Jersey City short-term rental permit applications

[Willis8]

Has anyone applied for a Jersey City short-term rental permit under the new ordinance that was passed last year? Have you received a permit or otherwise been contacted about it?

They city said that anyone who had a permit application pending could continue operating, so we submitted ours, but haven't heard anything at all. A message on the Dept of Housing Preservation web site says they're only doing emergency inspections during the COVID-19 crisis, and so I guess they won't be issuing any permits, since the permit process includes an inspection, but it's unclear if they're even processing applications.

The ordinance requires that listings for short-term rentals in JC include the property's short-term rental permit number, but I haven't seen any listings with permit numbers, which makes me wonder if any permits have been issued or if the bureaucracy is still gearing up.

[Sreedhar3]

Hi Will- do you have any update on your permit? I got a letter from the city saying that I need to apply for a STR Permit. If the rental is 30 days & above- do we still need the STR permit? Please advise.

[Mark116]

@Willis8  We got a letter last week giving us 20 days to file the permit, so we're pulling together the ton of documentation required.  I had thought, since STR were put on hold from April-June and the city was mostly closed down except for essential services that they had not really started the permit process, but I guess now they have.  

The ordinance says that the city will process the application w/in 30 days.

[Willis8]

Update: JC reached out to us to schedule inspections, and we received our STR permit in September.

[Manan24]

@Willis8  How long did it take for JC to issue the STR permit and was there any other cost other than the $250 application fee? Can the neighbors (not HOA) can have your permit revoked?

[Willis8]

I guess it took them about 4-5 months to issue the permit, but they might improve over time as they work through their backlog. The inspector pointed out a few things that he wanted us to fix (e.g., a broken floor tile in the bathroom) so we hired a handyman to fix them. But that was it. Your neighbors can't unilaterally revoke your permit but they can complain if your guests are causing problems, and that can lead to your permit being revoked. Our guests have been great and we haven't had any problems.

[Viannca0]

Hi @Willis8 hoping you can share a little bit more about what to expect during inspection. I am currently working on this process and would love to get ahead of anything that might get pointed out before hand. 

[Mark116]

@Viannca0  Our inspection in 2020 went pretty smoothly, they asked us to put in a 2nd smoke alarm as they have to be  within 10 feet from the bedrooms and they asked us to mount the fire extinguisher on the wall.  There were two sets, one for fire and I guess one for everything else.  We thought they might want to see the basement where the water heater and furnace are, but they didn't.  This was 2 years ago when the city was still in its honeymoon period with Airbnb, so it be more exacting this year. 

[Michael7854]

Thanks for your post.  I am currently getting all of my documentation together for my short-term rental permit here in Jersey City.  I am concerned about the requirement for $500,000 of liability insurance.  My homeowner's insurance policy only provides for $300,000 of liability insurance.  How did you fulfill this requirement?  Does the city accept Airbnb's host insurance coverage of up to $1 million?  I have asked Airbnb support to provide with insurance documentation but they decline to do so.  Any insight you could offer before submitting my permit application would be greatly appreciated.  

[Monte102]

@Michael7854 did you get an answer to this?  I am going through the application process as well, and have the 500k liability coverage, but it's listed as "personal liability" on the proof of coverage.  I'm wondering if it will cause issues since they code specifies "general liability".

[Michael7854]

Hi Monte, 

Personal liability is the same as general liability.  It says the same thing on my insurance policy and it was accepted. 

[Jenn4777]

Wondering if you need to get a seperate insurance policy above and beyond the airbnb coverage? If so, what is that additional cost? also, anywhere wher eit lists what is needed to pass inspection so we know before an inspector comes out? 

[Roger698]

Hello, I recently got an intern position in Jersey City for the summer and am looking for places to live just for the summer, like a sublet or temporary housing. If anyone knows anything about how to do this in Jersey City that would be very helpful! Thank you

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