How long before property can be considered abandoned
Full Question:
There are three owners for the home my mother lives in - My mother (35%), aunt (22%), and cousin (43%). My aunt lives in the same multi-family dwelling as my mother. However, my mother's apartment is directly underneath the attic where my aunt has stored too much furniture. The ceiling is beginning to show signs of damage from the enormous weight being put on it by my aunt's belongings. I need to know how to go about demanding it be removed as they do not speak. Also, how long must we wait before her belongings would be considered abandoned and can be thrown away. We're afraid the ceiling will cave in so it needs to be done as soon as possible. If it makes a difference - the house is in New Jersey.
10/17/2007 |
Category: Abandoned Property |
State: New Jersey |
#10446
Answer:
The following are NJ statutes:
2A:18-76. Conditions under which the property is considered abandoned
5. a. If a tenant responds in writing or orally to the landlord, on or before the day specified in the required notice, that the tenant intends to remove the property from the premises, or from the place of safekeeping if the landlord has stored the property as provided in section 4 of P.L.1999, c.340 (C.2A:18-75), and does not do so within the time specified in the notice or within 15 days after the written response, whichever is later, the tenant's property shall be conclusively presumed to be abandoned.
b.If a lienholder responds in writing to the landlord concerning a security interest in any manufactured or mobile home, and the lienholder indicates an intent to remove the property from the premises, or from the place of safekeeping, or to pay rent as a condition of leaving the property on the premises, but fails to remove the property or make rental payments within the time specified in the notice or within 15 days after the written response, whichever is later, then the landlord may proceed as if the lienholder had not responded.
c.If no response is received from a tenant or lienholder within the time period provided under section 3 of P.L.1999, c.340 (C.2A:18-74), then the tenant's property shall be conclusively presumed to be abandoned.
2A:18-78. Disposal of property, options
7.Property that has been conclusively presumed to be abandoned may be disposed of in any of the following ways:
a.The landlord may sell the property at a public or private sale;
b.The landlord may destroy or otherwise dispose of the property if the landlord reasonably determines that the value of the property is so low that the cost of storage and conducting a public sale would probably exceed the amount that would be realized from the sale; or
c.The landlord may sell certain items and destroy or otherwise dispose of the remaining property, in accordance with subsections a. and b. of this section.
A public or private sale authorized by this section shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of 12A:9-601 et seq. of the "Uniform Commercial Code".
L.1999, c.340, s.7; amended 2001, c.117, s.23.
46:8-27 Landlord, project defined.
1.The term "landlord," as used in this act, shall mean the person or persons who own or purport to own, or exercise control of any building or project in which there is rented or offered for rent housing space for living or dwelling purposes under either a written or oral lease, provided that this definition shall not include owner-occupied two unit premises. This definition shall include but not be limited to any multiple dwelling subject to the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-1 et seq.).
Whenever: the owner of an apartment in a horizontal property regime as defined in P.L.1963, c.168 (C.46:8A-1 et seq.), a unit owner of a unit in a condominium as defined in P.L.1969, c.257 (C.46:8B-1 et seq.), an owner of a unit in a fee simple community as defined in section 1 of P.L.1989, c.299 (C.40:67-23.2) or an owner in a cooperative entity as defined in section 3 of P.L.1987, c.381 (C.46:8D-3) leases an apartment or unit to a tenant, that owner shall be deemed the landlord for the purposes of filing the certificate of registration as required by section 2 of P.L.1974, c.50 (C.46:8-28). Nothing in P.L.1974, c.50 shall be construed as requiring a council of co-owners of a horizontal property regime, a condominium association, an association managing the common or shared elements or interests in a fee simple community or a cooperative association to comply with the certificate of registration requirement unless the council or association is the owner or lessor of the apartment or unit. Nothing in P.L.1974, c.50 shall be construed to require a cooperative corporation to comply with the certificate of registration requirement unless the corporation leases a unit to a person other than a proprietary shareholder of the cooperative. The foregoing provisions notwithstanding, the council, association or cooperative corporation having jurisdiction over a "multiple dwelling," as defined in section 3 of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-3), shall comply with the registration requirements of section 12 of P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-12) with respect to the multiple dwelling as a whole.The term "project" as used in this act shall mean a group of buildings which are or are represented to be under common or substantially common ownership and which stand on a single parcel of land or parcels of land which are contiguous and which group of buildings is named, designated or advertised as a common entity. The contiguity of such parcels shall not be adversely affected by public rights-of-way incidental to such buildings.