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A1667
ASSEMBLY, No. 1667
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Speight, Assemblyman Spearman, Assemblywoman
Quijano and Assemblyman Rodriguez
SYNOPSIS
���� Criminalizes certain actions of individuals who offer
rental of residential property that they do not own or legally possess.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
criminalizing certain actions of individuals who
offer residential property for rent without a lawful ownership or occupancy
interest, and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
����
1
.�
a.� As
used in this section:
���� "Benefit" includes,
but need not be limited to, any pecuniary amount, any property, any services,
any pecuniary amount sought to be avoided, or any injury or harm perpetrated on
another where there is no pecuniary value.
���� b.� A person is guilty of a
crime if the person engages in one or more of the following actions by any
means, including, but not limited to, the use of electronic communications or
an internet website:
���� (1)� purposefully or knowingly
claims ownership or possession, or takes possession, of a residential dwelling
without the consent of the lawful owner or an authorized agent of the lawful
owner, for the purpose of renting the dwelling to another person or otherwise
obtaining a benefit; or
���� (2)� purposefully or knowingly
causes another person to take possession of a residential dwelling without the
consent of the lawful owner or an authorized agent of the lawful owner, for the
purpose of obtaining a benefit.
���� c.� (1)� A person who violates
this section shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree.� Each violation
is a separate offense.
���� (2)� A violation of P.L.2002,
c.133 (C.2A:18-61.62 et seq.) shall be considered a violation of the New Jersey
consumer fraud act, P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.).
���� d.� This section does not
preclude the prosecution and conviction of a person under any other applicable
provision of law.
���� e.� (1)� This section does not
apply to a tenant, subtenant, lessee, sublessee, or assignee having a lawful
occupancy interest in a residential dwelling.
���� (2)� This section does not
apply to a real estate professional in the ordinary course of business who is
operating under a good-faith understanding that a client or customer, or
potential client or customer, has a lawful occupancy interest in the residential
dwelling.
���� (3)� Nothing in this section
shall be construed to impose criminal or civil liability on an interactive
computer service, as defined in 47 U.S.C. s.230.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
����� This bill would criminalize certain actions by
�imposter landlords,� who rent out or advertise for rent residential dwellings
they do not own or lawfully possess.�
����� This bill provides that a person would be guilty of a
crime of the fourth degree, and in violation of the New Jersey consumer fraud
act (�CFA�), P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.), by claiming ownership or
possession of a residential dwelling without the permission of the lawful owner
or the owner�s agent in order to rent the property out or obtain another
benefit.� The bill provides that a person would also be guilty of a crime of
the fourth degree, and in violation of the CFA, if those actions or representations
cause another person to take possession of a residential dwelling in order to
collect rent or obtain another benefit, without permission of the lawful owner
or the owner�s agent.� A crime of the fourth degree is ordinarily punishable by
a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.�
Violations of the CFA may result in an award of treble damages and court costs
in an action initiated by the plaintiff, and authorize the Attorney General to
initiate an action on the victim�s behalf.� These types of frauds are often
conducted through the internet, via postings to online marketplaces such as
Craigslist.
����� This bill does not apply to tenants, subtenants,
lessees, sublessees, or assignees who have a lawful occupancy interest in a
property.��� The bill also would not apply to a real estate professional
operating under a good-faith understanding that a client, customer, or
potential client or customer, has a lawful interest in a residential
dwelling.�� The bill would not impose any form of criminal or civil liability
on an interactive computer service, as defined in federal law under 47 U.S.C.
s.230.
����� Finally, a person in violation of the provisions of
this bill would not be immune from potential actions for theft, common law
fraud, or any other civil or criminal liability not expressly described in the
bill.