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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in New Jersey

In New Jersey, the landlord must send written notice by certified or receipted first class mail giving the tenant at least 30 days after delivery or 33 days after mailing, whichever comes first, to remove left-behind property, after which it may be sold or disposed of.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

New Jersey at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, mailed written notice
By certified mail or receipted first class mail to the last known address and any known alternate address, in an envelope marked "Please Forward".
Holding period
30 days after delivery (33 if mailed)
Manufactured or mobile homes: 75 days after delivery or 78 after mailing.
After the holding period
Sell, or destroy if value is too low
The landlord may sell items of value and dispose of the rest.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in New Jersey

Does a landlord in New Jersey have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, mailed written notice. Written notice required in New Jersey: yes, mailed written notice. By certified mail or receipted first class mail to the last known address and any known alternate address, in an envelope marked "Please Forward".

How long must a landlord in New Jersey keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in New Jersey: 30 days after delivery (33 if mailed). Manufactured or mobile homes: 75 days after delivery or 78 after mailing.

What can a landlord in New Jersey do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in New Jersey: Sell, or destroy if value is too low. The landlord may sell items of value and dispose of the rest.

Where do the New Jersey tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from N.J. Stat. 2A:18-72, N.J. Stat. 2A:18-73, N.J. Stat. 2A:18-74 and N.J. Stat. 2A:18-78. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The procedure applies after a warrant for removal is executed or the tenant gives written notice of voluntarily leaving.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.