tenant-landlord laws in nj on appliance removal by L.L. (rental, law)

[Lukekoh1]

My mother, who resides with me, has had a problem remembering things and the past four years has ahd a problem of leaving the stove on and forgetting, which has caused the fire alarm to go off(has happened several times over that time period.
Today it happened again only it was so smokey from what was burned that the apt was evacuated. The landlord has only renewed our lease for 6 months as our lease contract recently expired for the past year. He will not renew it past that...we have to move now obviously, but because of this recent incident, is saying he is now he is removing the oven for the remainder of our lease which is still 5 months away! Is he allowed to do that?

[Retriever]

Originally Posted by Lukekoh1

because of this recent incident, is saying he is now he is removing the oven for the remainder of our lease which is still 5 months away! Is he allowed to do that?

My recollection is that legal rental units must include a stove/range. If your rental is a legal one--in other words, not a basement or attic space that fails to comply with building codes--I believe that the LL is required to provide a stove/range for the tenant.
However, you should check with the folks at your town hall for verification.

But, no matter what transpires with this rental space and your landlord, I hope that you will consult qualified medical personnel about your mother's declining mental faculties. Treatment that is deferred is rarely good treatment.

[nybbler]

Rental units are not required by state law to contain cooking facilities. However, I expect removing the stove after the lease has been signed would be a violation of the lease. Probably means you're going to need a lawyer.

[Irish Eyes]

I don't know if he can do it legally, but maybe if you went to him with a plan to keep your mother from blowing up or burning down the building he would reconsider. It sounds like you're overwhelmed and you might be missing the seriousness. My husband shared a two family with his mom and he disconnected the stove when this started happening. I hope you find a good solution. Sorry you're facing this.

[Kthnry]

I'm a landlord. I don't know what's legal in this situation, but I don't blame him for removing the stove. You should be grateful he gave you six months instead of 30 days. It's a very difficult situation for you and your mother, of course, but he's responsible for the safety of everyone else in the building and your mother is creating an unacceptable hazard. Maybe you could manage for the rest of the lease with a large toaster oven and a free-standing burner, both with timers so they shut off automatically.

You might also consider installing baby-cams in the kitchen so you can monitor what your mother is doing when you're not home.