NJ Landlord Law · Updated September 2026
There is no statewide cap in New Jersey. But 120 towns have their own rent control, including Cherry Hill, Bridgeton and Haddon Township, and everywhere else an increase still has to pass the courts' "unconscionable" test. Here is how to tell which rules apply to your rental, how much you can raise, and how to write a notice that holds up.
The short answer. New Jersey has no statewide limit on rent increases. If your town has a rent control ordinance that covers your unit, the ordinance sets the cap, usually tied to inflation and often 4 to 6 percent. If it doesn't, you can raise the rent by any amount that isn't "unconscionable," which courts decide case by case.
When you can raise it. Only when the lease ends, never in the middle of it. Month-to-month tenants need written notice at least one full calendar month before the new rent starts.
How. In writing, in two parts: a notice ending the current lease, and an offer of a new lease at the new rent. A notice that isn't in writing and split this way is not legal, and the tenant doesn't have to pay the increase.
New Jersey leaves rent control to its municipalities. According to the Department of Community Affairs' 2026 Rent Control Survey, 120 of the state's 564 municipalities have a rent control ordinance on record. Each one sets its own cap, its own list of exempt buildings, and its own rules for when rent can reset.
So the first question is never "how much?" It is "where?" A single-family house in Cherry Hill and one in Voorhees, two miles apart, play by completely different rules.
These are the municipalities in the six South Jersey counties we manage in that have an ordinance on record in the DCA's 2026 survey. Every town not listed has no rent control ordinance on record, including Collingswood, Haddonfield, Voorhees, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Glassboro, Pitman, Vineland, Millville and all of Salem County except Pittsgrove's mobile home rule.
| Town | Units covered | Annual increase limit |
|---|---|---|
| Camden County | ||
| Cherry Hill | 1+ units | CPI-based multiplier (Philadelphia area), capped at 5%. First-time rentals exempt. Vacancy decontrol. |
| Haddon Township | 1+ units | Average CPI (Philadelphia/NJ, July to June), capped at 4%. Subsidized units and first-time rentals exempt. |
| Pennsauken | 6+ units | Lesser of 4% or the prior year's CPI change. Vacancy decontrol. |
| Gloucester Township | 4+ units and mobile homes | 4% if the tenant pays heat, 4.5% if the landlord does. Vacancy decontrol. |
| Chesilhurst | 1+ units | 1% to 6% by application to the Rent Control Board. |
| Oaklyn | Owners of 6+ units in Oaklyn | 7% (10% if landlord pays heat), only during a declared housing emergency. |
| Camden City | 1+ units | Lesser of CPI or 6%. |
| Winslow Township | Rented mobile homes only | 2.5%. |
| Gloucester County | ||
| Mantua Township | 1+ units | CPI change (December to December), or increases to cover utilities and capital improvements. Vacancy decontrol. |
| Washington Township | 3+ units | CPI increase plus higher utility costs. Buildings of 2 units or less exempt. Vacancy decontrol. |
| West Deptford | Mobile homes only | CPI, capped at 5%. |
| Cumberland County | ||
| Bridgeton | All rental units | Annual CPI growth. Hardship appeals allowed. Vacancy decontrol. |
| Atlantic County | ||
| Pleasantville | 1+ units | Lesser of the 12-month CPI increase or 5%. |
| Atlantic City | 1+ units, with exceptions | Annual CPI growth. Owner-occupied 2 and 3 family homes, subsidized housing and 3+ unit buildings built after 1987 exempt. |
| Hammonton | 4+ units | Philadelphia CPI, but only for leases entered before April 28, 2008. |
| Mullica and Weymouth | Senior mobile home parks only | CPI or Social Security COLA based. |
| Burlington and Salem Counties | ||
| Shamong, Pittsgrove | Mobile homes only | CPI, capped at 5% (Shamong) or 6% (Pittsgrove). |
Egg Harbor Township repealed its ordinance in December 2025. Lindenwold and Somerdale have also repealed theirs. The survey is only as current as each town's published code, so call the town's rent control office before you send a notice. The ordinance itself controls, not a summary of it.
Most South Jersey ordinances include vacancy decontrol. When a tenant moves out on their own, you can reset the rent to market for the next tenant, and the annual cap applies again from that new base. It is never a reason to push a tenant out. That runs straight into the Anti-Eviction Act.
Ordinances commonly exempt first-time rentals, newly built units, small buildings (Pennsauken starts at 6 units, Gloucester Township at 4, Washington Township at 3), hotels and motels, and sometimes subsidized units. Cherry Hill, Haddon Township, Mantua and Bridgeton reach down to single-family rentals, which surprises owners who assume rent control is only for apartment complexes.
