Refusal to rent to Section 8 recipients and people with other types of income

New Jersey law makes it illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to a person who has a Section 8 voucher or another type of housing assistance. Cite: N.J.S.A. 10:5-12(g). This applies to tenants who obtain Section 8 while already tenants in a house or apartment, and to tenants who are seeking to rent from a landlord for the first time. A landlord cannot refuse to accept rental assistance from a tenant and then turn around and sue to evict that tenant for nonpayment of rent. Cite: Franklin Tower One, L.L.C. v. N.M., 157 N.J. 602 (1999).

If you have a Section 8 voucher or another subsidy and a landlord refuses to rent to you, you should immediately contact an attorney or the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. (New Jersey law also makes it illegal to refuse to rent to a person who will pay rent with other sources of income, such as welfare, alimony, or child support. Cite: N.J.S.A. 10:5-12[g].)

The New Jersey Division on Civil Rights has four local offices. Call the local office nearest you.

South Shore Regional Office
1325 Boardwalk
1st floor
Tennessee Ave & Boardwalk
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
609-441-3100

Southern Regional Office
5 Executive Campus,
Suite 107
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
856-486-4080

Northern Regional Office
31 Clinton Street
3rd Floor
PO Box 46001
Newark, NJ 07102
973-648-2700

Central Regional Office
140 East Front Street
6th Floor
PO Box 090
Trenton, NJ 08625-0090
609-292-4605

For more information on discrimination in housing, see the Housing Discrimination section.

This information last reviewed: Apr 13, 2016