Know your Rights
Based upon a document on tenants’ rights published by LSNJ (p. 30), landlords must provide heat as required by the state codes and the local town or city ordinance. Under the state housing codes, from October 1-May 1, the landlord must provide enough heat so that the temperature in the apartment is at least 68 degrees from 6 am - 11 pm. Between 11 pm and 6 am, the temperature in the apartment must be at least 65 degrees. The housing inspector or board of health in your town enforces the heat requirements in the state and local codes. Larger cities have special no-heat hotlines that are set up especially to handle complaints.
To file a complaint from anywhere in the state of New Jersey, contact the Bureau of Housing Inspection at (609) 633-6241.
Hotlines
East Orange
Heat Hotline for the city of East Orange: Tenants residing in apartments without heat and hot running water, or who have had their utilities shut off, can call the Department of Property Maintenance at 973-266-5320.
Jersey City
Jersey City maintains a 24-hour heat and hot water hotline. They can be reached at (201) 547-4821.
Newark
Tenants residing in apartments without heat and hot running water, or who have had their utilities shut off, can call the City of Newark’s Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311, Mondays to Fridays, from 7 am to 7 pm. On weekends and holidays, contact the “No Heat Hotline” at (973) 733-6471, from 10 am to 7 p.m.
Orange Township
http://www.ci.orange.nj.us/alerts_heat_hotline.html
To report heating problems or related issues from Friday evening at 5:00 pm through Monday morning at 8:00 am, call:
Khalfani Alleyne – 973-296-8419
Lonnie Saunders – 973-706-4203
Paul Inman – 973-592-5425
Elroy Corbitt – 973-706-4053
If issues with heat arise at any other time, call the Code Enforcement office directly: (973) 266-4098.
Paterson
Please contact the city’s ‘No Heat” Hotline, (973) 321-1277 should you need to report a ‘no heat’ incident.
Trenton
The Division of Housing Inspections is responsible for enforcing the housing codes in the city of Trenton. These codes cover the minimum standards required for occupancy of all residential structures in the city. The Division is also responsible for the enforcement of all regulations covering privately-owned vacant land and vacant properties. All complaints regarding any violations may be given to the Division by calling (609) 989-3563. Those experiencing a lack of heat may call (973) 989-3560