The Best Choice for Tenants & Renters in North Arlington is John Balwierczak for Mayor!
Democrat on the side of renters, homeowners and seniors when compared to Pronti!
NORTH ARLINGTON – With just a few days left before Tuesday’s mayoral race, Democrat John Balwierczak is picking up significant chunks of support in the borough’s three largest garden complex communities.
Balwierczak, the 37-year-old challenger to incumbent MAGA Mayor Dan Pronti, a real estate agent from Bayonne in Hudson County, stated he would call for the reestablishment of an independently operated Rent Leveling Board should he defeat the incumbent on Tuesday.
“Renters have rights. They make up a significant portion of the community as well as the electorate. Their voice needs to be heard too,” offered the lifelong resident and graduate of North Arlington High School.
Recent census data confirms that renters actually make up a majority of occupied housing units in the borough.
The ordinance that addresses rent leveling and stabilization is Chapter 285, Article II Rent Control of the Borough Code was originally adopted in 1986 and has subsequently been amended since.
The important provisions are:
Coverage: Generally applies to rental dwellings with three or more units. One- and two-family homes are exempt from the rent-control provisions, as are certain newly constructed units and other specifically exempt properties.
Annual increase: For rents over $500, the normal maximum increase is 4% per year.
If the landlord supplies heat and hot water:
$325 or less → maximum 5%
$325.01–$499.99 → maximum 4.5%
$500+ → maximum 4%
If the tenant supplies heat and hot water, the maximum is 4%.
A landlord generally cannot impose more than one annual increase in a 12-month period.
The tenant must receive 30 days’ notice of a rent increase.
Senior tenants: If a tenant is 65 or older and qualifies under the ordinance, the increase is capped at 2%. This provision was added by Ordinance 2258 in 2018.
Hardship/capital improvements: There are procedures through which landlords can seek increases beyond the ordinary annual cap.
Vacancy decontrol: When a controlled apartment is voluntarily vacated, the landlord can increase the rent by up to 30%, subject to the ordinance’s requirements, including a non-coercion certification.
The old Rent Leveling and Control Board was abolished; the Mayor and Council now exercise the relevant powers under §285-18.
“Everyone will have a seat at the table should I be successful. My job is to bring North Arlington together and unified.”
According to the Borough’s Construction Department, it confirms that houses or apartment complexes with three or more dwellings are subject to rent control and directs landlords to comply with the ordinance.
How many homeowners vs. renters?
The latest available 2020–2024 American Community Survey figures are quite striking as the Census Bureau reports a 44.4% homeownership rate for North Arlington.
The underlying ACS figures are 2,950 owner-occupied units and 3,699 renter-occupied units.
So, in round numbers, North Arlington is approximately 44% homeowners and 56% renters. Or put another way, there are approximately 749 more tenant households than homeowner households.
That is an important housing statistic about North Arlington in that renters constitute a majority of occupied households, despite the borough often being thought of primarily as a homeowner community.
However, you cannot say that 56% of North Arlington’s population rents, because renter households and owner households have different average household sizes.
In total, North Arlington has 6,900 total housing units, of which 251 were vacant in the 2020–2024 ACS.
Meet the next Mayor!
Call him at (201) 655-8497 or via e-mail at [email protected]
Balwierczak for Mayor. 
Dennis Papile & Cengiz “Jim” Sever for Borough Council.
Keeping North Arlington small, safe, suburban, and most of all, affordable!