Hamilton, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

The Division of Housing Inspections and Landlord Compliance, headed by the Chief Housing Inspector under § 5-70.1, administers landlord registration alongside rental unit licensing. Section 268-18D requires each landlord renting a residential unit in Hamilton to apply for a landlord registration, a requirement last amended by Ordinance No. 18-061 on December 4, 2018. Its stated purpose is to let the Township identify landlords so it can enforce housing standards, and the registration fee defrays administrative costs.

Applicants must submit the owner's name, address and phone number; the address of each rental unit; proof of current payment of property taxes, assessments and sewer or other municipal charges; payment of the registration fee; and a certification that the rental unit complies with the housing code. Any change to that information must be reported within 30 days. Registration renews every five years, coinciding with the five-year rental unit inspection cycle required by § 268-18B, and owner-occupied properties with four units or fewer are billed on a separate fee schedule from larger buildings. Registrations are not transferable if the property changes hands.

No landlord may rent a unit without a valid registration, and letting or occupying an unregistered unit violates § 268-18G, exposing the tenant to removal and the owner to relocation costs. The Mayor or a designee enforces the program and can impose a Property Management Action Plan, suspension, or permanent revocation under § 268-18Q for repeated violations, including refusing inspection, obtaining registration through fraud, or failing to remediate code violations.