Long Branch, NJ Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)

The New Jersey Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1, 1974) is the controlling just-cause law for Monmouth County residential rentals with a critical shore-specific carve-out. For year-round tenancies, landlords must prove one of 18 statutory grounds: nonpayment of rent, habitual late payment, disorderly conduct, property damage, substantial breach of covenants, conversion to condo/co-op, personal occupation by owner/family, permanent retirement from residential use, substantial renovation requiring vacancy, illegal drug activity, and others. The Act expressly EXEMPTS seasonal shore rentals under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 where the rental period does not exceed 125 days and the unit is not the tenant's primary residence; this matters enormously in Monmouth shore communities (Belmar, Bradley Beach, Point Pleasant, Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Manasquan, Long Branch, Asbury Park). Year-round shore residents retain full Anti-Eviction Act protection. Additional exemptions: (1) owner-occupied 2-family dwellings; (2) owner-occupied 3-unit or smaller buildings; (3) hotels/motels/rooming houses. No-fault evictions (owner move-in, substantial renovation, condo conversion) require relocation assistance under N.J.S.A. 20:4-1 et seq., typically $5,000 to $15,000 per household. Senior and disabled tenants have Protected Tenancy status under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.3 in condo conversion situations. Evictions are filed in Monmouth County Special Civil Part, Landlord-Tenant Section (Freehold courthouse). Legal Services of New Jersey provides tenant representation.