Kean targets landlords of Mon. U. students Twp. residents say college students disturb neighborhoods BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer OCEAN TOWNSHIP - State Sen. Sean Kean told township residents that he is crafting legislation aimed to help curtail the behavior of Monmouth University students living in residential neighborhoods. "All of us know that Monmouth University has a large number of students that sometimes disrupt the public," Kean said at a Feb. 25 meeting in Ocean Township. Kean explained that he is proposing legislation that will target the landlords who rent to college students. "The legislation that we are going to introduce really focuses on the landlords," Kean said. "I know some of you out there went to college at sometime … and you may have done some things that the kids are doing now. "The answer to this is to really focus on ways to give an incentive to the landlords to improve the quality of life for everyone in the community," Kean added. Kean explained that the proposed legislation calls for a significant increase in the amount that landlords will have to pay in bonds and fines if their tenants cause a disturbance in the township. "Under current law, a municipality may force a landlord to post a $500, up to a $5,000 bond," Kean said. Residents have criticized the law because landlords ordered to pay a $500 bond may see the amount as the cost of doing business within the township, according to Kean. "A landlord is going to rent out that property with high rents and then they are going to just plan on paying that bond," Kean said. "So what we have done under our legislation is to say, on a second offense, it is going to be a mandatory $5,000 bond so that landlord would have to post that with the town … and then there would be a $2,000 fine." Kean said landlords will have to post a $15,000 bond and pay a $5,000 fine on a third offense and a $25,000 bond and a $10,000 fine for a fourth offense under the proposed legislation. Current law mandates that offending landlords post a $5,000 bond and no fines, regardless of the number of offences committed by their tenants, according to Kean. "Some landlord that is looking at his fourth offence … is going to be paying attention to the property that he owns," Kean said. He added that landlords may feel that they are being unfairly targeted by the proposed legislation. "I know that there are landlords that are going to say that we are really just slamming the landlords and the landlords have property rights," Kean said. He assured the crowd at the meeting that when the legislation is introduced, it will be "fair" to both the landlords and the residents of the township. Kean was joined by Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblyman David Rible at the meeting, which was called to discuss issues plaguing Ocean Township. Residents at the meeting said that they want a solution to the disturbances in their neighborhoods that they say are caused by Monmouth University students who rent in residential communities. R esidents have reported that student renters are responsible for excessive noise from house parties, underage drinking, littering and cars speeding on residential roads. "When I moved into my neighborhood … it was a safe America neighborhood," Sydney Lekach, of Larchwood Avenue, said at the meeting. "That's what we bought into," he said, adding, "We have a real sense of loss." Florence Kessler of South Lincoln Avenue, who has been living in Ocean for 45 years, said the student renters have affected the quality of life in the township. "We are seeing families depart," Kessler said to Kean at the meeting. Lekach added, "Monmouth University doesn't care. My question is, do you?" Monmouth University responded to comments made at the meeting in a prepared statement that states that the university has taken a proactive stance in educating its students about off-campus housing. "While the majority of students are good tenants and good neighbors, the university realizes that on occasion an off-campus incident will occur," according to the university's statement. It continues, "When a student violates the law or disrupts the quality of life in a neighborhood, Monmouth University takes action immediately." Student renters caught committing criminal offenses off-campus are charged according to the university's Student Code of Conduct, as well as by the township, according to the statement.