The New Jersey Appellate Division in an unpublished decision, Cesar S. Arredondo v. Nersy Pujols, Docket No. A-5459-05T25459-05T2, ruled that breaches of both of a lease provision and a New Jersey statute for failing to obtain municipal permits before commencing construction work were NOT grounds for evicting a commercial tenant. Although very fact specific to a landlord with apparently “unclean hands”, this decision highlights pitfalls that can beset a landlord in the New Jersey eviction process.
Background – Landlord Tries to Evict on 3 Non-Payment Grounds
In Cesar S. Arredondo v. Nersy Pujols, the tenant operated a bodega in Jersey City pursuant to a written lease with a 15 year term. The landlord, who purchased the property from a prior owner, claimed not to have known of the tenant’s lease. Subsequently, the landlord filed an eviction complaint based on three (3) non-payment defaults, failure to: 1) provide insurance; 2) obtain municipal electrical permits for the relocation of refrigeration compressors and an exhaust fan (the “Electrical Work”); and 3) get the landlord’s written approval on the Electrical Work.
At trial, testimony included the landlord, the tenant, and the tenant’s two witnesses, an electrical inspector of the City of Jersey City and a close friend of the defendant. The inspector testified that a physical inspection did not disclose any dangerous conditions and the work appeared to be in a workman-like manner. More importantly, the inspector advised that the permits could be obtained post-completion to correct deficiencies.
The trial court concluded the failure to obtain permits for the Electrical Work breached the lease, but denied the landlord’s judgment on the other two allegations. Essentially, finding the landlord’s testimony inconsistent on the approvals and because the defendant provided insurance prior to the trial (no harm no foul). The tenant appealed the judge’s ruling that failure to obtain an electrical permit was a “material” breach of the lease.
Cannot Evict for “Minor” Breaches (No Permits, No Insurance, Sidewalk Sales, Etc.)
The Appellate Division agreed with the trial court on the insurance issue and the landlord’s inconsistent testimony. However, the Appellate Division held that the breach was “not material” to warrant the tenant’s forfeiture of his leasehold interest. The Appellate Division noted that the New Jersey statute specifically provides grounds for an eviction where there is a “…violation of such covenants or agreements” of the lease. See N.J.S.A. 2A:18-53. However, before a judgment may be entered, the landlord must establish the breach.
Citing New Jersey case law, the Appellate Division held an eviction based on a “forfeiture” is deemed a penalty for failing to do a particular thing. In New Jersey, the law does not favor forfeitures and requires a trial court to strictly review the provisions of the lease that a landlord seeks to forfeit the tenant’s interest, resolving any ambiguous language in favor of the tenant.
Based on the testimony and review of the lease, the Appellate Division held the breach was a minor deviation of the lease terms. The court held that the work was undertaken under the direct order of the plaintiff and done by an independent contractor. Further, all work was done in a workman-like fashion and that pursuant to the Jersey City inspector, the defendant could retroactively cure any of the code violations by obtaining a permit.
In discussing such minor violations, the court noted that other actions that could be deemed minor violations of a lease that would not be grounds for an eviction could include sidewalk sales, citing the prior Appellate Division case of Johnson v. City of Hackensack, 200 N.J. Super. 185 (App. Div. 1985).
Concerns When Instituting Eviction Action for Non-Payment Defaults
This unpublished decision raises a number of pitfalls for commercial landlords when deciding to institute an eviction based on non-payment issues. In this case, the landlord clearly failed to submit the proper proofs that there really was a “material” non-payment ground to evict. Before instituting an action to evict a tenant, landlords should consider a number is issues including:
1) What proofs do I have? In this case, the landlord had serious inconsistent statement, whereas the tenant’s testimony was not questioned. Further, the tenant had two additional witnesses to prove his case, one being a city electrical inspector; and
2) Is the Breach “Material”? Here, failure to obtain permits was not “material”. However, would that have changed if what the landlord was cited for resulted in a fine or penalty from the municipality?
3) Can the Breach be Remedied before Trial? Here, the lack of insurance became a non-issue because it was remedied prior to trial. What other breaches can be remedied?
Strategic Use of Eviction Proceedings
This and other recent decisions by the Appellate Division raise pitfalls for commercial landlords in eviction proceedings. Landlords may think to strategically use the eviction process as a way in which to make the tenants become compliant with the lease. To lessen the legal costs, landlords should take care to place in their lease that the tenant is required to pay the landlord’s attorney fees.
In the case discussed, although an eviction did not occur, the act of taking the case to trial precipitated the tenant to obtain the proper permits and get insurance. However, if a landlord wishes to actually evict the tenant due to a non-payment issue, it is extremely important to sit down with your attorney ascertain “minor” or technical breaches.
