Linden, NJ Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum daytime indoor temperature
- 68°F
- Minimum nighttime temperature
- 65°F
- Daytime hours (68°F)
- 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Heating season covered
- Sept. 15 to May 15
- Required facilities
- electrical service, cooking hookup
Summary
Linden's Housing Code sets a hard 68-degree minimum indoor temperature for rental units and rooming houses. Landlords who supply heat by lease agreement must hold 68 degrees during the day and 65 at night from September 15 through May 15.
Every dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming house, and rooming unit occupied during normal heating periods shall have heating facilities capable of maintaining a minimum inside temperature of sixty-eight (68°) degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms and bathrooms. ... Every owner or operator of a building who permits to be occupied any dwelling unit or rooming unit therein under an agreement, express or implied, to supply heat shall furnish heat adequate to maintain therein from September 15 to May 15, of the following year, a minimum inside temperature of sixty-eight (68°) degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms, bathrooms, shower rooms and toilet rooms or compartments between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. and not less than sixty-five (65°) degrees Fahrenheit between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4586096; v16 updated 2025-12-16; through 12-16-2025).
Full Breakdown
The Housing Code requires every dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming house and rooming unit occupied during normal heating periods to have heating facilities capable of maintaining a minimum inside temperature of sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms and bathrooms. , running from September 15 to May 15 of the following year. The obligation has built-in exceptions: it does not apply where the failure to maintain minimum heat is caused by a general fuel shortage, a negligent or malicious act of the occupant, necessary repairs or alterations, or any cause beyond the owner's or occupant's control.
The Housing Code layers on other basic-facility mandates alongside heat: every unit must have adequate electrical service and installed cooking facilities or a utility connection for them. No owner, operator or occupant may shut off or discontinue any required service, facility or utility except for necessary repairs, alterations or emergencies, and no vacant unit can be reoccupied until it is in good repair, clean, sanitary and fully compliant with the chapter.
Violations & Fines
A landlord who fails to supply the required minimum heat, electrical service or cooking facilities is subject to the general Housing Code penalty of $100 to $2,000, up to 90 days imprisonment or community service; a fine over $1,250 in a housing code case requires the court to give the owner a 30-day cure period first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature must my landlord keep my apartment in Linden?
Are there exceptions to the heating requirement?
Can my landlord shut off my electricity or heat?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Linden
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Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Union County handle repairs & habitability.