NJ A2589

Landlord-tenant court records become confidential and unavailable to the public beginning on the first day of the sixth year after the eviction action was filed.

Landlords are prohibited from considering landlord-tenant actions in tenant screening once the five-year period has passed, and tenant screening services cannot provide this information to landlords after that date.

Violations carry penalties of at least $1,000 for the first offense and at least $5,000 for subsequent offenses, plus attorney fees, and tenants may sue in Superior Court.

Public entities may retain and distribute demographic data from these records for understanding eviction trends, provided tenant-identifying information remains confidential.

The bill applies retroactively to landlord-tenant actions initiated after March 9, 2020, the start of New Jersey's COVID-19 public health emergency.