I want to warn others about my experience with Don Simcsuk, who represents himself as a plumber on this site. Mr. Simcsuk agreed to replace the steam unit for our shower. We hired him after he represented that he could do the job. We paid him $3,000 toward the project, but months later, we still had no working steam unit and no resolution.

From the very beginning, the excuses never stopped. We were repeatedly told he would be coming "tomorrow" or "later this week," only for him to cancel or simply not show up. We heard one story after another: his truck broke down, he forgot he had to take his daughter to Liberty Science Center for a school trip (this was after we phoned to ask where he was, because we waited hours for him to show up), he is in the hospital with pneumonia, he had a knee injury... And countless other "explanations." Every time we thought the job was finally going to move forward, there was another delay.

On May 27, he said there was a truck accident involving the unit (which seemed strange because the unit is about 35-40 lbs., and it didn't seem a truck needed to deliver it to our home). I literally quote "The truck was involved in an accident. I'm waiting for a new one to be shipped. It should be here by next Wednesday. They have to do the inventory stock and reorder. Because the units were damaged in the accident. It will be in by next Monday, June 8. I apologize, but this is out of my control."

On Friday, May 29, he phoned to say that he wanted another $600. When my husband asked why, he said "to buy the steam unit." Of course, we did not give it to him. And none of that makes sense.

Simcsuk said, "he would install the unit on Jun 10." He phoned my husband on June 9 and said, "' The unit will be in tomorrow," to which my husband said, "Call me when it comes in." He never phoned.

This process continued over the course of several months. By the way, we were EXTRAORDINARILY reasonable and patient with him, genuinely believing the troubles he was having.

The only work he actually performed was removing our old steam generator spending some time in the attic. When my husband asked why, he said that "he will install the vent into the attic." No vent was ever installed. He literally did nothing in the attic. After consulting with two licensed Master Plumbers, we learned that installing a vent for a steam shower in the attic does not meet proper installation practices. He also left, unconnected to anything, an absolutely filthy, moldy old pump that is literally garbage. The pump's inner rubber ring was black, very misshapen.

Despite months of promises, no new unit ever appeared. When we asked for documentation showing that the unit had actually been purchased, none was provided. Simcsuk could never produce an invoice for the steam unit, despite our requests. He later told us, and I quote directly, "...being that i've (sic) been in a business for so many years, I have connections where I can get material products, etc. Very cheap cash prices invoice free."

Communication became increasingly difficult, and our repeated requests for completioni of thw work or a refund went nowhere. Mr. Simcsuk represented himself as a plumber, but he is not licensed or insured, nor is he a Master Plumber.

If we had Googled his name, several felony arrests would show up. After that, I did an OPRA search and was shocked to learn of his long criminal history.

Eventually, we filed a police report and later sent a formal demand letter requesting repayment.

I'm sharing our experience so other homeowners can make an informed decision before hiring him. I hope no one else has to go through what we did.

896 Lynnwood Ave in Brick, NJ
Grandmother is moving out and has lots of good stuff!

https://patch.com/new-jersey/pointpleasant/calendar/event/20260716/4d47038d-1c5b-4d19-a372-851718dcec1f/point-pleasant-community-blood-drive-pint-for-hoffmans-ice-cream-coupon-for-donors

Hey everyone,

As someone who won a rent control fight in NJ, I want to share some information that isn’t known by most renters.

1. Rent control, rent stabilization, rent leveling, etc. for all intents and purposes mean the same thing. They refer to laws that protect renters by doing things like placing caps on rents, setting a max percentage that rent can be raised annually, etc.
2. NJ does not have a state-wide rent control law. However, many municipalities do. You should absolutely google your towns name along with terms like rent control or rent stabilization to see if anything comes up.
3. IMPORTANT- in towns where rent control exists, NJ state law N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.4 grants newly constructed units an exemption (multifamily buildings constructed after June 1987) for 30 years. However, the owner must meet 3 conditions:

a) prior to receiving the certificate of occupancy, they must claim the exemption in writing from the municipality. If they do not, the building falls under the municipality’s rent control.

b) notify every prospective tenant, prior to execution of the lease, that the building is exempt from rent control until X date (the duration of the exemption). This notification must be provable by the owner (eg in writing).

c) include the same above notification in the actual lease agreement.

So, how do you go about winning rent control?

First, you should confirm with your town that your landlord properly claimed the exemption. If they didn’t, congrats, your entire building is covered by rent control. Your landlord likely owes you any money you paid over the rent controlled amount set by your town and your rent increases will from here on out likely be capped annually.

Second, even if the building is exempt, landlords often fail to follow one or both of the other requirements. Sometimes your town will offer a review of your lease by a lawyer, but you can probably pull that off yourself or ask AI to help. But this also comes down to whether they informed you of the exemption ahead of the lease and they rarely do. Again, congrats, you may win rent control! It will be tenant specific rather than building wide, but it’s still huge. (Although if it’s a boiler plate lease, it could affect everyone. It could also affect everyone based on the note below).

Finally, check your actual local rent control ordinance language. Sometimes if the landlord failed to follow any of the 3requirements for exemption, the language of the ordinance states that the entire building’s exemption can be revoked in perpetuity.

I can’t recommend looking into all of this enough. It can be a life changer for you and potentially your neighbors as well.

Let me know if you have questions! Feel free to DM me with an update on your fight - I'd love to hear about it!

https://patch.com/new-jersey/tomsriver/calendar/event/20260708/54602172-46c5-4877-bf9a-282bd3a13510/toms-river-community-blood-drive

Looking for an under two toddler friendly playground in Ocean/Monmouth county with lots of open grass to roam.

Any ideas?

Join the Lacey Historical Society on Friday, June 16th at 6:30 on the grounds of the Old Schoolhouse Museum, located at 126 Sth. Main Street, (Rt. 9). There is no fee for this program however donations are gladly accepted! As seating is limited, it will be first come first served. Books will be available for purchase!* Come out and meet bestselling author, filmmaker, director, USMC Veteran, NJ native, and Pine Barrens enthusiast, William J. Lewis! Who will discuss what being a Piney means today, and their legacy among the beauty of the Pine Barrens.

I'm in Seaside Heights and started hearing some.... very large booms just now -- about 9:05 am Tuesday morning, April 11, 2023.