LANDLORDS , from Page 1 with some landlords renting out bedrooms .”
“ You can rent a house to one family , or a duplex to two , but there ’ s only one boarding house in the town of Hammonton that can rent bedrooms , and that would be the house on Orchard Street near Second . I have a serious concern of people renting out bedrooms , allowing people to sleep in bedrooms
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where it ’ s unsafe without egress and safety conditions — God forbid if there ’ s a fire — in the name of the almighty dollar . That ’ s not right . It ’ s not fair to the renters ; you can ’ t take advantage of anybody . You can make money owning , and renting and paying your mortgage and doing different things , but you can ’ t beat the system or hurt people or put them in unsafe conditions ,” Di- Donato said .
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DiDonato said that , with the increase in the price of rentals , some landlords “ have chosen to do the wrong thing .”
“ That ’ s what we ’ re going to be cracking down on very severely in the short term . We ’ re going to be using the police department and the building department to go into units and identify those situations and remediate them ,” DiDonato said .
Mark Rogers , the town ’ s code enforcement officer , said that several things are being done .
“ We ’ re investigating overcrowding right now . We ’ re asking landlords to submit us copies of the leases , and , if they ’ re operating a property that does not have a lease , we ’ re asking them for a list of tenants . When we go in to inspect the properties , we check the bedrooms ... We ’ ve done after-hours inspections for overcrowding before , and we still do that on occasion if we really suspect that there ’ s overcrowding ,” Rogers said .
Rogers said that there are specific state regulations as to how many people can be in one bedroom .
“ For one occupant bedroom has to be at least 70 square feet , which isn ’ t really much . It also has to have a window ; every bedroom has to have a window as a means of egress . For two or more occupants , you have to have an additional 50 square feet per occupant . Under no circumstances can you have more
Wednesday , June 30 , 2021 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
Town cracking down on overcrowded rental properties
than four occupants in a bedroom , regardless of the size ,” Rogers said .
Rogers said that a variety of things are noted during inspections .
“ We look to see things like , are there a lot of shoes around ? Different sizes , different genders , things like that ... It can be very difficult , unless you see the bedrooms . If the bedrooms are overcrowded , if they ’ re living in the basement or living in the living room or something like that , that ’ s a violation and that has to stop ,” Rogers said . DiDonato concurred . “ I ’ m worried about where there ’ s
10 and 12 and 14 people in a twoand three-bedroom unit ... It ’ s one thing to make money ; it ’ s another thing to make money that ’ s not rightfully yours because you ’ re taking advantage of somebody ,” Di- Donato said .
Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel echoed DiDonato ’ s sentiments .
“ Because properties are at the premium that they are right now , a lot of landlords have increased the rent . There are some allegations of renting rooms for upwards of $ 800 or $ 900 a month , for one room ;
See RENTAL , Page 14
Blueberry festival thrills
FESTIVAL , from Page 1 the Blueberry Capital of the World . We ’ ve got everything : cannoli , pies , muffins , turnovers , the whole shebang and , obviously , thousands and thousands of pints of blueberries thanks to a partnership with our generous farmers . It ’ s a great operation , and we ’ re happy for everybody ’ s help and assistance ,” Ott said .
Ott said that one of the most popular offerings at the festival was the fresh blueberries . Nine pallets , equaling 1,296 crates — or 15,552 pints — were brought to the grounds . By the close of the Red , White and Blueberry Festival , they were all gone — as were all of the baked goods .
John Runfolo , the Chamber ’ s executive director , said that the size of the crowd had him “ overwhelmed .”
“ We figured it might be that way , because people were just dying to get out of the house . It ’ s a great family atmosphere . They love the blueberries , they love the atmosphere in Hammonton , the ‘ Blueberry Capital of the World .’ What can I say ? It all meshed together like a perfect storm . I ’ m very , very pleased ,” Runfolo said .
See our huge Red , White & Blueberry Festival section , which begins on Page 33 .
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