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Can a nj landlord lock us out without an eviction notice?
Anonymous2 views3 answers
we were voluntarily leaving because we owed july aug rent..paid sept but realized we couldnt affor it anymore.no lease.told our landlord on oct 1st we were going to leave.said i was picking up a moving truck on the 12th of oct to start moving out.we took our first load to our new place 100 miles away. we unloaded almost all night and were going back down to get the rest of our stuff and to load up all garbage and make repairs.our neighbors called the police on him for throwing them off my property while they were watching our stuff and also called us to say he was changing the locks. spoke to the officer told him we were not done moving out. filed order to show cause. recieved his objection to it and alot of damages that were not like that when we left doors were locked.he says wide open
A residential tenant cannot be locked out by a landlord without a valid judgment of possession under any circumstances. In order to evict someone a landlord needs to file an eviction action in Court, and obtain a Judgment of Possession. A landlord CAN change the locks when a tenant leaves and surrenders possession. This is really the only argument the landlord can make. You should speak with an attorney, because a landlord that illegaly locks out a tenant can be subject to penalties and other sanctions.
He can not lock you out unless he complies with the Anti Eviction act and Goes through the procedure to obtain and execute an eviction. The action you describe sounds like an illegal lock out. Not only is this a civil violation, but a violation of the criminal statues (See NJSA 2C:33-11.1) Good Luck
