Bill Text: NJ A5172 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires owner of transient accommodation to be present at transient accommodation during short-term rental; establishes short-term rental agreement limit.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-06-01 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing Committee [A5172 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A5172-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman STERLEY S. STANLEY
District 18 (Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires owner of transient accommodation to be present at transient accommodation during short-term rental; establishes short-term rental agreement limit.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the rental of transient accommodations and supplementing chapter 27D of Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Obtained through a transient space marketplace" means that payment for the accommodation is made through a means provided by the marketplace or travel agency, either directly or indirectly, regardless of which person or entity receives the payment, and where the contracting for the accommodation is made through the marketplace or travel agency.
"Professionally managed unit" means a room, group of rooms, or other living or sleeping space for the lodging of occupants in the State, that is offered for rent as a rental unit that does not share any living or sleeping space with any other rental unit, and that is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a person offering for rent two or more other units during the calendar year.
"Transient accommodation" means a room, group of rooms, or other living or sleeping space for the lodging of occupants, including but not limited to residences or buildings used as residences, that is obtained through a transient space marketplace or is a professionally managed unit. "Transient accommodation" does not include: a hotel or hotel room; a room, group of rooms, or other living or sleeping space used as a place of assembly; a dormitory or other similar residential facility of an elementary or secondary school or an institution of higher education; a hospital, nursing home, or other similar residential facility of a provider of services for the care, support, and treatment of individuals that is licensed by the State; a campsite, cabin, lean-to, or other similar residential facility of a campground or an adult or youth camp; a furnished or unfurnished private residential property, including but not limited to condominiums, bungalows, single-family homes and similar living units, where no maid service, room service, linen changing service or other common hotel services are made available by the lessor and where the keys to the furnished or unfurnished private residential property, whether a physical key, access to a keyless locking mechanism, or other means of physical ingress to the furnished or unfurnished private residential property, are provided to the lessee at the location of an offsite real estate broker licensed by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission pursuant to R.S.45:15-1 et seq.; or leases of real property with a term of at least 90 consecutive days.
"Transient space marketplace" means a marketplace or travel agency through which a person may offer transient accommodations to customers and through which customers may arrange for occupancies of transient accommodations. "Transient space marketplace" does not include a marketplace or travel agency that exclusively offers transient accommodations in the State owned by the owner of the marketplace or travel agency.
2. a. An owner of a transient accommodation, or an agent acting on behalf of an owner of a transient accommodation, shall be present at the transient accommodation during the length of an agreement for short-term rental unless the length of the stay is greater than 30 days or there is a written agreement between the owner and the transient tenant to the contrary.
b. An owner of a transient accommodation that is found to be in violation of subsection a. of this section shall be liable to a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation, recoverable by a summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999" P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part in the county in which the transient accommodation is located shall have jurisdiction over such proceedings.
3. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, rule, regulation, or agreement to the contrary, transient accommodations shall be limited to one short-term rental agreement at a time.
b. An owner of a transient accommodation that is found to be in violation of subsection a. of this section shall be liable to a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation, recoverable by a summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999" P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.). The Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part in the county in which the transient accommodation is located shall have jurisdiction over such proceedings.
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the first month following enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires an owner of a transient accommodation, as defined in the bill, or an agent of an owner of a transient accommodation, to be present at the transient accommodation during the length of the short-term rental agreement unless the length of the stay is greater than 30 days or there is a written agreement between the owner and the transient accommodation tenant otherwise. The bill imposes a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation of this requirement.
Additionally, the bill requires that transient accommodations be limited to one short-term rental agreement at a time. The bill also imposes a civil penalty of $1,000 for each violation of this requirement.
This bill would take effect on the first day of the first month following enactment.
