Ex-candidate fined for illegally renting out home

A former Republican candidate for Woodbridge council was fined $7,500 in municipal court Wednesday after he was found guilty of renting out a single-family home to 10 individuals, township officials said yesterday.

Bhupendra Patel had subdivided a home he owned at 55 Magnolia Road in Iselin and rented it out to 10 people whom he charged $200 a month, township officials said.

He was fined $7,500, a record amount in Woodbridge, according to Mayor John E. McCormac, who said the township has led an amplified effort against illegal housing in recent months.

"How may people do we have to catch and levy heavy fines against until they realize that they can't set up multifamily homes on a single-family residential street in Woodbridge?" McCormac said. "Our neighbors, our citizens, are very diligent and when they see people coming and going at all hours of the night with mattresses and suitcases, then all it takes is a phone call to us."

Earlier this year, Patel won an uncontested Republican primary to challenge incumbent Democrat 4th Ward Councilman Jim Major before dropping out of the race in August.

The illegal housing investigation had been active since May when Woodbridge housing inspectors first visited Patel's home, but was not related to his decision to leave the race, according to Republican Council President Robert E. Luban.

Patel is employed at the Port Authority, Luban said, and Port Authority employees are not permitted to run for public office in New Jersey.

"We didn't know anything about this," Luban said referring to the investigation. "I just wish people would stop it, stop cramming too many people into homes. It's unsafe, unsightly and it degrades the quality of our community."

Major, Patel's former opponent, called the decision a success for the township.

"The folks that did this are operating like slumlords," Major said. "Every time we have another successful case it sends a strong message to people in the township who operate these illegal housing establishments that this will not be tolerated."

Patel did not return calls seeking comment.

Housing inspectors visited the home in May after receiving an anonymous tip from a neighbor, who noticed several people entering and leaving the property on a daily basis.

During the investigation, inspectors discovered deadbolt locks on 10 individual bedroom doors, no common living area being used and personal items like toiletries were kept in each bedroom -- each indicative that the residents of the home were not living as a single family.

Patel evicted his tenants last week, according to the township attorney's office, and under state law is responsible for their relocation.

New Jersey Local News Service reporter Ryan Hutchins contributed to this report.

Stephen Stirling is a reporter for the New Jersey Local News Service. He may be reached at sstirling@njlns.com or (908)243-6237.