street.
"You're going to fine me $500 a day for a dog that no one has told me I couldn't have?" said the tenant, a 28-year-old financial advisor who had been living at the two-building Hudson Tea development about a year.
"I asked them specifically: "Has anyone complained about my dog?' They said, 'No'."
"I guess it's the rules," he said. "But I didn't know about them. And nobody's enforced them."
Until now.
A staffer at the Hudson Tea building told CLIFFVIEWPILOT around 5 p.m. today that the manager was "in the building" but unavailable. She took a message, but as of 10 p.m., the call had not been returned.
"I think at least one of the dogs on the list is a rescue dog," one tenant said, "so the owner's showing a big heart adopted the dog to prevent it from being put down."
A neighbor just bought his condominium in March, "and nobody said anything to him for six months," the lab owner said. "I feel sorry for the guy: He's going to have to give his dog or put him up for adoption. Or he's going to have to sell his place. So he's in a jam."
Children in the building love his 2-year-old lab, he said. "She gives them high fives in the elevator."
However, he said, the letter from the condo association told him: "You have to have her off the premises by Oct. 31." Otherwise, he said, he faced an immediate $500 fine and an additional penalty of up to $500 a day.
Fortunately, his landlord was able to bargain with the management company, the tenant said.
"He made it sound like I could potentially stay here till the end of my lease, which is Nov. 30. But they won't let him renew my lease.
"To think, I was going to buy in this building," he said.
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Gina Gaffney
said:
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... Does anyone know what was in the original lease? If I've learned nothing about real estate from my agent hubby, it's that you can't enforce, create, or change something that wasn't in the original lease. There are even things that cannot be added in a lease renewal. For example, if the original lease doesn't say "no smoking", the owner cannot add that in at the lease renewal. Now, if it IS in the lease and these folks snuck their pets in or were told VERBALLY that it was O.K., then shame on them because they have no recourse. Either way, I feel bad for them because they'll either have to move or get rid of their animals. |
Joyce
said:
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... You're right, if it was written in the lease, then they have no ground to stand on. But, honestly, give me a break. We're in such a bad time right now, is it worth it for them to push their tenants out and lose income over their pets? There are plenty of rentals out there and more landlords are accepting tenants with pets because times are tough and they need the income. If they are taking care of their pets and cleaning up after them, what's the big issue? |
Jerry DeMarco
said:
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... Turns out it IS in the lease. The individual landlords of the units are responsible for telling their tenants. Problem is: Nobody told anyone anything for as much as a year, while folks were walking their dogs around, getting used to the kids in the building, etc. The tenants now say that it should give them some kind of standing. Unfortunately, it doesn't. Just because something that's been on the books hasn't been enforced for x amount of time doesn't change anything. In a way I feel bad for these folks. Then again: One of the guys I talked to said it's more nuisance for him than anything. These units go for a fortune; he's just taking another one across the street -- "only I won't have 20-foot ceilings," he said. It's all these various elements that make such a story interesting for me. |
NJ
said:
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... I can confirm it's in the master lease the owners of the condos have with the bldg mgt company. I spoke to a coworker who lives there. His lease with his landlord explicitly states that he has a pet that violates the rule. You have to submit your lease before you move in. Nothing was said until after he was all moved in (contrary to the silly letter the bldg sent out). He didn't seem worried, just annoyed. Said he loved the bldg (except for one really rude woman working the door) but that he'll just move, apparently the Hoboken real estate market has softened up since he signed his lease. I like his advice that you should rent in the neighborhood you want to buy in for at least a year to avoid dealing with stupid problems later like inconsistent mgt companies or neighborhood quirks. |
John
said:
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... Maybe this Ad should be updated?????: http://newjersey.craigslist.or...91458.html Who is at fault? Obviously the tenant signed a lease and disclosed the dog because he lived there for a year. Its not like you can hide a dog over 25 lb's in a doorman building.. |
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