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AMENDED EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING A PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY LIST OF THE CITY'S MOST SEVERE AND HABITUAL NON-COMPLIANT LANDLORDS AND RESTRICTING ACCESS TO CITY INCENTIVES, Friday, July 31,2026.
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WHEREAS, the City of Newark has adopted housing, safety, health, construction,
and registration ordinances to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents living in
rental properties throughout the City, and
WHEREAS, compliance with these ordinances requires property owners to meet
both physical standards, such as habitability and life safety, and administrative
requirements, such as rental registration, inspections, disclosure of ownership, and
certification, and
WHEREAS, the City has identified a pattern in which certain landlords repeatedly
fail to comply with these requirements, including repeated violations, failure to register
properties, failure to correct conditions after notice, and failure to cooperate with
inspections, and
WHEREAS, repeated non-compliance places residents at risk, delays
enforcement, and causes a disproportionate use of City staff time and resources, and
WHEREAS, the City has further observed that some landlords use limited liability
companies and related ownership structures to avoid accountability by transferring
properties or changing entities while the same individuals continue to control the
properties, and
WHEREAS, limiting enforcement to the property alone, without considering
ownership and control, allows repeat non-compliance to continue and undermines the
effectiveness of City enforcement efforts, and
WHEREAS, the Mayor has authority to direct City departments to coordinate
enforcement activities, share information, and establish administrative policies necessary
to protect the public health and safety and ensure responsible use of City resources, and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the City's commitment to protecting its residents from
predatory landlords, on February 19, 2026, Mayor Baraka enacted Executive Order No.
MEO-26-0001, and
WHEREAS, this amended Executive Order further outlines the criteria for the
appointment to and removal from the non-compliant landlords list,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED BY RAS J. BARAKA, MAYOR OF THE
CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT
Section 1. Purpose
This Executive Order establishes an annual list identifying the worst non-compliant
landlords operating within the City of Newark.
The purpose of the list is to identify property owners who have demonstrated a repeated
pattern of failing to comply with City housing, safety, registration, and inspection
requirements, and whose conduct has placed residents at risk and imposed an ongoing
burden on City resources.
The annual list is prospective in nature and shall be based solely on compliance activity
occurring on or after the effective date of this Executive Order.
Violations, enforcement actions, or compliance issues that occurred prior to the effective
date of this Executive Order shall not, by themselves, be counted toward inclusion on the
annual list.
Section 2. Meaning of Non-Compliance
For purposes of this Order, non-compliance means a repeated pattern of failing to follow
City laws designed to protect residents, including housing and habitability requirements,
health and fire safety regulations, Uniform Construction Code requirements, rental
property registration and renewal requirements, failure to allow inspections, and failure to
correct violations after notice.
Non-compliance is not limited to the physical condition of a property. It also includes
failure to follow required City processes that allow enforcement and oversight to occur.
Section 3. Controlling Owner or Controlling Individual
For purposes of this Executive Order, a Controlling Owner or Controlling Individual means
any person or entity that holds ten percent or more ownership or controlling interest,
directly or indirectly, in a property or in a business entity that owns or controls rental
property within the City of Newark.
This includes members, managers, partners, shareholders, officers, directors, beneficial
owners, or any individual with the power to control, direct, or influence property
operations, compliance decisions, or registration obligations.
Ownership or control may be held directly or through affiliated entities or other ownership
structures. Any individual meeting the ten percent threshold shall be deemed a controlling
individual regardless of title or role.
Section 4. Owners Subject to the Annual List
The annual list may include any landlord, owner, or business entity that owns or controls
rental property in the City and demonstrates a documented pattern of non-compliance.
Patterns of non-compliance may be evaluated across multiple properties when the same
controlling owner or controlling individual is involved.
Section 5. Ownership Changes Do Not Avoid Inclusion
The transfer of property, change in ownership structure, or formation of a new business
entity shall not automatically prevent inclusion on the annual list where the same
controlling owner or controlling individual remains involved.
This provision is intended to prevent avoidance of accountability through changes in
ownership paperwork.
Section 6. Finality of Annual List
An owner, entity, or controlling individual shall be eligible for inclusion on the annual list
when the City determines that the owner has fallen below the minimum compliance
standard established by this Executive Order during the applicable evaluation period.
