No-Heat Complaints

Landlords must provide heat as required by state codes and local ordinances. Under the state housing codes, from October 1 to May 1, landlords must provide enough heat so that the temperature in the home is at least 68 degrees from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and 65 degrees between 11 pm and 6 a.m. Learn more in the Legal Services of Jersey’s Tenants’ Rights (Spanish).

To file a complaint for multiple dwellings (apartment, hotel, condo/townhouse, etc.) anywhere in New Jersey, contact the Bureau of Housing Inspection's Housing Code Enforcement at 609-633-6216 or email bhicodecomp@dca.nj.gov. If it is a rooming and boarding complaint, please call 609-984-1704.

Some towns have their own hotlines for renters to call when without heat or hot running water. 

• East Orange: Call the Department of Code Enforcement at 973-266-5320.
• Jersey City: Call the 24-hour hotline at 201-547-4900. 
• Newark: Call the 24-hour hotline at 973-733-6471.
• Orange Township: From Friday at 5 p.m. through Monday at 8 a.m., call Khalfani Alleyne (973-296-8419), Lonnie Saunders (973-706-4203), Paul Inman (973-592-5425), or Elroy Corbitt (973-706-4053). All other times, call the Code Enforcement office at 973-266-4051.
• Paterson: Call the hotline at 973-321-1277.
• Trenton: Call the hotline at 609-989-3560