Notice to Municipality
A creditor serving a summons and complaint to foreclose on a residential property must, within
10 days of serving the summons and complaint, notify the municipal clerk of the municipality in
which the property is located with a copy of the notice at the same time it is served on the owner.
The municipal clerk shall forward a copy of the notice to the public officer, or other local
officials responsible for enforcing property maintenance or public nuisance codes. (N.J.S.A.
46:10B-51)
If the owner of a residential property vacates or abandons any property on which foreclosure
proceeding has been initiated, but not yet conveyed, and the property is found to be a nuisance or
in violation of any applicable State or local codes, the local public officer, municipal clerk, or
other authorized municipal official shall notify the creditor. The creditor will have the
responsibility to fix the nuisance or correct the violations. (N.J.S.A. 46:10B-51)
Self-Help Evictions or Lockouts
A landlord may not attempt a self-help eviction or lockout. Self-help evictions occur when the
landlord or someone acting on the landlord’s behalf enters into the dwelling unit without the
permission of the tenant and without a judgment from the Court and forces the tenant to move,
by removing the tenant’s personal property from the premises or shutting off utilities in an
attempt to force the tenant to move. A lockout occurs when the landlord padlocks the door or
changes the locks while tenants are not home and then refuses to allow them back into the
premises. Self-help evictions and lockouts are illegal in New Jersey.