Newark's 2018 Right to Counsel ordinance — the fourth in the US after NYC, San Francisco, and Cleveland — funds free legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction, deterring landlord harassment and improper filings.
Adopted in 2018, Newark's Right to Counsel ordinance entitles income-qualified tenants facing eviction in Essex County Special Civil Part to free legal representation, funded through the City budget and partner nonprofits including Volunteers of America and Essex-Newark Legal Services. The program addresses tenant harassment indirectly by raising the cost of pretextual or weak filings and by giving tenants leverage to assert habitability and Anti-Eviction Act defenses. Combined with NJ §2A:18-61.1 and the Newark Rent Control Board, RTC has measurably reduced default-judgment evictions in Newark. Harassment-style conduct — lockouts, utility shutoffs, removing belongings — also violates NJ §2A:39-1 (forcible entry/detainer).
Self-help evictions, illegal lockouts, or utility shutoffs by Newark landlords expose them to triple damages, criminal liability under NJ §2A:39-1, and bar collection of unpaid rent in some cases.
Newark, NJ
New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act (NJ §2A:18-61.1) prohibits no-fault evictions in most Newark rentals — landlords must cite one of about 18 enumerated good cau...
Newark, NJ
New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1) provides strong tenant protections that apply in Newark. Landlords can only evict for specific statutory...
See how Newark's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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