Katie Brennan unveils housing platform if elected to state Assembly
32nd Legislative District Assembly candidate Katie Brennan has unveiled her housing platform to show her plans if elected ahead of a hotly contested June 10th primary.
“New Jersey is facing one of the most severe housing shortages in the country, and we’re all paying the price. For too many people, the system is totally broken, and it’s nearly impossible to find a home you can afford,” Brennan, a former chief of staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, said in a statement.
“The good news is that this crisis was created by public policy, which means it can be solved by public policy. The state could be doing a lot more to protect renters, take on corporate landlords, and build the homes our communities desperately need. The solutions are out there, but what’s missing is the political courage to stand up to powerful special interests and get it done.”
The platform addresses immediate tenant concerns by closing rent control loopholes like the 30-year exemption for new developments, defining “unconscionable” rent increases, and providing a right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction.
It also tackles corporate landlord practices by banning rent-setting algorithms, requiring transparency for properties owned by anonymous LLCs, and implementing vacancy taxes to discourage speculation.
“It’s like David versus Goliath, plus his team of lawyers, whenever a tenant goes up against a big, corporate landlord. The system isn’t set up to work for renters right now, and we need to fix that,” Brennan added.