Most ordinances let a landlord apply to the local board for an increase above the annual cap if the property isn't earning a fair return. Tenants get notice, the board holds a hearing, and the landlord has to prove the numbers. Expect scrutiny of every expense.
Outside rent control, the only statutory limit is in the Anti-Eviction Act: you can evict for nonpayment of an increase only if the increase "is not unconscionable" (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(f)). The statute doesn't define the word, and courts haven't set a number.
What courts do look at, following Fromet Properties, Inc. v. Buel (App. Div. 1996), includes:
Two points owners miss. First, if the tenant challenges it, the landlord carries the burden of proving the increase is fair. Second, several small increases in a short period can add up to an unconscionable one. Legal Services of New Jersey's tenant manual says an increase over 20 percent without a very good reason "could be unconscionable," and that even 5 percent could be if the building is in bad shape and repairs have been ignored.
Our view: regular, modest increases at every renewal beat a catch-up jump every few years. They're easier to defend, easier on tenant retention, and they keep the rent close to market without ever needing a courtroom argument.
You can't raise rent in the middle of a lease term. To raise it, the existing lease has to end, and the tenant has to be offered a new one at the new rent. For a written lease, the notice has to go out at least one full month before the lease ends, or earlier if your lease requires a longer notice period.
For a month-to-month tenant, the notice has to end the tenancy at the end of one full calendar month, and the tenant has to receive it at least one month before the month the new rent starts. Serve a month-to-month notice on September 15 and the earliest the new rent can start is November 1.
The notice has to be in writing and do two things: end the current lease or tenancy, and offer the tenant a new lease at the new rent. The words "terminate" or "end" have to be there even though the tenant isn't being asked to move. That structure comes from Harry's Village, Inc. v. Egg Harbor Township (N.J. 1982). Here is a starting template:
[Date] [Tenant name(s)] [Rental address] Re: Notice of Termination of Lease and Offer of New Lease 1. Termination of current lease. Your current lease (or month-to-month tenancy) for the premises above will end on [end date]. 2. Offer of new lease. You may remain in the premises after that date by accepting a new lease beginning [start date] for a term of [term] at a monthly rent of $[new rent], an increase of $[amount] from your current rent of $[current rent]. All other terms remain the same except: [list any changes, or "none"]. To accept, please sign and return the enclosed lease by [date]. If you have questions, contact [name] at [phone]. [If the unit is covered by a municipal rent control ordinance: This increase complies with [Town] Code [section], which allows an increase of up to [X]% for this period.] Sincerely, [Landlord or manager name] [Phone] [Email]
Template for general use, not legal advice. Match the dates to your lease's notice requirements and any local ordinance, and keep proof of delivery.
If the notice was proper and the tenant stays but keeps paying the old rent, you can file for eviction for nonpayment of the increase under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(f). The tenant can defend by arguing the notice was defective, the increase exceeds the rent control limit, or it's unconscionable. If the notice was defective, the case is dismissed and you start over with a proper notice. The full court process is in our NJ eviction guide.
Voucher units follow federal rules on top of everything above:
The biggest money leak on voucher units isn't a denied increase. It's the increase nobody requested. Our Section 8 rent increase guide covers the request window, and current Fair Market Rents are on our NJ payment standards page.
Not statewide. If your town has a rent control ordinance that covers the unit, the ordinance sets the limit. Otherwise, the increase can't be unconscionable, which courts judge case by case based on the size of the increase, comparable rents and the landlord's costs.
For a lease, written notice at least one full month before the lease ends, or longer if the lease says so. For a month-to-month tenant, written notice ending the tenancy at the end of a full calendar month, received at least one month before the new rent starts.
No. The rent is fixed for the lease term. A landlord can only raise it by ending the current lease at its expiration and offering a new lease at the higher rent.
Yes. According to the DCA's 2026 survey, Cherry Hill's ordinance covers buildings of one unit or more, limits increases using a Philadelphia-area CPI multiplier capped at 5 percent, exempts first-time rentals, and allows vacancy decontrol. Confirm the current figure with the township before sending a notice.
Yes, after the initial lease term, with at least 60 days' written notice to the housing authority, and only if the housing authority finds the new rent reasonable. Local rent control can also apply.
If the notice was proper and the increase is lawful, you can file for eviction for nonpayment of the increase. The tenant can challenge the notice, the rent control limit or whether the increase is unconscionable, and the landlord has to prove the increase is fair.
Most owners who lose a rent increase lose it on the paperwork, not the number: a mid-lease increase, a one-line text message, or a town ordinance they never checked. Look up the town first, send a written two-part notice on time, and keep increases steady and defensible. That's how the rent keeps up with your costs without a fight.
This guide is general information for landlords, not legal advice. Rent control ordinances and laws change. Confirm the current rules with your municipality or an attorney before sending a notice.
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