The minimum compliance standard is sustained compliance following notice and
opportunity to correct, not perfection.
An owner shall be deemed to have fallen below the minimum compliance standard when
one or more of the following threshold conditions occur during the evaluation period:
• Three or more violations issued at the same property within a twelve-month period.
• Five or more violations issued across multiple properties within a twelve-month period
under the same ownership or control.
• Two or more failed re inspections for the same or related conditions.
• Two or more violations remaining outstanding beyond required correction periods.
• Repeated reliance on temporary or partial repairs that fail to resolve the underlying
condition.
• Three or more City responses to the same property within a twelve-month period for
owner-responsibility conditions.
• Failure or refusal to allow lawful inspections or re inspections.
• Retaliation against tenants for reporting violations or cooperating with City enforcement,
where documented.
A single incident may be sufficient where the violation poses an immediate and
substantial risk to life, health, or safety, results in vacate orders, condemnation,
emergency relocation, or requires emergency City intervention.
Section 7. Severity Rating and Identification of Worst Offenders
Owners who fall below the minimum compliance standard shall be evaluated using a
severity-based framework to identify the worst non-compliant landlords.
Severity shall be assessed based on frequency, duration, severity of conditions, number
of properties affected, consumption of City resources, responsiveness after notice, and
conduct toward tenants.
Only owners demonstrating chronic, high-impact non-compliance shall be included on the
annual list.
Section 8. Finality of Annual List
Placement on the annual list reflects compliance activity occurring during the evaluation
period following the effective date of this Executive Order.
Because inclusion reflects a documented pattern of repeated non-compliance following
prior notice, inspections, and enforcement actions, and not isolated or technical violations,
owners placed on the list shall not be provided an additional opportunity to cure or appeal
inclusion prior to publication of the list.
Section 9. Duration of Inclusion
Any owner or entity placed on the annual list for the first time may be eligible for removal
upon satisfying the requirements set forth in Section 13 herein.
Any owner or entity placed on the annual list for a second or subsequent time shall remain
on the list for a period of three hundred sixty-five days from the date the list is published
and shall not be eligible for removal before the expiration of that period.
At the conclusion of the three hundred sixty-five-day period, an owner's compliance
history may be reviewed for purposes of determining inclusion on a future list.
Section 10. Impact on Existing City Incentives and Benefits
Any owner or controlling individual placed on the annual list shall be subject to review of
any existing City incentives, including but not limited to tax exemptions, abatements,
credits, grants, or other discretionary financial benefits.
Such incentives may be reassessed, modified, suspended, or revoked where permitted
by law, based on the findings reflected in the annual list.
Section 11. In Person Registration Requirement
Any owner or entity placed on the annual list shall be required to complete all rental
property registrations in person for the duration of their inclusion on the list.
Registration shall be completed by the controlling owner or controlling individual and may
not be delegated to a property manager, agent, attorney, or other designee.
This requirement applies to new registrations, renewal registrations, and any required
updates or amendments.
Section 12. Citywide Use of the List
City departments shall use the annual list to guide inspections, enforcement actions,
reviews, and discretionary decisions.
The list shall serve as an administrative tool to ensure that City resources are not
extended to landlords who have demonstrated repeated disregard for City laws intended
to protect residents.
Section 13. Removal from List
Subject to the provisions of Section 9 above, any owner or entity placed on the list may
be removed upon completion of the following requirements:
• An improvement plan submitted within thirty (30) days of designation. The plan
shall outline measurable goals and address the continued maintenance of the
property following expiration of the monitoring period. The plan shall be subject to
approval by the Noncompliant Landlord Committee.
• Abatement of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of outstanding violations cited by
Code Enforcement or any other City of Newark municipal entity authorized to issue
Citations
• A minimum of forty-five (45) consecutive days without a new violation attributable
to landlord responsibility
• At least two (2) resident meetings during the monitoring period
• At least one (1) resident meeting including participation by a designated City
representative
• The landlord's cooperation with inspections, re-inspections, compliance reviews,
and other authorized monitoring activities
• Required quarterly compliance reviews
• The resolution of all conditions warranting continued enhanced monitoring
Section 14. Implementation and Effective Date
The Office of the Business Administrator, in coordination with the Law Department and
relevant City departments, shall oversee implementation of this Executive Order.
This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon issuance.