N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:18-51 et seq. § 2A:18-78
Disposal of property, options
Operative Text
7. Property that has been conclusively presumed to be abandoned may be disposed of in any of the following ways: a. The landlord may sell the property at a public or private sale; b. The landlord may destroy or otherwise dispose of the property if the landlord reasonably determines that the value of the property is so low that the cost of storage and conducting a public sale would probably exceed the amount that would be realized from the sale; or c. The landlord may sell certain items and destroy or otherwise dispose of the remaining property, in accordance with subsections a. and b. of this section. A public or private sale authorized by this section shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of 12A:9-601 et seq. of the "Uniform Commercial Code". L.1999, c.340, s.7; amended 2001, c.117, s.23.
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-51 et seq. § 2A:18-78, once a tenant's personal property has been conclusively presumed abandoned, a landlord is permitted to dispose of it through several defined channels: selling it at a public or private sale, destroying or discarding it if its value is too low to justify storage and sale costs, or combining both approaches for different items. Any sale conducted under this provision must follow the procedures set out in New Jersey's Uniform Commercial Code. The law establishes these options as the permissible endpoints for handling property that has already cleared the abandonment-determination process.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators managing property under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-51 et seq. § 2A:18-78 generally document their determination that items meet the conclusive-abandonment threshold before choosing a disposal method. When selling, compliant operators follow the Uniform Commercial Code's sale procedures referenced in the statute; when destroying low-value items, they typically retain records showing how they assessed the property's value relative to storage and sale costs. Keeping clear documentation of each step—including which items were sold, destroyed, or handled through a combination approach—reflects the kind of recordkeeping consistent with this provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
N.J.S.A. 2A:18-51 et seq. § 2A:18-78 outlines the disposal options available to a landlord only after property has been conclusively presumed abandoned, meaning earlier steps in the abandonment process must have already been completed. Tenants who believe their belongings were disposed of before that threshold was properly reached may have grounds to raise that issue, including as a defense in a legal proceeding or through a complaint with a tenant-rights organization. Consulting a tenant-rights group or legal aid service familiar with New Jersey landlord-tenant law can help clarify what procedural protections apply at each stage of the abandonment process.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 6, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.