List your rental in Jersey City, Hoboken and Hudson County
An agent for landlords, not just for the tenant
I am a REALTOR® with eXp Realty (New Jersey license #2186044) who lists and leases rentals for owners across Hudson County: a condo in Hoboken, a floor of a two-family in the Heights, a brownstone unit Downtown or a building in Bayonne. I price it from what actually leased on your block, list it, show it, screen every applicant against the same written criteria, and hand you a signed New Jersey lease with the disclosures the state requires.
I rented in Journal Square and in Newport before I ever sold a home, and I have sat on the tenant's side of the table enough to know what a good applicant looks for and what makes one walk away. I work in English, Romanian and Spanish. Vorbim românește. Se habla español.
What I do for a landlord
A vacant month costs more than almost any mistake you can make in the lease. The work below is aimed at one thing: the right tenant, at the right rent, with the least time empty.
- Pricing from closed rentals, not from asking rents. I pull what actually leased near you in the last months, by bedrooms, floor, outdoor space and parking, and give you a number with a range, not a wish.
- Listing photos and a listing that gets replies. Professional photos, a floor plan when it helps, the right details on the MLS and the portals, and a listing text that says what the unit is in the first line.
- Showings handled. Open houses and private showings on my time, not yours, with feedback after each one.
- Screening against written criteria, applied to everyone. Income, credit, rental history and references, checked the same way for every applicant. That is your tenant selection and your fair-housing protection in one.
- The New Jersey lease and the paperwork around it. A lease with the required disclosures, the Truth in Renting statement, the deposit handled the way the law says, a move-in report with photos, and keys handed over on the first day.
- A plan for the next vacancy. Renewal timing, the increase a rent-controlled building allows, and what to do before the current tenant gives notice.
What a New Jersey landlord has to have in order
Registration. New Jersey landlords register the rental, with the town for a one- or two-unit building and with the Department of Community Affairs for three or more units. Several Hudson County towns, Jersey City and Hoboken among them, also inspect the unit and issue a certificate before a new tenant moves in. I tell you what your town asks for before the listing goes live.
Lead-safe. Most rentals built before 1978 need a lead-safe inspection and certificate under the state's lead-safe law, with re-inspection at tenant turnover. If your building is older, this is the first thing we schedule.
The deposit. At most one and one-half times one month's rent (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2), kept in a separate interest-bearing account with the tenant told in writing where it is, and returned with an itemized statement within 30 days after the tenancy ends (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1).
Truth in Renting. Most landlords must give each new tenant the state's Truth in Renting statement, which lists both sides' rights and duties. It goes in the lease folder with the lead disclosure and the window-guard notice.
Rent control. Jersey City and Hoboken both have rent-control ordinances, with the allowed yearly increase set by each city and exemptions for many newer buildings. Whether your unit is covered decides what you can ask at renewal, so I check it before we price.
Source for the deposit and Truth in Renting rules: Truth in Renting, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (PDF). General information, not legal advice; the Landlord's Guide below lists the statutes, and a landlord-tenant attorney answers the case that does not fit the rule.
Choosing a tenant within the law
The same written criteria for every applicant, decided before the first showing: minimum income relative to the rent, a credit review, verified rental history and references. New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination protects more classes than federal law does, including the source of a tenant's lawful income, so a housing voucher is not a reason to say no, and the Fair Chance in Housing Act limits when criminal history can be asked about. I run the process so that every applicant is treated the same way, and I keep the file that shows it.
What I look for is simple: the applicant who pays on time, stays, and tells you when something leaks. The folder that shows it is usually ready on day one; the one that is not is usually a sign.
What listing with an agent costs you
Commissions in New Jersey are negotiable and set in the listing agreement, in writing, before any work starts. On some rentals the tenant pays the broker fee and the listing is "no fee" to you; on others the owner pays it, usually from the first month's rent, and the listing reaches tenants who filter for no-fee apartments. We decide which makes sense for your unit and your market, and the listing says so plainly, because a fee a tenant was not told about is the fastest way to lose the application you wanted.
There is no charge for pricing your unit. Send me the address and I come back with what it rents for now, verified against closed leases.
Property management
Rent collection, repairs through licensed trades, renewals and the yearly numbers in one place: property management under eXp Realty is launching, and I am taking names from owners who want it. Until then, the concierge coordinates the trades for a turnover or a repair, and the partners page lists the vendors I use myself.
The Landlord's Guide
Sixteen pages on pricing, leasing and running a rental in New Jersey without the expensive mistakes: registration and certificates before the first listing, screening within the law, the lease and Truth in Renting, the deposit rules, rent control, lead-safe inspections, what to do when a tenant stops paying, and the numbers that decide whether the building pays. In English, Romanian and Spanish.
Tell me about your unit
Leave your name, email and phone. I'll call you myself within a day, hear about the unit, and tell you what it rents for right now.
Got it. You'll hear from me within a day with a number for the unit.
eXp Realty, 50 Harrison St, Suite 205, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Listing a rental: frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to list my rental with an agent in New Jersey?
Commissions are negotiable and written into the listing agreement before any work starts. On some rentals the tenant pays the broker fee; on others the owner pays it, usually out of the first month's rent, and the listing is advertised as no-fee. We choose per unit, and the listing says which. Pricing your unit costs nothing.
How do you decide what my apartment rents for?
From rentals that actually leased near you in the last few months, matched on bedrooms, floor, outdoor space, parking and condition, not from the asking rents on the portals. You get a number with a range and the leases behind it. If your building is rent-controlled, the allowed increase at renewal is part of the answer.
How do you screen tenants?
Against written criteria set before the first showing and applied to every applicant the same way: income relative to the rent, a credit review, verified rental history and references. New Jersey law protects a tenant's source of lawful income, including housing vouchers, and limits when criminal history can be asked about, so the process is built to treat everyone the same and to show that it did.
What do I need before I can rent out my unit in Jersey City or Hoboken?
The landlord registration, the certificate your town issues after its inspection, a lead-safe certificate for most buildings built before 1978, and the lease folder: the lease itself, the Truth in Renting statement, the lead disclosure and the deposit letter. I tell you what your town asks for before the listing goes live, and the Landlord's Guide lists each item.
How much security deposit can I ask for in New Jersey?
At most one and one-half times one month's rent, including any pet deposit or prepaid last month. It is kept in a separate interest-bearing account, the tenant is told in writing where, and it is returned with an itemized statement within 30 days after the tenancy ends.
Do you manage the property after the tenant moves in?
Property management under eXp Realty is launching; I am taking names from owners who want rent collection, repairs through licensed trades and renewals handled in one place. Until then the concierge coordinates the trades for a turnover or a repair, and I handle the renewal and the next listing.