No agent, agent of an owner, real estate agent or broker, firm, company, partnership, corporation or person or persons shall sell, rent, transfer, grant, lease, let, mortgage with right of occupancy or otherwise dispose of the ownership or occupancy, whether or not for a consideration and whether such disposal or occupancy is temporary or permanent, of any dwelling unit, mobile home or apartment, unless a certificate of compliance is issued certifying that said dwelling unit or apartment is fit for human habitation and that said dwelling unit or apartment is in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws, rules, regulations and ordinances; which shall first be obtained from the construction official or his designee inspector, who shall issue a certificate of compliance upon inspection and approval by the Construction Official or his designee inspector within 10 days from the date of the filing of the application for same.

No such vacated apartment or dwelling unit shall be rented or occupied in whole or in part by any new owner or tenant until an inspection has been made by the aforesaid public official as to whether said dwelling unit or apartment is in violation of any of the applicable laws of the City of Northfield, the State of New Jersey or the United States of America. If no such violation is found, the Building Department shall issue a certificate of compliance; otherwise, it shall notify the owner, in writing, setting forth the specific violations found.

A dwelling unit or apartment shall be deemed to be unfit for human habitation where conditions exist therein which are dangerous to the health or safety of the occupants or residents of the municipality. Such conditions may include, without being limited to, defects increasing the hazard of fire, accidents or other casualties; lack of adequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities; and dilapidation, disrepair or structural defects or uncleanliness.

The Construction Official, or his designee inspector, shall cause to be prepared the appropriate application form for such a certificate of compliance, which forms shall be available to applicants at the Building Department.

A charge, as provided in Chapter 128, Uniform Construction Codes, to cover the cost of the inspection in connection with said application shall be paid to the Building Department at the time the application is filed and shall not be refundable. Any reinspection of the subject premises caused by a lack of compliance with the provisions of this chapter or the provisions of the New Jersey State Housing Code shall require a fee as provided in Chapter 128, Uniform Construction Codes, to be paid prior to said inspection.

A "dwelling unit" or "apartment," as those terms are used in this section, shall not include any room or suite of rooms in a motel or hotel unless the units rented in said hotel or motel shall contain two or more units having eating and cooking facilities. In such event, the units containing such facilities shall be considered multiple dwelling units; provided, however, that this subsection shall not preclude the requirement that a certificate of compliance be issued upon a sale of the hotel or motel specified herein.

Every owner of premises for rent of or premises containing a room or rooms for rental, which premises are not excluded by virtue of Subsection F of this section, shall file, under oath, with the Construction Official of City of Northfield a statement containing the address of the premises, the name and address of the owner of the premises, the name and address of the superintendent and/or the name and address of the agent in charge of the premises, the number of apartments in said premises, a description by number or letter or each such apartment in the premises and the names of the tenants located within said premises on the date the statement was prepared. If the owner of said premises is a corporation or other entity other than an individual, said statement shall be made under oath by the president or secretary of said corporation or by a principal of such entity.

At the time of inspection of each unit or single-family dwelling prior to the issuance of said certificate of compliance, the Building Department shall post, in a conspicuous place in said apartment or dwelling, a notice stating the number of persons which shall be permitted to occupy said apartment as residents therein, pursuant to the City of Northfield Code, and in no event shall residency in excess of said posted number be exceeded by either the landlord or the tenant. For the purpose of determining residency, any person who sleeps upon the premises or generally dwells therein for more than two successive days or nights shall be considered to be residing on the premises.