Alert On July 3, 2023, Governor Murphy signed into law P.L. 2023, c.93, which, among other things, requires sellers of real property located in New Jersey to make certain additional disclosures concerning flood risks on the "Seller's Property Condition Disclosure Statement" ("Disclosure Statement"). On December 21, 2023, the Division of Consumer Affairs ("Division") published the amended version of the Disclosure Statement on its website which includes the new questions concerning flood risks required by the law. A copy of the amended Disclosure Statement is available here. Answering these new questions concerning flood risks is mandatory under the law, as now codified in NJSA 56:8-19.2. Thus, effective March 20, 2024, all sellers of real property (including both residential and commercial property) must answer these questions (currently numbered 109-117 in the Disclosure Statement) before the purchaser becomes obligated under any contract for the purchase of the property. This is the case regardless of whether the remainder of the Disclosure Statement is being completed. The Division expects to promulgate updated regulations in accordance with the law as well.
|
Alert On August 18, 2023, Governor Murphy signed P.L. 2023, c.146 (N.J.S.A. 56:8-156.1 and -156.2) into law, which, among other things, prohibits sellers from imposing a credit card surcharge that is greater than the actual cost to the seller to process the credit card payment. The Division of Consumer Affairs has issued guidance to help consumers and merchants understand their rights and obligations under the new law. The guidance is available
here in English and
here in Spanish. |
The Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is the primary investigative section for consumer complaints. The main responsibility of the OCP is to enforce the
Consumer Fraud Act and its regulations.
Additionally, the Office of Consumer Protection operates the Consumer Service Center, which is the central clearinghouse for consumer complaints and referrals. It also serves as the liaison between the state, county and municipal Consumer Affairs offices. For assistance filing a complaint, please call the Consumer Service Center at (973) 504-6200. A trained representative will be happy to assist you. To check on the complaint history of a business or entity, please send an email to
Ask Consumer Affairs with the name, address and timeframe of your request and a complaint history will be emailed back to you.