N.J. DCA Landlord/Tenant Information Series — (English)

Citation
N.J. DCA Landlord/Tenant Information Series — (English)
Jurisdiction
New Jersey (state)
Source
Official source
Original Source
https://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/publications/pdf_lti/t_i_r.pdf ↗

Related Parts of This Source

Full Text

1,797 chars 
15
 A landlord may refuse to rent to an individual or family if they do not have sufficient
income, family is too large for the unit, overcrowded occupancy would result in violation of zoning
laws, or credit history is poor (42 U.S.C.A. § 3601 to -3610).
Under the LAD and the Fair Housing Amendments Act, the refusal to rent to a family that
includes children, with the exception of housing built for older persons and owner-occupied
structures with no more than two dwelling units is prohibited under 42 U.S.C.A. § 3601 to -3610.
A complaint against a person who refuses to rent, or who attempts to cancel a lease based
on illegal discrimination may be filed in a court of competent jurisdiction, i.e. New Jersey Superior
Court. Discrimination complaints pertaining to New Jersey state law violations should be reported
to the proper field office of the Division of Civil Rights, New Jersey Department of Law and Public
Safety. Addresses and contact information of the various regional offices are located in the
appendix section of this publication. If there is a federal violation, a complaint may be filed with
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the U.S. Attorney. For additional
information regarding discrimination on housing in New Jersey, the website is
http://www.nj.gov/oag/dcr/index.html
If a complaint is filed with one of the three agencies referenced above these agencies are
required to investigate the complaint and take action and remedy the situation if it is found that
discrimination has actually occurred. A landlord that discriminates may be required to pay
monetary damages and be required to rent the unit to the complainant if a violation is determined
to have occurred. Under the LAD, landlords who violate this law are subject to substantial fines