Im not trolling, and yes i did get duped by her, i did not know of her history, she seems a very decent lady in person. She was creating issues by not giving my rent money back after telling me not to move in, and yes i was stupid enough not to get a receipt from her for it. I haven't done this sort of a thing before, but I learnt my lesson the first time around itself.

When I read the article by accident I panicked as to what to do and posted here hence the 3 posts only on this topic. Her boldness was quite alarming for me because she clearly continues to do this sort of an illegal rental despite authorities being involved. I did take the advise i received here towards on this issue though, it has helped me.

I think you all need to sit back & take a look at rinrin. We have a thread that has been dead for over a year & here comes rinrin with a scenario that appears to involve the same address seeking advise on something that was answered in detail. In fact the scenario is rather improbable as no reasonable intelligent person would be duped so easily.

It is no small coincidence that all of rinrin's posts (3) are limited to this particular thread. Me thinks that rinrin is a troll with nothing better to do, like the troll who starts their posts "Hi y'all" I just moved here 5 minutes ago.....

I can see why there's tenant laws now with utterly ruthless and unethical landlords like these scum.

Relax, it's just affordable "Micro Apartment Living"

Thank you for listing out all the rules, i'm really grateful. What has happened is that i paid 1 months worth of rent on 29th sep. i was to move in on Oct 1, but i was told not to move in by HER as she is uncomfrtable with me.

She requested 10 days time to give the $700 rent i have paid, and today the time is up. i called her up and she was yelling abuses over the phone and basically telling me that she will not bother giving it back. I did not receive any receipts from her for proof, as she said this is a verbal agreement between us. One other person was present at the time of agreement and that is the onyl witness i have, and also an email sent to me regarding the room rental.

only today i realised her past record on this house and that i have become part of her fraud activity. I plan to talk to her one more time in a civilized manner, and will be reporting to authorities as she still continues to rent her 1st floor home to many people.

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I came across some great advice.

In NJ, it doesn't matter if the landlord knew it was illegal or not, or if they have registered the unit or not. All that matters is that the apartment that was rented to you violates the local zoning ordinance, and that you have PROOF from zoning that the apartment is illegal (like a copy of the violation notice).

I'm going to keep this simple, and not explain every single nuance or possibility under the sun.

1) There is no such thing as rent on an illegal apartment.

2) With that in mind, unless you paid at least one rental period worth of rent, you aren't a tenant.

3) You will NOT get any rent already paid returned to you.

What these three things together mean is that you have to have paid one rental period of rent in order to be considered a tenant. You can't move in, discover that it is an illegal apartment and stop your first months rent check. But ... after you discover that it is an illegal apartment, you do not owe any more rent.

4) The only way the landlord can evict you is through a possession action based upon the fact that it is an illegal apartment, and the only way to cure this violation is by terminating your tenancy.

5) Terminating your tenancy is a legal process, and you cannot be evicted without going through the court system. The more they screw up and the longer they take is to your benefit because you get to live rent free during this entire time.

6) The landlord owes you 6 times the rent in relocation benefits. It doesn't matter if you only paid one month of rent ... you still are entitled to 6 times the rent.

7) They must provide this to you BEFORE you can be evicted. If you got months and months of free rent, they may try to negotiate the amount with you.

8) Depending on their circumstances (i.e. if they are filing for bankruptcy, going into foreclosure, etc) this may or may not be a good idea.

9) There is one single circumstance under which the owner may be able to get out of paying you, which I am not going to blab here.

10) Your town may have a program where they pay you the relocation money and then they put a lien on the property.

11) You deposit is a separate matter, but the return of your deposit can be worked into your settlement agreement.

12) If it isn't and your deposit is not returned to you as provided by state statute, you can sue in small claims AND get double your money plus attorney fees.

13) If you damaged the unit (illegal or not), you won't get that portion of your security back BUT unpaid rent cannot be deducted from your security since there is NO SUCH THING as rent on an illegal apartment.

14) Your lease is null and void.

Do not take legal advice from the building inspector, people online, etc. Get a lawyer who specializes in Landlord/Tenant matters to handle this for you. Do not get someone who does not specialize in L/T as they will not be aware of recent case law that affects your situation.

I know i should have thought twice about this, she didn't let me move into the house either way. Im currently on a lease and thankfully never got to go there, but gotta get my deposit/ first months rent back and also report her to the authorities.

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You didn't get a receipt...tisk, tisk, tisk. This should have been your first sign. Oh well make sure you declare it on your taxes.

contact the police

i fell victim to this scam, i gave the rent money and i saw this article, now im struggling to get my money back, i didnt move in, but i had no idea she is doing this stuff illegally. I have no idea what to do, she didn't give me a receipt for the money i gave, i have a witness with me for giving money, and call logs and an email from my side, plus from her on the room. She said she is the owner and i thought everythingi s ok, but i read the article and realise im involved in a fraud. Please contact me if any of you can guid me on what to do. She is still contuinuing her illegal activity.

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agreed. no one is saying that they deserved to live that way because "they're probably illegal." they simply stated that illegal status is a leading reason someone would subject themselves to living in such a miserable, exploited state.

and, hello? adding color instead of sticking to the facts is the engine that drives this board.

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It provides context. If they had a better place to live, they'd probably live there.

what does their legal status have anything to do with this thread?

There are people who don't have the means to live in a proper apartment and there are people who thrive on less fortunate, helpless, or uninformed. That's it. Let's stick with the facts instead of adding color that no one on this thread knows first hand.

You can report unsafe living conditions anonymously to the health department or through the Mayor's Action Bureau.

In my neighborhood, there are 24 people living in a two family home. Where can I report THEM?!!!

I am not vindictive. I only say this because they consistently throw their trash all over the sidewalk like slobs and don't seem to have a general disregard for the neighborhood.

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Considering how bad of a deal this is, I bet they are not legal citizens.

Anyways, where do you think these people are living now? I imagine somewhere similar, or worse. How is forcing them out of their home good for them? Maybe someone could've helped them find a better living situation?

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slumlords prey on vulnerable people who can't find housing through legitimate means, whether due to bad luck or bad choices.

I highly doubt these are the model tenants you imagine renting your 2-bedroom apartment to.

So who are these people who voluntarily agree to live in such conditions?


Good lord.... if the couple in the garage could find another couple, for $1,300 they could rent a 2 bed from me. Complete with central A/C. still kind of crowded.... but a lot better than a garage.

A Jersey City woman who had 18 tenants living in her two-family Heights home has been cited for up to $10,000 in fines and the tenants were ordered out by today, officials said.
"We see landlords, for the sake of making money, are putting people's lives in jeopardy by creating unsafe condition such the ones we witnessed here," Fire Department Director Armando Roman said of the property of Reena Jee at 15 Stagg St.
Police and representatives of several city agencies went to the home Monday after getting a tip from a former resident who said as many as 30 people had lived there at once, Roman said.


Inspectors found two families were living in the garage, each was paying $650 per month, Roman said. Each of the two first-floor bedrooms had two beds in them and residents were paying $450 per bed, Roman said. There were two mattresses in the first-floor living room being rented for $350, Roman said.
On the second floor, Jee lived in a rear apartment and the two other bedrooms contained two beds, each being rented for $650, Roman said. Six people were living in the second-floor living room and each were paying $350, Roman said.
Those living the garage were immediately ordered out as it was an "imminent hazard," Roman said.
The tenants in the two-family home were given until today to vacate and all were gone when housing officials checked this afternoon, Roman said.
Jee must appear in Jersey City Municipal Court to face the citations she received from the fire department and other agencies, Roman said. She could not be reached for comment.18 Tenants in two family home.