How Do I File a Landlord/Tenant Complaint?

Landlords must file a Verified Complaint, Summons and Return of Service and Landlord Case Information Statement with the court. They should also include any notices previously given to tenants that they intended to rely upon at trial. The required forms, as well as a list Special Civil Part offices, addresses, and phone numbers, can be found on the court’s website at njcourts.gov.

If you are landlord, send the required forms and any notices to tenants that you intend to rely upon at trial, along with the appropriate fees, to the court through the mail or by using the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) system. For more information on JEDS, go to njcourts.gov.
When filing you must include the following:

• Enter your full name, address and telephone number.
• To ensure proper service of the complaint, provide the correct name(s) and address(es) of the person(s) named in the complaint as defendant(s)/tenants. It is important that the defendant/tenant be properly identified as an individual, a sole proprietorship, a partnership or a corporation.
• Landlord/Tenant complaints against residential tenants, for non-payment of rent must be signed and verified by someone with personal knowledge of the facts supporting this complaint. There are other specific facts that must also be included and verified, as stated in the complaint form.
• If you are filing the complaint for reasons other than non-payment of rent, you must attach all applicable notices that you previously sent to the tenant and which you will rely upon at trial.
• Sign and date the completed forms. Have an original and two copies of your completed forms for each defendant, or tenant, named in the summons and complaint forms.
• Pay the correct filing and service fees when filing the complaint with the Office of the Special Civil Part.
• If you file through the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) system, the filing fees can be paid by credit card or collateral account. There is a 3% credit card processing fee for this service.