Cal. Civ. Code § 5:10-1.6
Maintenance requirements
Operative Text
(a) All buildings and all parts thereof shall be maintained as required by this chapter and by the Uniform Fire Code, N.J.A.C. 5:70. (b) All service equipment, means of egress, devices, and safeguards that are required in a building by the provisions of these regulations, or that were required by the law when the building was erected, altered, or repaired, shall be maintained in good working order. (c) The owner shall be responsible at all times for the safe maintenance of the building and its facilities as prescribed in this chapter. (d) A nonprofit corporation owning or controlling buildings of three stories or less in a retirement community, which are excluded from the definition of "multiple dwelling" pursuant to P.L. 1983, c.154, shall maintain all such buildings in compliance with the Uniform Fire Code, N.J.A.C. 5:70. (e) All buildings in compliance with the Uniform Fire Code shall be deemed to be in compliance with the Act insofar as issues of fire safety are concerned. (f) Where not otherwise indicated, all rules in this chapter that are applicable to hotels shall be applicable to retreat lodging facilities except as follows: 1. N.J.A.C. 5:10-19.1(a)1 and 2; and 2. Any regulation that is not substantially related to the protection of the health, safety or welfare of the occupants of the facility or of the public generally.
N.J.A.C. § 5:10-1.6 establishes a broad, ongoing maintenance obligation for all covered buildings in New Jersey. Every part of a building, along with its service equipment, egress routes, and safety devices, must be kept in good working order as required both by this chapter and by the Uniform Fire Code (N.J.A.C. 5:70). The rule also clarifies that buildings fully compliant with the Uniform Fire Code are considered compliant with the Act on fire-safety matters, and it extends most hotel-applicable rules to retreat lodging facilities with limited exceptions.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under N.J.A.C. § 5:10-1.6, the owner bears continuous, non-delegable responsibility for the safe maintenance of a building and all its facilities. Compliant operators routinely inspect and service egress systems, fire-safety devices, and mechanical equipment to ensure they remain in good working order as originally required when the building was constructed or last altered. Owners of properties in retirement communities organized as nonprofit corporations should also confirm that their buildings meet Uniform Fire Code standards under N.J.A.C. 5:70, even if those buildings fall outside the standard 'multiple dwelling' definition.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
N.J.A.C. § 5:10-1.6 makes clear that building owners—not tenants—carry the legal responsibility for maintaining safe conditions, functional egress routes, and required safety equipment at all times. Tenants who observe deteriorating conditions, broken safety devices, or blocked means of egress may document those issues and report them to the local housing or code-enforcement office that administers the Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law. Tenant-rights organizations can help residents understand how a landlord's failure to meet the maintenance standards of § 5:10-1.6 may be raised in housing court or as part of a rent-withholding or repair-and-deduct proceeding under applicable New Jersey law.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 3, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.