Bloomfield rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Essex County — Chapter 435, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- The increase is the greater of 3% or the CPI-U (NY-NNJ) change measured 3 months before lease end vs. 3 months before lease start, capped at 5%; where at least one tenant is 65 or older, the increase is capped at 2% of base rent instead.
- Frequency
- once per 12 months
- Notice required
- Notice must be served by certified mail or personal service and include the prior and new monthly rent, effective date, and a certification of substantial code compliance; the tenant has 30 days to object. The ordinance text retrieved did not state a specific minimum advance-notice period in days.
- Who's covered
- Dwellings with 5 or more rental housing units (per current ordinance text, §435-4A exempts buildings with 4 or fewer)
- Exemptions
- buildings with 4 or fewer housing spaces
- tenancies under previous rent control ordinances
- housing/dwellings rented for the first time
- income-based rentals
- state or federally-subsidized units
- multiple dwellings built after 6/25/1987 (30-yr exemption if landlord complied with N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.1 et seq.)
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- Landlords may reset rent freely once per five-year period (from 1/1/2026 forward) upon voluntary vacancy, subject to a written non-coercion certification.
- Registration
- Landlords must file registration statements with the Rent Leveling Board within 90 days of 1/1/2026, listing owner/managing-agent info, base rents by unit, and emergency contacts; annual renewal required January 1 - February 28.
- Surcharges
- Capital-improvement surcharge up to 10% of average tenant rent for the preceding 12 months; the surcharge expires once costs are recovered and does not become part of base rent. Hardship increases may also be approved by the Rent Leveling Board.
- Penalties
- Violations are punishable by a fine as established in the Township Code; each affected unit counts as a separate violation.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
Ordinance text
a landlord may request or receive a percentage increase in rent up to 3% per annum over and above the rent charged in the previous lease or previous tenancy, or the percentage (%) difference between the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban wage earners for New York - Northeastern New Jersey (CPI-U) three months prior to the expiration or termination of the lease and three months prior to the commencement of the lease term, whichever is greater, not to exceed 5%.Chapter 435, Rent Control — https://www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com/DocumentCenter/View/7590/Township-Code---Chapter-435---Rent-Control-PDF
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- Up to 3% each year, over and above the rent charged in the previous lease or previous tenancy, or the percentage difference between the CPI three months prior to the expiration or termination of the lease and three months prior to the commencement of the lease term, whichever is greater, not to exceed 5%. Hardship or Capital Improvement increases may be approved by the Rent Leveling Board.
- Units covered
- 6+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Tenancies operating under previous rent control ordinances, dwellings with 5 or fewer housing spaces, housing spaces or dwellings being rented for the first time, income-based rentals, and state or federally-subsidized units. Multiple dwellings constructed after 6/25/1987 are exempt for 30 years following completion of construction if landlord complied with NJSA 2A:42-84.1 et seq.
Vacancy Decontrol subject to non-coercion certification
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- The current ordinance (as amended 11/17/2025 by Ord. No. 25-32) applies to buildings with 5+ units, but the DCA survey lists a 6+ unit threshold; the ordinance is more recent and controls.
- The DCA survey does not mention the separate 2% cap for households with a tenant age 65 or older; this detail is confirmed only in the ordinance text.
- code_url in the source list is a 2020-dated PDF on the Township's own site (DocumentCenter/View/7590), which could not be parsed as text (binary PDF); the current chapter text was instead located and fetched from ecode360.com/11765765 via search. Confirm the PDF and the ecode360 chapter are the same current chapter.
Rent board
Rent Leveling Board · (973) 680-4192 · https://www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com/418/Rent-Leveling-Board
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