Bill Text: NJ S878 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Requires landlords to provide tenants with certain notice concerning conditions that may cause damage or hazards on rental property.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-01-14 - Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading [S878 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2020-S878-Amended.html

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[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 878

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED JANUARY 27, 2020

 

 

Sponsored by:

Senator  JOSEPH P. CRYAN

District 20 (Union)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Gill

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires landlords to provide tenants with certain notice concerning conditions that may cause damage or hazards on rental property.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee on January 14, 2021, with amendments.

  

An Act concerning tenant notifications and supplementing Title 46 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

      1.   a.  When a landlord receives written notice ¹[that an adjoining property owner intends to conduct construction, rehabilitation, demolition, or any other work] from an entity responsible for work on an adjoining property, including but not limited to a government entity, utility company or developer, clearly stating that work is expected to be conducted on the adjoining property, including but not limited to, construction, rehabilitation, or demolition¹ that may cause damage or hazardous conditions to the landlord's property, the landlord shall provide a copy of the notice to tenants of the landlord's property within five business days of the landlord's receipt of the written notice.  ¹[The notice] If the landlord, or an agent of the landlord, intends to conduct work that may cause damage or hazardous conditions on a property adjoining a property occupied by a tenant of the landlord, then the landlord shall provide notice to the tenant prior to the commencement of the work.  The notices required pursuant to this section¹ may be provided to each affected tenant by ¹[certified]¹ mail, by posting in at least one conspicuous area where the information is most likely to be viewed by tenants, or ¹[both] by electronic delivery¹.

      b.   A landlord who fails to provide an affected tenant with the information required pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be liable to a penalty of not more than $200 for each offense, recoverable by a summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part in the county or the municipal court of the municipality in which the landlords property is located shall have jurisdiction to enforce said penalty.

      c.   For the purposes of this section ¹[, "landlord"] :

      "Landlord"¹ means any person who rents or leases, for a term of at least one month, commercial space or residential dwelling units other than dwelling units in a premises containing not more than two such units ¹and seasonal rental units¹, or in an owner-occupied premises of not more than three dwelling units ¹and seasonal rental units¹, or in hotels, motels, or other guest houses serving transient or seasonal guests.

      ¹"Seasonal rental unit" means a dwelling unit rented for a term of not more than 125 consecutive days for residential purposes by a person having a permanent residence elsewhere, but shall not include use or rental of living quarters by migrant, temporary, or seasonal workers in connection with any work or place where work is being performed.¹

 

     2.    This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment.