Bill > A1740

Introduced Session

This bill prohibits the landlord of a senior citizen housing project from imposing certain late charges upon senior citizen tenants who are unable to make timely rent payments due to their admittance to a health care facility. Under current law, a landlord is prohibited from imposing late charges on certain senior citizen tenants, including those who receive certain pension benefits or governmental assistance, during the five business day period following the due date of a rental payment. The bill would expand these provisions to include certain senior citizen tenants who have been admitted to a health care facility. Specifically, the bill provides that no late charge may be imposed on a senior citizen tenant who resides in a senior citizen housing project during: (1) any time period in which the senior citizen was unable to make a timely rent payment due to the person's admittance to a health care facility, and (2) the period of five business days following the senior citizen's return to the rental premises. The senior citizen, or a representative thereof, would be required to provide written proof of the admittance, within the period of five business days following the return to the rental premises, in order to qualify for the grace period. Under the bill, a senior citizen tenant would have to remit any outstanding rent within five business days of discharge from the health care facility. If the full rent payment is not remitted within that period, the landlord may thereafter impose late charges. However, the grace period would not begin if following discharge from the health care facility, the senior citizen is immediately admitted to a subsequent health care facility without returning to the rental premises. A landlord who violates the provisions of the bill would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense. Under the bill, a "senior citizen" includes a person 62 years of age or over and a surviving spouse if that person is 55 years of age or over. The bill defines a "senior citizen housing project" as any building or structure, and any land appurtenant thereto, having three or more rental dwelling units intended for, and solely occupied by, senior citizens; except that, it shall not include owner-occupied premises having not more than three dwelling units that are rented or offered for rent, or any health care facility.

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Annette Chaparro (D)*,  JoAnn Downey (D)*,  Angela Mcknight (D)*,  Daniel Benson (D),  Herbert Conaway (D),  Mila Jasey (D),  Carol Murphy (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D),  Shanique Speight (D), 

Reported out of Assembly Comm. with Amendments, 2nd Reading (on 03/08/2021)