Minor Inconveniences Do Not Make a Premises Uninhabitable

In an unpublished decision, the Appellate Division found that a commercial tenant could be evicted where although there were some minor issues with the building, such issues did not rise to the level of uninhabitability.  First, the court confirmed that the case of Marini v. Ireland, 56 N.J. 130 (1970) is applicable both to residential and commercial tenancies.  After doing so, the court referenced Berzito v. Gambino, 63 N.J. 460 (1973) which established the factors to consider when determining if a landlord breached the warranty of habitability.  Specifically, those factors are as follows:  1. Has there been a violation of any applicable housing code or building or sanitary regulations?  2. Is the nature of the deficiency or defect such as to affect a vital facility?  3. What is its potential or actual effect upon safety and sanitation?  4. For what length of time has it persisted?  5. What is the age of the structure?  6. What is the amount of the rent?  7. Can the tenant be said to have waived the defect or be estopped to complain? and 8. Was the tenant in any way responsible for the defective condition?  Based upon these factors, the appellate court determined that there was no breach of the warranty of habitability.  Although the record did demonstrate that there were some roof leaks as well as some vegetable oil smells and leaks from the adjacent unit in the building, the evidence in the record demonstrated that such issues were mere inconveniences and did not rise to the level of uninhabitability.  Consequently, the tenant was not entitled to an abatement and the matter was remanded so that a judgment of possession could be issued for the Landlord.  (Linwood Avenue Development, LLC v. Advanced Professional Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, LLC)