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  915 Valley Road, Gillette, NJ 07933 • 908-647-8000. For other numbers, see the directory. |
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BUYING & SELLING A HOME
If you are planning to sell or rent or buy a home in Long Hill Township, you should read this page. It does not discuss the generic issues covered in tip-sheets from your corporate moving coordinator, moving company or real estate broker.
Rather, this page lists specific LOCAL requirements and suggestions that affect home buyers and sellers (and landlords) in Long Hill Township. The list is not presented as legal advice. It is simply a "roadmap" to items that may affect your move, that are covered in detail elsewhere on the website. You may wish to discuss each of these items with your attorney, real estate agent, inspecting engineer, or with officials at Town Hall.
SELLERS and LANDLORDS
- Residents who are selling or renting their homes are required by State Law to have a Smoke Detector Compliance Inspection/Carbon Monoxide Alarm Inspection of their premises prior to a change of occupancy. As of November 13, 2003 the cost of the inspection will be as follows:
- $50.00 if the request is received more than 10 business days prior to the change of occupancy
- $70.00 if the request is received 4 to 10 business days prior to the change of occupancy
- $125.00 if the request is received fewer than 4 days prior to the change of occupancy
The detector standards are on our Fire Code Page. If you have any doubt, visit the Fire Code Official to determine if a smoke detector upgrade will be required.
Please read the information packet regrading the Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Alarm. (This is a pdf document.)
You MUST have a Smoke Detector Compliance Inspection before any sale or rental can take effect. Contact the Town Hall receptionist (908-647-8000, ext. 210) to schedule an appointment and pay the inspection fee.
- A property in the Township of Long Hill cannot be sold without first obtaining a certification from the Department of Public Works stating that there are no illegal connections to the sanitary sewer system. The cost of the inspection is $50.00. More information is on the sump pump inspection page. Contact Town Hall Receptionist (908-647-8000 ext. 210) to schedule an appointment and pay the inspection fee.
- Long Hill is in the state's highest-risk zone for Radon gas. The presence of radon in a building does not legally interfere with the sale, but if the buyer's Engineering Inspector detects radon, the buyer may walk away. Familiarize yourself with the hazards and mitigation techniques on our Radon Awareness page, and prepare yourself in case the subject comes up.
- If your house contains a Senior Suite, the permission for that Suite will expire on sale of the property or if the senior(s) vacate the property. When permission expires, the suite must be removed and the residence converted back. The work of removing the Senior Suite before sale probably will involve permits, inspections and a new Certificate of Occupancy. Your deed contains a restrictive clause (Zoning Ordinance 124.8d) pertaining to the Senior Suite, and when you remove the suite, your attorney should be prepared to deal with that clause at or before closing the sale. If in doubt, contact the Construction Department at Town Hall. Allow plenty of time.
- If your house gets drinking water from a private well, it must be tested before a property sale. Contact the Sanitarian for further advice.
BUYERS
- Check with the Zoning Administrator at Town Hall to inspect the public documents that might indicate whether the property you intend to purchase contains wetlands or is in the 100 Year flood plain.
The staff at Town Hall can not make the determination. However, they will show you a copy of the Wetlands Map and the Flood Insurance Rate Map and Study for your inspection. These documents are to be interpreted as "general guidelines" only, and are NOT site specific. If you see that wetlands may be a factor on or near the property, then you may want to consult an environmental expert for an exact determination.
These designations do not directly affect the sale, but they may severely restrict any future improvements or landscaping on the property.
- Check the Tax Map to determine whether the property you intend to purchase contains municipal drainage or utility easements. These easements may restrict future improvements or landscaping on the property, and the existence of drainage or sewer easements will restrict future fencing.
- Check the Tax Map to determine whether the property you intend to purchase abuts a paper street. The seller may actually be maintaining landscaping on the adjacent paper street, and so the property may not be as large as it looks. The existence of a paper street may restrict future additions, because of setback rules. An adjacent paper street also will restrict fencing. See also Ordinance 102-02.
- Check with the Zoning Administrator at Town Hall to determine whether the property you intend to purchase is part of a "density modified" development. In these developments, the builder was allowed to build houses on lots smaller than required by the Zoning Ordinance. In return, the developer dedicated a large common area to the Town as parkland. In a density-modified development, your house itself may already be near (or at) the "lot coverage" percentage, and this may severely restrict your ability to make future additions or build a swimming pool.
- Any time you plan to make any additions or improvements to the property in the future, the Construction Official will want to see a Survey.
- Instruct your surveyor to be sure to show all the easements and adjacent streets (including paper streets) to their full width, and all curbs and curb cuts. (You will be surprised to learn that the last 10 feet of your front lawn and the curb itself are actually not part of your property, but they are part of the Township-owned Right-of-Way.)
