East Orange, NJ Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Section 228-6.H sets East Orange's core host-presence standard: while an STRP is rented, the owner, the short-term rental agent, or the responsible party shall be available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, for the purposes of responding within two hours to complaints regarding the condition of the STRP premises, maintenance of the STRP premises, operation of the STRP, or conduct of the guests at the STRP, or nuisance complaints from the East Orange Department of Public Safety or neighbors. The chapter's RESPONSIBLE PARTY definition in § 228-1 makes clear this duty can be delegated: it is the short-term rental property owner or a person (property manager) designated by the owner to be called upon and be responsible at all times for the property's maintenance and the conduct of occupants, including accepting service of legal process.

Section 228-6.E requires the owner to post the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the responsible party and the STR agent inside the unit itself, alongside the numbers for the East Orange Department of Public Safety, Office of Emergency Management, and Short-Term Rental Subdivision, so guests and neighbors know exactly who to call. Section 228-6.G backstops the rule further: if a complaint comes in and the owner is unreachable, the responsible party and STR agent are automatically authorized to act on the owner's behalf to resolve it. Failing to maintain this two-hour response availability feeds directly into the complaint-based revocation standard of § 228-6.I.