Can I enter my tenant’s property without consent for an inspection?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can I enter my tenant’s property without consent for an inspection?
I have a tenant who refuses to allow me access to the property. The property is for sale and and I have a buyer. Now we need the inspection. She is going on vacation for three weeks and I would like to have the inspection done while she is away so there is no conflict and it can be done peaceably. It is not a multiple dwelling 3 individual units. It is a 2-family house. The downstairs tenant is fine.
Asked on August 17, 2019 under Real Estate Law, New Jersey
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 4 years ago | Contributor
Yes, you may. A landlord has the right to access a tenant's leased unit (which is, by the way, not her property anyway--it is your property) for inspection, repairs, maintenance, or to show it for sale and does not need tenant consent. You can even do it when the tenant is not there. Your only obligation is to provide property written notice (at least 24 hours, though longer is better when possible) of the entrance and to enter, etc. during reasonable hours (generally 9 - 6, unless mutually agreed otherwise). You should send the notice several ways you can prove or testify to delivery: e.g. by email, but also certified prority mail and possibly slip it under her door as well.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.