New Jersey Eviction Notice
Create a free New Jersey eviction notice with the state's required notice periods built in. Pick the notice type, fill in the details, and download a PDF.
New Jersey notice periods
Nonpayment: 0 days · Lease violation (cure): 30 days · No-cause termination: -1 days · just-cause law applies.
Tenant Name(s)
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⚠ New Jersey does not require a fixed pre-filing notice period for this situation. CRITICAL NUANCE: New Jersey requires NO pre-filing notice to quit for nonpayment of rent in ordinary private tenancies. N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2 expressly excepts nonpayment (subsections a. and f. of 2A:18-61.1) from the written-demand/written-notice requirement ('no judgment of possession shall be entered ... except in the nonpayment of rent under subsection a. or f. of section 2, unless the landlord has made written demand and given written notice for delivery of possession'), and 2A:18-55 lets the tenant stop the case by paying the rent in arrears plus costs any time before final judgment. The landlord may file the eviction complaint immediately upon default, so the statutory pay-or-quit notice period is effectively 0. ONE EXCEPTION: federally subsidized housing requires a 14-day notice before filing for nonpayment. Many NJ landlords still serve a courtesy demand, but it is not a statutory prerequisite. A failure-to-pay-a-rent-increase ground (subsection f.) is different and DOES require a one-month notice to quit (the increase must not be unconscionable).
Notice to Pay Rent or Quit (New Jersey)
NOTICE TO PAY RENT OR QUIT
Date of Notice: ________________
From (Landlord/Agent): [LANDLORD/AGENT NAME], [LANDLORD ADDRESS]
To: [TENANT NAME(S)], Tenant(s) in possession of: [PROPERTY ADDRESS]
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that rent is now due and unpaid in the amount of $________. This amount is for unpaid RENT only and excludes late fees, utilities, and other charges unless your state and lease allow them.
You are required to PAY the full amount of rent due, OR to vacate and surrender possession of the property. Payment must be made to [LANDLORD/AGENT NAME] at [LANDLORD ADDRESS], by cash, check, or money order. If you mail payment, it must be RECEIVED by the deadline.
Because New Jersey does not require a fixed pre-filing notice period for this situation, the landlord may file for eviction. You can stop the case by paying or correcting the problem, plus any court costs, before the court enters judgment.
Only a court can order you to move out. The landlord may NOT lock you out, remove your belongings, or shut off your utilities; doing so is illegal.
This notice is given without waiving, and the landlord expressly reserves, all other rights and remedies, including the right to recover unpaid rent and damages.
How this notice may be served: Per N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2 (and 2A:18-53/54), the notice must specify in detail the cause of termination and be served by one of: (1) personal service on the tenant/lessee/occupant; (2) leaving a copy at the tenant's usual place of abode with a household member older than 14; or (3) certified mail — and if the certified letter is not claimed, by regular mail. Under 2A:18-54, if those methods fail or the unit is unoccupied/admission denied, the notice may be posted/affixed to the door or other conspicuous part of the premises, which is deemed lawful service.
_______________________________________
[LANDLORD/AGENT NAME] — Landlord / Authorized Agent
[LANDLORD ADDRESS]
Date: ________________
PROOF OF SERVICE
I served this notice on the tenant(s) on ____________ (date).
Method of service (use a method permitted in your state — see the service note above):
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________ Date: ____________
Signature of person serving the notice
Email yourself a copy (PDF)
Self-help template, not legal advice. Notice periods, wording, and service rules vary by state and city. You cannot remove a tenant yourself — serve a proper notice and, if needed, file in court.
New Jersey Eviction Notice Requirements
In New Jersey, a landlord must serve a written notice before filing for eviction under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 (grounds for removal) and N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2 (required notice; contents; service); see also 2A:18-53 to 2A:18-84 (Anti-Eviction Act / summary dispossess), and 2A:18-56 (notice-to-quit periods for non-covered tenancies). The required notice period depends on the reason:
- Nonpayment of rent: 0-day notice to pay or quit. CRITICAL NUANCE: New Jersey requires NO pre-filing notice to quit for nonpayment of rent in ordinary private tenancies. N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2 expressly excepts nonpayment (subsections a. and f. of 2A:18-61.1) from the written-demand/written-notice requirement ('no judgment of possession shall be entered ... except in the nonpayment of rent under subsection a. or f. of section 2, unless the landlord has made written demand and given written notice for delivery of possession'), and 2A:18-55 lets the tenant stop the case by paying the rent in arrears plus costs any time before final judgment. The landlord may file the eviction complaint immediately upon default, so the statutory pay-or-quit notice period is effectively 0. ONE EXCEPTION: federally subsidized housing requires a 14-day notice before filing for nonpayment. Many NJ landlords still serve a courtesy demand, but it is not a statutory prerequisite. A failure-to-pay-a-rent-increase ground (subsection f.) is different and DOES require a one-month notice to quit (the increase must not be unconscionable).
- Curable lease violation: 30-day notice to cure or quit. One month's notice (treated as ~30 days). Per N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2, a one-month Notice to Quit is required for continued violation of rules/regulations (ground d), substantial breach of lease covenants (ground e), or habitual/late failure to pay rent (ground j). For these curable grounds the landlord must FIRST serve a Notice to Cease (a warning telling the tenant to stop), and the violation must continue after that warning before the one-month Notice to Quit can issue. Refusal to accept reasonable lease changes (ground i) and failure to pay a lawful rent increase (ground f) also carry one month's notice. The DCA bulletin notes the one-month notice should be given on or before the start of a new month.
