| Author |
Message |
    
Joan Cho
Citizen
Username: X111226
Post Number: 3
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 9:44 am: | 
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5 Seton Hall students move in across the street a week ago and they and their 20 or so friends have be partying every night until 3 to 4 AM. We have call the Police twice in the past week for loud and lew language, disorderly conduct, etc.
There is litter all over their front yard after each party. We have spoken with the owner, who moved away. He could care less!
Anyone have any ideas on what the neighbors can do about this besides calling the Police?
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doublea
Citizen
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 283
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 10:01 am: |
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Joan: Last year some residents approached the Board of Trustees about the same problem, and supposedly some measures had been taken to remedy the situation. Maybe one of the Trustees can post on the board or get in touch with you. I have a house near Monmouth University and the student rental situation is a nightmare. If any of the trustees want to get in touch with me to find out what's been done, please private line me. Lots of luck Joan. |
SoOrLady
Citizen
Username: Soorlady
Post Number: 17
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 10:09 am: |
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I would take my concerns to the University - I believe that Laura Wankel is the vice-president of student affairs. While they probably don't have control over students who live off-campus, they may still find some way to assist you.
PS: I know you're very frustrated, but try to stay calm in your conversations - more flies with honey and all that.... |
Brett
Citizen
Username: Bmalibashksa
Post Number: 140
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 10:20 am: |
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This should be investigated right away! Did you say the partys are every night? Do you think I should bring anything? You can never have enough potato salad at a party. |
mrosner
Citizen
Username: Mrosner
Post Number: 603
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 11:06 am: |
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Joan Cho: This problem comes up every fall. Last year we did meet with residents and SHU. The meetings were positive, but we knew a new school year would mean new students and possibly different homes being rented out.
You should call the police every night there is a party. You should call SHU to complain. SHU does have a person in charge. If you send an email to Jgross@southorange.org he can make sure SHU is aware and he can get you the person's name and number.
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Allan J Rosen
Citizen
Username: Allanrosen
Post Number: 10
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 11:54 am: |
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Joan,
The police are on top of the situation in general;but if you wish to attend, this topic, among many others, will be discussed at the Public Safety Committee meeting scheduled for 6:30 PM in Village Hall on Monday, Sept 15. |
doublea
Citizen
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 284
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 11:57 am: |
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Other communities have taken the following steps to try to alleviate some of the ever-growing number of student rentals:
1. Make sure the house is assessed on the basis of its rental or business value, and not as as single family residence. This takes some of the profit motive away.
2. Adopt an "Animal House" ordinance based on the ordinance which was first adopted in Belmar as a solution to their summer rental "animal house" problem. The purpose of this type of ordinance is to place some responsibility on the landlord, so that he just can't rent out to tenants and walk away from any responsibility. This ordinance has been upheld by the N.J. Supreme Court.
The ordinance provides that if in the period of any year, tenants of a rental property are convicted in municpal court twice for a noise complaint or disorderly persons offense, then the landlord has to post a bond ranging from $500 - 5000 with the municipality for a period of 4 years. If there are any further convictions of tenants in the house in question during the four year period, the municipality starts drawing down on the bond. I personally have spoken to the Belmar Code Enforcement Officer and Belmar has used this ordinance quite effectively. Recently, Belmar amended its ordinances to provide that there can be no municipal court postponements for a noise complaint. |
growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 229
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 12:33 pm: |
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We have the same problem on our block however it is not every night. We call the police, the party breaks up and then another night, they are at it again. Last year it was worse. I contacted SHU and got the cold shoulder. I felt like they were saying "not our problem".
I do like the "Animal House" ordinance. That could help. The problem with assessing the property is enforcement. On our block there is a 3 or 4 bedroom duplex. 4 students rent, then they double up with 4 of their friends. Then 8 girlfriends decide to spend the night and it becomes a hotel and all night party spot and overnight parking lot.
We have contacted the landlord and he says that he cannot do anything if the police do not fill out an incident report. We request and it's hit or miss. Then one of the family has to take time off to get the incident report from the police dept. and pay $5. But that's not a conviction so how could it be enforced? And how much time and money does our police dept spend on these issues at the taxpayers expense when SHU pays nothing to the town....whoops...sorry...wrong thread.
