Looking for Landlord-Tenant Attorney in New Jersey?

Landlords seeking to evict tenants and tenants seeking to remain in their leased property need an experienced attorney to help them navigate the confusing myriad of New Jersey landlord-tenant laws. The stakes are high for landlord-tenant disputes and small errors can get your complaint or defenses dismissed, so having a dedicated New Jersey attorney on your side is simply a must.

The relationship between a landlord and a tenant is based on the lease contract and on state, local, and federal laws and regulations. For residential tenants, their home is at risk proceedings and for landlords often face devastating financial consequences when tenants don’t pay their rent. Commercial businesses face great losses if they lose their office or commercial space and commercial landlords can be forced into bankruptcy when commercial tenants are behind on their rent. These worst-case scenarios can usually be avoided when you hire an experienced landlord-tenant attorney to negotiate, mediate or litigate your landlord-tenant dispute in the State of New Jersey.

In New Jersey, landlords seeking to remove tenants from their property for non-payment of rent or lease violations must follow the letter of the law to be successful. That’s why it’s important to hire an experienced landlord-tenant attorney that knows how to help you assert your rights. There are three legal main legal reasons that can justify an eviction:

●     Failure to pay rent;

●     Violation of lease terms; and

●     Illegal act on the premises.

Grounds for Eviction

N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.11 provides the grounds for eviction of residential tenants in New Jersey. These are the common grounds:

●     The tenant fails to pay rent;

●     The tenant is “so disorderly that they destroy the peace and quiet”;

●     The tenant has willfully caused destruction of the property or has been grossly negligent in maintaining it;

●     The tenants have continued to violate reasonable lease terms after being served with notice to cease; and

There are specific notice requirements that must be met before filing for eviction, except for non-payment. For example, there is a three-day notice to quit and a demand for possession requirement for an action alleging disorderly conduct, and a one-month requirement for allegations of continued violations of rules and regulations.

Tenants can defend against eviction by contradicting the evidence the landlord presents to support their claims of failure to pay, lease violations, or illegal acts as well as challenging the procedures the landlord used for the eviction.

Many landlord-tenant disputes can be resolved during the case management conference without proceeding to trial. Retaining the status quo between landlord and tenant is often the best resolution. An experienced landlord-tenant attorney helps landlords and tenants find practical solutions to disputes that are more practical than litigation. When a landlord is facing a tenant that doesn’t pay rent or follow the rules set forth in the lease agreement, aggressive legal action is necessary and needs to be done carefully to be successful. Landlords seeking to evict tenants and tenants that would like to avoid eviction should hire an experienced t attorney to increase their likelihood of success.