‘Newark’s Worst Landlords’: City Will Compile Annual List, Mayor Says

NEWARK, NJ — It’s a list that Newark landlords don’t want to find themselves on, officials say.

On Thursday, Mayor Ras Baraka signed an executive order to create an annual list of the city’s “worst non-compliant landlords.”

“Despite a full arsenal of building regulations and codes, Newark residents, as well as city administrators and enforcers, have long been at the mercy of irresponsible landlords who are quick to collect the rent but slow to correct unsafe and unlivable conditions in their buildings,” Baraka said.

“This executive order puts more teeth in our laws to keep landlords in line and responsive to their tenants’ needs,” he added.

According to the mayor’s office, conditions for landing on the list include mismanagement that results in three violations within 12 months for a single address, or five violations within 12 months for landlords with multiple properties.

Here are some of the things that can land a landlord on the list:

“For purposes of the executive order, non-compliance is defined as a repeated pattern of failing to comply with city laws designed to protect residents, including housing and habitability requirements, health and fire safety regulations, Uniform Construction Code requirements, rental property registration and renewal requirements, refusal to allow inspections, and failure to correct violations after notice. It also includes failure to follow required city processes that enable enforcement and oversight to occur.”

Once a landlord is placed on the list, a full year must pass before the status can be reevaluated.

Ownership transfers will be tracked to prevent avoidance of accountability by sleight of paperwork, city officials said.

Tenants in Newark can report unsatisfactory living conditions to the Division of Code Enforcement by calling 973-733-3813.

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