Sell Your Bloomfield House for Cash

A Growing Township of Owners and Renters

Bloomfield is still adding people: the Census Bureau put it at about 56,400 residents in mid-2025, up roughly 6% from the 2020 count, on 5.34 square miles of land. Ownership is close to an even split, with owners living in about half of occupied homes and renters in the other half. Households average two and a half people, and about one resident in eight had changed homes within the past year.

• 56,375residents estimated for July 2025 (53,105 counted in 2020)
• 50.7%of homes occupied by their owners (ACS 2020–2024)
• $470,800median value of an owner-occupied home (ACS 2020–2024)
• $1,824median gross monthly rent (ACS 2020–2024)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Bloomfield township, Essex County, New Jersey.

Half owners and half renters means a lot of Bloomfield sales involve a tenant somewhere in the building, and a lot of owners who bought a two-family to occupy one floor and lease out the other. Whatever the setup, our price comes from the house you actually have, with its tenants, its condition and its paperwork, not from the township median.

The Transfer of Property Title Inspection

Before a Bloomfield property can be sold, the Fire Department's Fire Administration, at 375 Franklin Street (973-680-4153), has to issue a Transfer of Property Title, or TOP for short. The application is due 30 days before the closing and the certificate stays good for six months. It also counts as the state's smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certificate, so a Bloomfield seller does not need a separate alarm sign-off. Fees come from Chapter 149 of the township code:

• $200 for a single-family house, $260 for a two-family and $320 for a three-family.
• $60 for every further unit, with the total capped at $2,000.
• $25 for a re-inspection when the first visit fails.

The department's checklist goes well past alarms. The inspector looks for ten-year sealed or hardwired smoke alarms on every floor and near the bedrooms, a fire-rated, self-closing door between the house and any attached garage, covered outlets and switches with no exposed wiring, properly vented heaters and water heaters with discharge pipes on their relief valves, sump pumps that drain outside rather than into the sanitary sewer, handrails with returns on stairs of four or more risers, and no loose siding or roofing. Outside, sidewalks and retaining walls have to be kept up, unregistered cars removed and the house properly numbered. Every construction permit ever opened on the property, past or present, must be closed before the TOP is issued.

The Lead Service Line Requirement

This is the Bloomfield rule that surprises sellers most. To get the TOP, the owner has to show that the water service line on private property, the pipe running from the curb box in the street into the house, is not lead or galvanized steel. If it is, the owner must replace it, and a New Jersey licensed plumber has to inspect and document what the line is made of. The township also requires a township-approved water meter to be installed, even in a house that has been winterized, and missing or disconnected meters can bring fines from the Water Department. The Engineering Department answers compliance questions at 973-680-4009.

For an older house, that can mean digging up part of the front yard before a buyer can close. When we buy, we have the line checked, schedule any replacement and deal with the meter. You get one figure from us that already reflects that cost, and you do not pay a plumber out of pocket before settlement.

Property Taxes and Water Bills

Taxes and water are paid at the same counter: the Tax and Water office in Room 101 on the first floor of 1 Municipal Plaza, open 8:30 to 4:30. The township's own list starts the tax year's quarters with August 1, followed by November 1, then February 1 and May 1, and interest is charged once ten calendar days have passed after a due date. Homes get a water bill every quarter, and interest starts the day after it is due. The tax line is 973-680-4049 and the water line is 973-680-4051. The township reminds owners that not receiving a bill does not cancel the tax, which matters if you have moved and bills are going to the old address.

On the state's 2025 numbers Bloomfield's general tax rate stood at 3.489 for every $100 of assessment, with an effective rate of 2.391. If taxes or water fell behind long enough for a lien to be sold, the title company pays it off from the price at closing. The tax lien guide explains the redemption math and the 2024 change that protects an owner's equity.

Rental Registration and Rent Control

Bloomfield expanded its rental rules in 2025. Under Chapter 431, adopted May 19, 2025, every rental unit has to be registered with the Fire Department, including a single-family house the owner does not live in and the rented side of an owner-occupied two-family. Each unit is inspected every three years and again whenever a tenant changes, before the new tenant moves in. The fee is $60 per unit, there is no charge for the owner's own unit, and missing a renewal or a tenant change raises it to $100 per unit. Fines run from $200 to $2,000 per violation. The TOP application also notes that a house that will be rented after the sale has to be registered within six months of closing.

Buildings with five or more rental units are also under Chapter 435, the township's rent control law, which was rewritten in November 2025. Those owners file an annual landlord registration through an online portal, and from 2027 on it is due between January 1 and February 28 each year. Tenants who think an increase breaks the ordinance have 30 days to object to the Rent Leveling Board.

A sale to us goes ahead regardless. Tenants stay; New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act gives no right to end a tenancy because a building is sold. Leases carry over, and the security deposits and their interest move to us at closing. If your registration has lapsed, tell us and we will factor in bringing it current. Our page on selling a tenant-occupied property goes further.

Foreclosure and Empty Houses

Chapter 430 of the Bloomfield code makes owners register any building that is in foreclosure or has been left vacant or abandoned. The Fire Prevention Bureau charges $500 a year while a property is in foreclosure and $2,000 a year once it is vacant. If you are behind on a mortgage, state law lets a homeowner in that position back out of a signed contract with a buyer like us for ten business days, and our foreclosure page lays out the court timeline. A house that has already sat empty for a while costs more every year it stays that way.

Your Sale, Office by Office

Inherited Homes and Older Owners

About 15% of Bloomfield residents are 65 or older. If you are settling a parent's estate, the executor first needs letters from the Essex County Surrogate (973-621-4901); then the house can be sold to us with whatever is still in it, and the family keeps only what it wants. A child, grandchild or spouse who inherits owes no New Jersey inheritance tax. For an owner who is downsizing, we can push settlement out far enough that the next home is lined up first. Selling an inherited house covers probate in more depth.

Bloomfield is part of Essex County, where we buy in all 22 municipalities. Nearby, we also buy in Belleville, Glen Ridge and Montclair.