Rental conversions in South Jersey

New Jersey's Division of Codes and Standards has noted that some local zoning boards now approve accessory dwelling units, letting properties zoned only for one- or two-family houses add another unit.⁶ As introduced, S1786 would permit accessory dwelling units on property zoned for one- or two-family homes and have each town adopt one of two model ADU ordinances.¹⁴ A state bill on accessory dwelling units, S1786, was introduced in the Senate on January 13, 2026, reported from committee with amendments on June 1, 2026, and sent to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.¹⁵

Cherry Hill's zoning ordinance states that all uses not expressly permitted in the ordinance are prohibited.¹⁰ Before paying an architect, call your zoning officer with the block and lot, and ask whether the ordinance lists a second unit or whether you'd need a variance.

In one- and two-family houses, work that creates an additional dwelling unit must separate the new unit from the existing one with fire partitions or horizontal assemblies.¹² In a twin or bi-level conversion, ask how the floor between the units and any shared stair will be rated, and get the answer on the drawings.

When an alteration creates a bedroom below the fourth floor, it needs a window or exterior door that meets the subcode's escape-opening requirements, plus a hard-wired smoke alarm in the bedroom and a second one near it.¹² The 2021 IRC requires at least one egress door for each dwelling unit, reached by a continuous path that does not pass through a garage, and opening to a public way or a yard or court that leads to one.¹⁶ A lower-level unit reached only through the main house won't meet that.

NJDEP rates four Camden County municipalities, Lawnside, Magnolia, Runnemede and Somerdale, as Tier 1 for high radon potential; Cherry Hill and Haddonfield are Tier 2 and Collingswood is Tier 3.¹⁷ A basement unit in one of the high-tier towns should be tested, and fixed if needed, before anyone sleeps there.

New Jersey law has the landlord of a one-unit rental, or of a two-unit building the owner doesn't live in, file a certificate of registration with the municipal clerk; landlords of multiple dwellings register with DCA's Bureau of Housing Inspection.¹⁸ Cherry Hill landlords must file the state landlord registration form with the municipal clerk and update it within 30 days of any change, and since November 3, 2022 must give the township annual proof of liability insurance.⁷

Cherry Hill inspects rental units built before 1978 for lead-based paint hazards, then every three years or at tenant turnover if sooner; hazards found must be remediated, and a lead-safe certificate valid for two years is issued once none remain.⁷ Where at least three percent of tested children aged six or younger have a blood lead level of five micrograms per deciliter or more, the rental lead inspection must use dust wipe sampling; elsewhere a visual inspection may be used.⁹ If an inspection finds lead-based paint hazards, the owner must fix them through abatement or lead hazard control, and a lead-safe certificate is good for two years.⁹

Since January 1, 2019, New Jersey's Uniform Fire Code has required a certificate of smoke alarm compliance, issued by the town, before a one- or two-family home is sold, leased or changes occupants; the certificate is valid for six months.¹⁹ Before a renter signs a lease for most pre-1978 housing, federal law requires the landlord to disclose known lead-based paint and hazards, share available records, hand over EPA's Protect Your Family From Lead pamphlet and include a Lead Warning Statement.²⁰

More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.²¹ If the unit is meant for an aging parent rather than a renter, put it on the ground floor with no step at the door, a shower without a curb and room beside the toilet for a bar. Those choices cost little on paper and a lot to retrofit. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.²²

The number on this page connects you, on a recorded line, with one independent company that handles rental conversions in the South Jersey area. The design, the schedule and the price are agreed between you and that company.

That company pays us for each call, so connecting costs you nothing, and no one from our side calls or texts you afterward. How we make money

Check the company's state registration before any money changes hands. New Jersey's Contractors' Business Registration Act requires every home improvement contractor business, from a sole proprietorship up, to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs every year before selling or making home improvements, unless the law exempts it.²³ The Division of Consumer Affairs' License Verification System is a real-time lookup; its Business Search finds home improvement contractor businesses by business name, license number or city and lists each one's registration number, license type, status and city.²⁴ Check a New Jersey license

A New Jersey home improvement contract for more than $500, and any change to its terms, must be in writing and signed by all parties, and must list the contractor business's legal name, business address and registration number, include a copy of its liability insurance certificate with the insurer's phone number, and state the total price including any finance charges.²⁵ Write the zoning approval into the contract as a condition, so no deposit goes toward work the town hasn't allowed.