Tenant refusing to pay or communicate with landlord

[Web A.]

Hey BP

I own a rental property here in Newark NJ. I inherited a tenant when i purchased this rental in April 2020 and her lease ends February 15th 2021. She has paid on time every month but recently she decided not to pay for January 2021 since she plans on moving ( but not sure if that’s true) at the end of her lease. She’s ignored all communication and refuses to answer calls/ text/ and she resides downstairs since this is a house hack. Her reasons for not paying are non covid related. Ive attempted to file with the city non payment of rent but courts aren’t filing cases at this moment. What are my options for this situation??.

Btw If anyone has property in north Jersey aswell let’s connect since I’m sure landlords are all going through it.

[Natasha Jansen]

@Web Annacius although you may not be able to evict her, you may be able to still bring a civil suit against her for non-payment or at least tell her that’s your plan. She may not be concerned with eviction if she has another place lined up but a civil suit will effect her regardless if she is a tenant or not.