Cliffside Park rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Bergen County — Chapter 11, Building and Housing (Rent Leveling provisions). Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- Standard annual increase capped at 5% of the prior base rent; reduced to 3% of prior base rent for qualified senior citizens and tenants with disabilities under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Protected Tenancy Act.
- Frequency
- once per 12 months
- Notice required
- Landlord must notify the tenant of a rent increase by certified mail, personal service, and/or any other method provided by law. A specific advance-notice day count was not found in the retrieved excerpt.
- Who's covered
- Dwellings with more than 3 rental units
- Exemptions
- public housing
- motels, hotels, or space primarily serving transient guests, and similar buildings in which at least 1/3 of occupied floor space is commercial
- dwellings of 3 units or less
- housing units of 3 families in which one unit is owner-occupied
- newly constructed housing units rented for the first time
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- Any rental unit rented for the first time or that becomes vacant for any reason is decontrolled; upon re-rental, it again becomes subject to this section.
- Registration
- No ongoing dwelling-registration requirement was found in the retrieved excerpt. Related filing fees: complaint filing $100, landlord hardship application $100, senior-citizen eligibility certification $35.
- Surcharges
- For capital improvements exceeding 1% of assessed value with a useful life over one year, a surcharge is added to rent only for the improvement's useful life and then terminates.
- Penalties
- Municipal Court penalties for tenant-harassment violations range from $150 to $500+ per offense, and may include forfeiture of the rent increase and tenant reimbursement of up to six months' rent.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- high
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
Ordinance text
a landlord may receive an increase in the rent for such rental unit not to exceed 5% of the prior base rent. ... The maximum allowable annual rent increase that a landlord may charge a qualified senior citizen or disabled person shall be 3% of the prior base rent.Chapter 11, Building and Housing (Rent Leveling provisions) — https://ecode360.com/35162510#35162548
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- No more than 5% of prior base rent; no more than 3% of prior base rent for senior citizens and tenants with disabilities (as defined within the Senior Citizens and Disabled Protected Tenancy Act)
- Units covered
- 3+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Public housing and dwelling space in motels, hotels or space primarily serving transient guests, and similar type buildings in which at least 1/3 of the occupied floor space is commercial, and dwelling places of three units or less. Housing units of three families in which one of the units is owner-occupied shall also be exempt. Newly-constructed housing units rented for the first time are exempt.
Vacancy Decontrol (until re-rented).
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- A specific advance-notice day count for a standard rent-increase notice was not found in the retrieved excerpt; only the delivery method (certified mail/personal service) was located.
Rent board
Rent Leveling Board · (201) 945-3456 · https://www.cliffsideparknj.gov/search.php?q=
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