Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in New Jersey

Rights and limitations on alterations to rented property are contained in the lease. If the lease is silent on the matter, the landlord may sue for damages if the property has lost value because of the alterations. That can present difficult problems of proof which is why most leases prohibit alterations without written permission. � Assuming that the lease does prohibit alterations without written permission, and the tenant has ignored that term, the landlord is entitled to the cost of restoring the property to its unaltered condition without having to prove loss of value. Of course, there are the usual problems of suit and collection if the cost exceeds the security deposit.

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