Clifton rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Passaic County — Chapter 363, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- 3% annual cap for dwelling units where the landlord provides heat and/or air conditioning; 2% cap where the landlord does not. The Mayor and Municipal Council review the maximum percentage annually and may adjust it, considering (but not bound by) the CPI-U Northeast Region less energy.
- Frequency
- once per 12 consecutive calendar months following the effective date of the last previous increase
- Notice required
- Written notice per N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 is required for increases sought under the vacancy provisions (§363-14A); for capital-improvement (tax base rent) adjustments, notice with full calculations must be given to affected tenants, and for hardship applications notices must be posted in building lobbies and mailed to tenants at least 10 days before hearings.
- Who's covered
- Multiple-dwelling units in buildings with 4 or more units
- Exemptions
- Motels, hotels, boardinghouses
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- A vacancy occurs only when the unit becomes vacant and unoccupied because the tenant died, voluntarily surrendered possession, or was lawfully evicted. The owner may set any rent for the first letting after such a vacancy (until re-rented), but must certify in writing under oath to the Clifton Housing Department the prior rent, the new rent, and the reason for the vacancy before charging a higher rent to the first post-vacancy tenant; subsequent increases for that unit revert to standard chapter controls.
- Registration
- No standing rent-unit registration system found in the retrieved ordinance text; the Clifton Housing Department maintains a form for the required post-vacancy rent certification under §363-14.
- Surcharges
- Tax base rent adjustment permitted where municipal property taxes exceed 20% of gross income from the property, computed per square foot and capped so the adjustment cannot reduce taxes below 20% of gross income; landlord must notify tenants in writing with full calculations. Hardship rental increases are available through the Rent Leveling Board where operating expenses exceed 60% of gross maximized annual income (penalties, fines, depreciation, interest, and mortgage amortization/service fees are excluded from allowable operating expenses).
- Penalties
- Any person found guilty of violating the chapter, or of willfully filing a material misstatement of fact with the Rent Leveling Board, is punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or both; a violation affecting two or more leaseholds is a separate violation as to each leasehold.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- high
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
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Ordinance text
At the expiration of 12 consecutive calendar months following the effective date of the last previous rent increase for any dwelling unit subject to rent regulation under the terms of this chapter, a landlord who provides heat and/or air conditioning may demand, receive or collect an increase in rent for such unit, not to exceed 3%. A landlord who does not provide heat and/or air conditioning may demand, receive or collect an increase in rent for such unit, not to exceed 2%. The Mayor and Municipal Council shall review the maximum percentage increase annually and may adjust the rate as necessary.Chapter 363, Rent Control — https://ecode360.com/8518319
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- At the expiration of 12 consecutive calendar months following the effective date of the last previous rent increase for any dwelling unit subject to rent regulation under the terms of this chapter, a landlord who provides heat and/or air conditioning may demand, receive or collect an increase in rent for such unit, not to exceed 3%. A landlord who does not provide heat and/or air conditioning may demand, receive or collect an increase in rent for such unit, not to exceed 2%. The Mayor and Municipal Council shall review the maximum percentage increase annually and may adjust the rate as necessary. In establishing the maximum percentage increase, the Mayor and Municipal Council shall take into consideration, but shall not be bound by, The All Items Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers-Northeast Region (CPI), less energy, for the most recent twelve-month period available.
- Units covered
- 4+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Motels, hotels, boardinghouses. Vacancy Decontrol (until re-rented).
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Rent board
Rent Control Board · (973) 470-5770 · https://www.cliftonnj.org/258/Boards-Commissions
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