Camden rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Camden County — Chapter 650, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- the lesser of the average Philadelphia-area CPI increase for the preceding 12 months or 6% of the most recent rent
- Frequency
- Increases are tied to lease expiration: at the expiration of a lease, no landlord may request or receive a percentage increase in rent in excess of the average Philadelphia-area CPI for the preceding 12 months, or more than 6% of the most recent rent, whichever is less (§650-2A). Increases for qualified senior citizens/persons with disabilities are capped at 2% over the preceding 12-month period, subject to exceptions (§650-2B).
- Notice required
- 30 days — Landlords must provide at least 30 days' advance notice with detailed calculations before imposing tax/water/sewer surcharges; certified mail is required for most official notices. (Retrieved text described this in the context of surcharge notices; it is unclear whether the same 30-day period governs the base CPI/6% increase itself.)
- Who's covered
- All residential rental units (1 or more)
- Exemptions
- motels
- hotels
- commercial buildings
- owner-occupied 2-family dwellings
- public housing
- units receiving state or federal subsidies
- newly constructed and substantially rehabilitated multiunit dwellings (exempt 2 years)
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- When a unit becomes voluntarily vacant, the new rent may increase to rent levels comparable to other units in the same building complex; the unit becomes subject to the same rent control provisions again once reoccupied.
- Registration
- All landlords must register rental units annually with the Office of Rent Control, paying $50 per unit; registration must include the owner's permanent address, unit addresses, on-site manager contact, authorized agent for service, current rent, services provided, and vacancy dates.
- Surcharges
- Tax/water/sewer surcharge permitted with 30-day notice and Rent Regulations Officer approval; capital improvement surcharge for permanent improvements lasting more than 1 year, prorated over the depreciation period; hardship surcharge up to 15% above the standard increase when the NOI/income ratio falls below 40%; heating fuel surcharge available when fuel costs increase year-over-year.
- Penalties
- Violations are penalized under municipal code §1-15; each housing space affected counts as a separate violation. Ordered rebates become enforceable penalties; if not paid within 30 days, tenants may withhold 1.5x the owed amount from future rent.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
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Ordinance text
At the expiration of a lease, no landlord shall request or receive a percentage increase in rent either in excess of the average consumer price index for the preceding 12 months, for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or by more than 6% of the most recent rent, whichever is less.Chapter 650, Rent Control — https://ecode360.com/28283358
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- Lesser of Philadelphia metro area CPI and 6%
- Units covered
- 1+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Motels, hotels, commercial buildings, owner-occupied 2 family dwellings, public housing, and units receiving state or federal subsidies. Newly constructed and substantially rehabilitated multiunit dwellings also exempted for 2 years.
Vacancies Decontrolled units may increase to rent levels comparable to units within same building complex, but becomes subject to same rental control provision once occupied.
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- Ordinance text obtained via automated extraction also describes a 2% rent-increase cap for qualified senior/disabled tenants that is not mentioned in the DCA survey's 'Rent Increase Limit' text; this provision should be independently confirmed against the full chapter text.
Rent board
Bureau of Rent Control · (856) 757-7278 · https://www.ci.camden.nj.us/rent-control/
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