Newark City Officials: Landlords Must Keep Apartments Warm

Newark, NJ – Are you renter in Newark? Your apartment or home should be at least 65 degrees warm at all times this winter… or your landlord may be in violation of city law.

City officials recently issued a reminder that the municipal “heating season” has been in effect since October and landlords in Newark are required to keep homes at 68 degrees between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. and at 65 degrees from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Heating season ends on May 1, 2016, city officials stated.

“Maintaining public safety in Newark also means providing residents with sufficient heat in winter, particularly in the face of the winter storms and cold the City has faced this week,” Mayor Ras Baraka stated. “Landlords have a moral and legal obligation to provide heat to their tenants and I urge them to abide by city laws.”

According to city officials, failure to supply heat at the minimum of 68 degrees can result in legal action in Newark Municipal Court. Fines imposed on landlords can exceed $1,000 per day for each day until the heat is fully restored.

Tenants residing in apartments without heat and hot running water, or have had their utilities shut off can call the City of Newark’s “No Heat Hotline” at (973) 733-6471, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for possible help, city officials stated.

File photo by Conal Gallagher via flickr