I'll be at the meeting. |
ril
Citizen
Username: Ril
Post Number: 113
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 1:18 pm: |
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I agree--the university told me that they had no way to know who lives in what house off-campus, and could not control them. very much the cold shoulder, even when I emphasized that I would rather have the university deal with these kids than have them arrested.
I ended up calling the police week after week (Thursday night seemed to be the big party night; I've been told there are no Friday classes). Once time, they came and broke up a party--there were literally hundreds of kids crammed into this house--they all came pouring out. What a fire hazard! You'd think after the tragedy at that school, the university would be more concerned.
This year's tenants seem to be a quieter bunch--so far. |
SoOrLady
Citizen
Username: Soorlady
Post Number: 21
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 1:56 pm: |
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I am amazed that the University would be so unconcerned. Here's an idea... what if SHU agrees to add an additional security person in the evening and that person accompanies the SO Police to the offending houses and takes names. (I'm sure the Police know which homes are SHU students and which are local kids whose parents aren't home) That way, SHU will at least know who lives in the problem houses. |
growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 231
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 2:00 pm: |
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Heck, I'll even give SHU the address of the offending house on our street if I thought it would make a difference. |
doublea
Citizen
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 286
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 2:04 pm: |
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Several years ago the N.J. Legislature passed enabling legislation which permits any municipality to pass an ordinance which allows the police, having gained entry to a private residence on say a noise complaint, to make arrests for any underage drinking in a private residence. The penalties can be pretty severe, leading up to loss of one's drivers license on the third conviction. I know of several municipalities that have adopted such an ordinance. To my knowledge, South Orange has not adopted an ordinace of this type. Maybe serious consideration should be given to doing so. |
OK, it's Tom Reingold
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 501
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 12, 2003 - 3:42 pm: |
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How can SHU claim they don't know where their students live? I can't possibly believe that. Don't they send anything in the mail to students?
Tom Reingold
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patjoyce
Citizen
Username: Patjoyce
Post Number: 28
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2003 - 2:44 pm: |
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Ordinance #92-33 makes it unlawful for any person to serve or permit to be served alcoholic bevrages to any underage person. The ordinance is not completely clear whether a landlord who is not in possession can be held liable for under age drinking at a rented property. Members of the BOT heard the complaints last Fall and requested that the Legal Committee draft an ordinance to address the issue. I have suggested that the law should read that a landlord gets one warning that a noise or underage drinking summons has been issued at a residence owned by them. A second summons would issue not only to those at the residence but also to the landlord for permitting the nuisance to exist.
Counsel to the Village had expressed questions about the constitutionality of this type of statute, but as doublea has stated earlier, there are cases on point upholding a town's attempt to hold landlords liable for activity at their leased premises. The SO citizen who addressed the issue last year related a conversation with the landlord on his street. It became clear to me that the Village must fashion some financial dis-incentive to the landlord. If after a warning the landlord can't control his premises then I think he should be fined everytime the police issue a summons.
Patrick |
deadwhitemale
Citizen
Username: Deadwhitemale
Post Number: 401
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 9:32 pm: |
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When we had a frat house on our street, the noise complaints ended when the next door neighbor showed up one Sat. night with a baseball bat at their front door, angry, and clearly not taking any juvenile bs.
It worked.
DWM |
xavier67
Citizen
Username: Xavier67
Post Number: 248
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 12:36 pm: |
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Was your neighbor named Charles Bronson? Maybe you're Charles Bronson? Certainly fits your moniker. |
notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 702
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2003 - 1:40 pm: |
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I have had a similar problem with the house directly across the street from mine, mostly in September and April/May. I have nothing against responsible partying, but I have no tolerance for hanging around and shouting, playing music, etc., on the street at midnight during the week. I was particularly incensed a couple of weeks ago, and hollered out the window that these kids were not in a dormitory, they were in a neighborhood where parents and their children have to wake up in the morning. To my surprise, there have been no problems since -- perhaps that's just a coincidence. Now if I could just find some way to make a different neighbor's DOGS shut up... |
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