LEGAL NEWS ALERT: New Jersey Post-Covid Residential Eviction Concerns

New Jersey is expecting a massive surge in residential eviction proceedings and related litigation. The predicted surge results from New Jersey's June 4, 2021, decision to end the public health emergency. According to Gov. Phil Murphy's Executive Order 106, the moratorium on residential eviction is to end "for up to 60 days following the end of the public health emergency." While it is unclear from the Order exactly when residential evictions will resume, it seems likely that they could begin as early as August 4, 2021. However, there is language in the Executive Order suggesting that the 60 days may not start to run until after the end of the state of emergency.

Either way, the courts are bracing for an overwhelming flood of cases. Some legal experts are calling for landlord-tenant reform that would provide tenants with some additional due process rights. The primary concern seems to be that an overwhelming number of tenants, nearly 99% in 2019, appear in court without legal representation.

However, many landlords believe that New Jersey is far too tenant-friendly and often experience significant difficulty evicting tenants.

According to the NJ Judiciary, there are approximately 55,900 pending landlord-tenant cases statewide. The Judiciary is predicting that more than 194,000 additional cases could be filed before 2022.

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