New Jersey Landlord Repair Duties & Habitability Rights (2026)

What a landlord must fix, and your options when they do not

At a glance

• Core duty: N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88 — 房东须提供暖气、自来水、电力、污水处理，并保持房屋 fit for habitation、符合健康法规（implied warranty of habitability）。
• Notice before acting: 房东收到通知后须在「合理时间」内修复严重缺陷（无固定天数，按缺陷严重度而定）。
• Governing authority: N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers the landlord's duty to maintain a habitable home in New Jersey, and what you can do when repairs go unmade.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conditions you caused yourself (which are treated differently).

The landlord's duty

N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88 — 房东须提供暖气、自来水、电力、污水处理，并保持房屋 fit for habitation、符合健康法规（implied warranty of habitability）。

新泽西 implied warranty of habitability（2A:42-85 et seq. + 普通法）：住宅须 safe、decent、sanitary，供热、水管、结构安全、无铅漆/霉菌等危险。

N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88 ↗

What the duty covers in practice

Notice and time to cure

房东收到通知后须在「合理时间」内修复严重缺陷（无固定天数，按缺陷严重度而定）。

N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88 ↗

Your remedies when repairs go unmade

Landlord entry rules

新泽西房东进入须给合理通知并在合理时间，紧急情况除外。

N.J.S.A. 2A:42 (reasonableness) ↗

When the duty does not apply

房东对租客造成的缺陷无修复义务。

N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88 ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
N.J.S.A. 2A:42-88	2026-10-16	official text ↗
N.J.S.A. 2A:42 (reasonableness)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More New Jersey guides

New Jersey Security Deposit Return · New Jersey Security Deposit Rules · New Jersey Eviction Process · New Jersey Rent Increase Rules · New Jersey Landlord Retaliation

→ All New Jersey tenant rights topics

Common questions