Bill > A4321

Introduced Session

This bill prohibits the landlord of public housing for seniors, as defined in the bill, 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 all residential tenants, including senior citizen tenants, during the five business day period following the due date of a rental payment. This bill would expand these provisions to include the period during which certain senior citizen tenants (tenants) have been admitted to a health care facility and a five business day period following discharge from the facility. Specifically, the bill provides that, upon receipt of written proof that a tenant was admitted to a health care facility, a landlord is to be required to waive any late charge incurred by the tenant during the period of hospitalization and the grace period of five business days following discharge from the facility. If the full rent payment is not remitted within that period, the landlord may thereafter impose late charges. However, the grace period is not to begin if, following discharge from the health care facility, the tenant is immediately admitted to a subsequent health care facility without returning to the rental premises, but the tenant is to remain responsible for rent due before the lease expires or is terminated under the provisions of the lease agreement or State law. A person who violates the provisions of the bill is to be subject to a fine of $100 for a first offense, a fine of $250 for a second offense, and a fine of $500 for a third or subsequent offense. Additionally, the bill provides that the Attorney General is to bring the action against the landlord in a summary proceeding pursuant to the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). Additionally, 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.

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Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee (on 05/10/2024)

Official Document