It has been more than one year since COVID 19 shut down New Jersey and Governor Murphy issued an eviction moratorium preventing landlords from protecting their investments by forcing tenants to pay rent due and owing. Consequently, many of the tenants who still have a job and could still afford to pay rent and continue to accept stimulus checks have decided they can reside in a safe and secure property free of charge. Some are under the delusional belief that when the moratorium is lifted they will not be expected to pay back rent and late fees.
What should a landlord do at this time? Number one is file a complaint for eviction now. Guarantee your spot in line for the thousands of evictions that are either already filed or going to be filed. Make the tenant understand that although they can ignore paying rent and or fail to apply for federal stimulus package money, you are not going to dismiss your contractual rights and instead demand that they pay you now.
Secondly, if a tenant has not paid in months, file a separate action in the special civil part seeking money damages for the unpaid rent due and owing. This way, when the moratorium is lifted and the tenant vacates without paying, you will have a judgment for up to $15,000.00 which is the jurisdictional limit that can be enforced in the special civil part and follow the tenant until they pay.
Do not wait any longer. Be proactive. Stop the bleeding.