Sponsored by:
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain landlords to display telephone number for emergency repair service.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring certain landlords to display telephone numbers in order to obtain emergency repair services, and supplementing chapter 8 of Title 46 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. Every landlord shall display the name and telephone number of an owner, a representative of an owner, or a managing agent for a residential property who may be contacted at any time in the event of an emergency affecting the property or any unit of dwelling space within the premises, and who has the authority to make emergency decisions concerning the property and any related repairs or expenditures. This contact information shall be posted in a common area of the premises, and shall be displayed in a manner that is prominent and readable to the average resident of the property.
For purposes of this section, “landlord” means a person or entity who rents or leases residential dwelling units in a residential property containing no fewer than four such units.
b. A landlord who violates this section shall be subject to a fine of $250 for each offense, which the municipality may recover in a civil action in a summary proceeding pursuant to the “Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The Superior Court and municipal court shall have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of the “Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999” in connection with this subsection.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the second month next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires landlords to display the name and telephone number of an emergency contact for the purpose of obtaining emergency repair services. The posting should be displayed in a prominent location in a common area of the property and has to be readable to the average tenant. This bill would apply to residential landlords who own and manage a building that contains at least four separate residential units.
A landlord who violates this section may be subject to a penalty of $250 for each offense.
Renters in this State should be afforded habitable living conditions, such as access to heat, running water, immediate abatement of pest or mold infestation. By ensuring that tenants have an efficient and effective means to advise their landlord that a rental unit is at risk of becoming hazardous, this bill serves to improve the quality of, and access to, affordable housing in the State. If tenants have a direct means to advise landlords and property managers of a dangerous living condition, then landlords and their agents can immediately undertake to remediate residential problems.