Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New Jersey

I rented a house in NJ for two years. During this time, my landlord accepted a month-and-a-half security deposit. He also tried to sell me the house and accepted an additional $3000 toward said purchase. When I didn't qualify for a mortgage and had to move because he wanted to sell the house, he said he would pay me back the $3000 plus my deposit after the house sold. This was in August 2013. He initially tried to sell me the house for $190,000, but when I first backed out, he dropped the price to $149,900. I applied for a mortgage at that price but still was not approved, so we moved to another rental. The price of the house kept dropping until it bottomed out at $129,000. I just learned from a former neighbor that the house went into foreclosure and was bought by a lawyer who is renting it out. I'm not clear how foreclosures work, but I'm pretty sure my former landlord didn't make any money from it? Either way, how do I get my money back from him at this point? Thanks in advance!


Asked on 1/30/14, 9:57 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Matthew Schutz Matthew R. Schutz, Esq.

There are 3 potential defendants here under NJ law, the old owner, the bank and the current owner. All three may be liable under the rent security act for double the security deposit and attorneys fees. You also have a cause of action against the old owner for the $3,000.00 and under NJ's comsumer fraud act. You need to speak with an attorney and have him review the paperwork.

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Answered on 1/31/14, 7:22 am


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