- Instruct your attorney that when he packages a neat bundle of papers for you after the closing, that he should NOT shrink the Survey so it fits neatly in his 8 1/2 by 14 inch folder. INSIST that he give you full sized copies of the survey, showing the true scale (generally 1"=30'), because you will need them for any future Construction Permit applications.
- Understand the water supply and sewer situation.
- Most of Long Hill (except the far northern portions) is served by water mains of NJ-American Water Company. It is not required that the house be connected to "city water". But if the house is not connected, then the private well must meet sanitary restrictions and be tested periodically. After September, 2002, a private well must be tested before a property sale. Contact the Sanitarian for further advice.
- 88% of the housing units in Long Hill are served by the sanitary sewer system. The usual requirement is that buildings within 200 feet of the sewer line MUST be connected.
- However, we now have a Sewer Ban in effect, and all proposed connections are treated as special cases. The guidelines for special cases can be read in Resolution 02-131.
- If the property has a septic system, it is subject to sanitary restrictions and inspection. Contact the Sanitarian for details.
- Our annual Property Tax bills are issued in July. The payments made on Feb. 1 and May 1 are each 1/4 of last year's Tax Rate.
- Sewer Tax bills are issued in May and are due June 30. The Sewer Tax is based on the water consumption in the nine prior winter months. It might be prudent to have your inspecting engineer check for water leaks and have them repaired, since leaks will increase both your water and sewer bills.
- If you have an inspection made by a professional engineer, have him check for evidence of any aboveground or buried tanks. Perhaps old septic or fuel oil tanks are still on the property. You will need to know that these tanks exist for possible safety or environmental liability issues that may arise in the future. Have him check the "Wellhead Protection" records of the Environmental Commission at Town Hall. If a tank is on the property, it does not have to be removed, but be advised that removal at a later date will require a Construction Permit, and the abandonment of a septic tank also requires a permit from the Board of Health.
- Your real estate agent should confirm that the seller has the Smoke Detector Compliance Inspection and Sump Pump Compliance certificates described above for "SELLERS". Also, you should insure that any Senior Suite has been removed, that a Certificate of Occupancy has been granted after the removal, and that your attorney is prepared to clear any restrictions in the seller's deed.
- Inquire at the Construction Department to insure that there are no open Construction Permits for the property. Sometimes a Construction Permit is opened, and the work may or may not be done, but a final inspection was never made and a Certificate of Occupancy was never issued. These requests are best made by fax to 908-647-4150.
- If you qualify for a Senior or Veteran's Deduction from your property taxes, apply for the deduction at the Tax Collector's Office. If you own the house before October 1 and apply before December 31, you will receive the deduction in this year's taxes. You may apply directly for either of these deductions, even if a bank makes your tax payments through an escrow account. You only apply once. The deduction carries automatically from year to year.
- You must change the address on your Driver's License and car Registrations.
- If you are moving in-state, you have 7 days, and you can change your address on-line.
- If you are moving from out-of-state, you have 60 days to visit the Morristown agency and start all the paperwork.
- Get a Library Card, so you will have books to read when you run out of things to unpack. You will need proof that you live in the town, so bring a Driver's License. If you are still waiting for that to arrive from Trenton, bring a gas or electric or telephone bill showing your name and new address.
- If your house has a burgler alarm, immediately apply to the Police Department for an Alarm Permit.
- If you plan to commute by train, apply to the Town Clerk for a Parking Permit. Be advised that permits for Gillette station sell out in late December, so you will have use one of the other stations this year, and plan to apply early in December, for next year.
- If you own a dog(s), immediately apply to the Town Clerk for a Dog License. WHEN YOU PACK, be sure to locate the dog's Rabies Certificate, and keep it with your important papers. You will need it when you apply for the Dog License.
- Don't forget to ask about Cable TV. We have one cable TV operator in Long Hill, but many homeowners have switched to satellite. Be sure to ask whether the satellite antenna and equipment stay with the house, and if not, you will have to call RCN and have the cable reconnected.
- Gas, water, telephone and electric company contacts are on our Utilities Page. You do not have to contact anyone about sewer service.
- Check the schedule of upcoming Elections. You must register to vote at least 29 days before the next election. The Voter Registration form, and more details about in-county, in-state and out-of-state moves, are on the Elections page.
- Check our Recreation pages. Most of the programs can be joined right up to the opening day. Two popular programs have early deadlines:
- Little League registrations are in January
- Summer Playground Program registration closes June 1.
- Join the local Neighborhood Watch group.
- You don't need to worry about special containers for Recycling. The Garbage and Recycling schedule will be useful.
- Stop at Town Hall or the Library and pick up a copy of the Township Calendar. It lists every holiday, garbage collection day, public meeting, etc. Or just revisit the website.