What are the reasons I can evict a tenant in New Jersey?

Sometimes, landlords have the misconception that just because they own a property and rent it out to people, they can evict the tenants whenever they want for whichever reason they want. However, New Jersey created an act known as the Anti-Eviction Act to help protect tenants from being evicted for no real reason. Tenants renting nearly any property throughout the state, including mobile homes, single-family homes, apartments, rooming and boarding homes, and more, are protected. However, tenants who rent seasonally are not protected under the act.

The grounds for eviction in New Jersey include a number of different issues that include failure to pay rent, intentional destruction of property, breach of a contract agreement, committing drug offenses on the property, and more. In order to begin the eviction process, a landlord must serve the tenant with a Notice to Quit. In some situations, the landlord must also file a Notice to Cease. Only after that can the landlord file a lawsuit to get the tenant officially evicted.

It is important to know that some of the grounds for eviction require you to file a Notice to Quit a certain about of time prior to filing the eviction suit. For example, if the landlord plans to stop using the property for residential use permanently, they will have to serve a Notice to Quit no later than 18 months before the eviction suit can take place. Another example is that if the tenant is being evicted for failure to pay rent on time, the Notice to Quit must be served at least a month prior to starting the lawsuit for eviction.

If you have questions about landlord/tenant law, speak to an attorney who can help you with any issues you may face.

The law firm of Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C., is composed of experienced attorneys throughout the states of New Jersey and Delaware. Please contact the office for a free initial consultation and get any questions answered regarding your specific case.