- No-cause termination (month-to-month): -1-day notice. No-fault termination is NOT permitted for a covered tenancy. New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1) bars eviction or non-renewal of any covered residential tenancy except on one of the enumerated good-cause grounds (a-r). A landlord CANNOT end a month-to-month tenancy simply by giving 30 days' notice; there is no statutory no-cause termination day count, hence -1. Limited exception: units NOT covered by the Act — owner-occupied buildings with no more than two rental units (i.e., owner-occupied 2- or 3-family dwellings) — fall under the older 2A:18-53 procedure, where a no-cause holdover requires the 2A:18-56 notice to quit: one month for a month-to-month tenancy and three months for a year-to-year/at-will tenancy.
Just cause: YES — New Jersey is the original and strongest statewide just-cause ('good cause') eviction state. The Anti-Eviction Act of 1974 (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 et seq.) requires good cause for every eviction or lease non-renewal of a covered tenancy and lists the enumerated grounds (a through r). Lease provisions waiving these protections are void (2A:18-61.4). The Act does NOT cover owner-occupied premises with two or fewer rental units, transient hotel/motel/seasonal occupancy, or certain immediate-family/trust units; those non-covered tenancies can be ended without cause on the 2A:18-56 notice periods (one month month-to-month, three months year-to-year/at-will).
Service: Per N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2 (and 2A:18-53/54), the notice must specify in detail the cause of termination and be served by one of: (1) personal service on the tenant/lessee/occupant; (2) leaving a copy at the tenant's usual place of abode with a household member older than 14; or (3) certified mail — and if the certified letter is not claimed, by regular mail. Under 2A:18-54, if those methods fail or the unit is unoccupied/admission denied, the notice may be posted/affixed to the door or other conspicuous part of the premises, which is deemed lawful service.
- New Jersey requires GOOD CAUSE for nearly every eviction. A landlord cannot terminate a covered month-to-month tenancy without one of the statutory grounds; there is no 30-day no-cause notice for covered units.
- Nonpayment of rent needs NO pre-filing notice to quit in ordinary private tenancies — 2A:18-61.2 carves nonpayment (subsection a/f) out of the written-demand/notice requirement, so the landlord can file immediately, and the tenant can halt the case by paying the arrears plus costs before final judgment (2A:18-55). Federally subsidized housing requires a 14-day notice.
- Curable grounds (continued rules violation, substantial lease breach, habitual late rent) require a prior Notice to Cease (warning) THEN a one-month (~30-day) Notice to Quit.
- Severe grounds (willful/gross-negligence property damage, drug/assault/theft convictions, civil-liability for crime on premises, end of employment tenancy) require a 3-day Notice to Quit and no Notice to Cease; disorderly conduct is 3 days but needs a prior Notice to Cease.
- Owner-occupied buildings with two or fewer rental units are NOT covered by the Anti-Eviction Act and follow the older 2A:18-56 notice periods (one month for month-to-month, three months for year-to-year/at-will no-cause holdover).
- After judgment for possession, no warrant of removal issues until 3 business days have passed, and the tenant gets a further 3 business days to move after the warrant is served.
New Jersey Eviction Notices by Type
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days notice to evict for nonpayment in New Jersey?
New Jersey requires a 0-day notice to pay rent or quit before a landlord can file for eviction. CRITICAL NUANCE: New Jersey requires NO pre-filing notice to quit for nonpayment of rent in ordinary private tenancies. N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2 expressly excepts nonpayment (subsections a. and f. of 2A:18-61.1) from the written-demand/written-notice requirement ('no judgment of possession shall be entered ... except in the nonpayment of rent under subsection a. or f. of section 2, unless the landlord has made written demand and given written notice for delivery of possession'), and 2A:18-55 lets the tenant stop the case by paying the rent in arrears plus costs any time before final judgment. The landlord may file the eviction complaint immediately upon default, so the statutory pay-or-quit notice period is effectively 0. ONE EXCEPTION: federally subsidized housing requires a 14-day notice before filing for nonpayment. Many NJ landlords still serve a courtesy demand, but it is not a statutory prerequisite. A failure-to-pay-a-rent-increase ground (subsection f.) is different and DOES require a one-month notice to quit (the increase must not be unconscionable).
Can a landlord evict without notice in New Jersey?
No. A written notice is required before filing, and only a court can order a tenant removed. Self-help lockouts are illegal.
Does New Jersey require just cause to evict?
Yes — YES — New Jersey is the original and strongest statewide just-cause ('good cause') eviction state. The Anti-Eviction Act of 1974 (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 et seq.) requires good cause for every eviction or lease non-renewal of a covered tenancy and lists the enumerated grounds (a through r). Lease provisions waiving these protections are void (2A:18-61.4). The Act does NOT cover owner-occupied premises with two or fewer rental units, transient hotel/motel/seasonal occupancy, or certain immediate-family/trust units; those non-covered tenancies can be ended without cause on the 2A:18-56 notice periods (one month month-to-month, three months year-to-year/at-will).
Disclaimer
This New Jersey eviction notice generator is a self-help tool for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Confirm New Jersey and local requirements before serving, and consult a landlord-tenant attorney for contested cases.