In a situation where you are residing in a hotel or motel, it is not always clear what rights you have. For this reason it may be difficult for you to try to protect your rights without an attorney. In order to fully protect your rights you should talk to an attorney. If you are a low-income New Jersey resident, you may be eligible for legal help from a Legal Services office in your area.

View a list of regional Legal Services Offices and phone numbers.

If you are not eligible for assistance from Legal Services, you may want to try to get a private lawyer. 

View information about New Jersey State Bar Association lawyers referral services.

Depending on a number of factors including how long you have lived in the hotel or motel, you may be considered just a temporary guest or you may be considered a tenant. If you are a tenant then it is illegal for your landlord to evict you without filing a complaint against you in tenancy court. If, on the other hand the facts of your living situation support the conclusion that you are only a temporary resident of a hotel or motel you will not be entitled to the same protections as a tenant who is residing in an apartment building, a house or a rooming house or boarding house.

Read the list of factors below under and choose the list that most closely resembles your situation. Not all factors on the list have to be present in order to have the list apply to your situation.

1. You are a Tenant
   1. You do not have another permanent home.
   2. You are a non-transient resident of the hotel or motel
   3. You have no intention of moving out of the hotel/motel in the near future.
   4. Bills are sent to your hotel/motel address. 
      
      
2. You are a Temporary Guest
   1. You have another permanent home.
   2. You intend to move out of the hotel/motel in the near future.
   3. You have another place where you live or stay.
   4. Bills are sent to an address other than your hotel/motel address.