Collingswood rent control: no local ordinance (2026)

Camden County — no local rent control ordinance on file.

What this means for a rent increase

New Jersey has no statewide cap on rent increases. Without a local rent-control ordinance, Collingswood has no percentage cap either — but a rent increase still isn't unlimited:

• Unconscionable-increase standard: for units covered by the Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 et seq.), a court can strike down an increase so large it would "shock the conscience of a fair and honest person" (Fromet Properties, Inc. v. Buel, 294 N.J. Super. 601 (App. Div. 1996)), weighing the size of the increase, the landlord's expenses, comparable-area rents, and the parties' relative bargaining position. The landlord bears the burden of proving the increase is not unconscionable.
• Owner-occupied, 2 or fewer rental units: the Anti-Eviction Act's notice-to-quit/unconscionability mechanics don't apply the same way to an owner-occupied building with 2 or fewer rental units — a different, less protective notice-period scheme governs instead (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1's opening clause).
• Notice required: a rent increase must terminate the current tenancy and offer a new one at the higher rent, with at least one full month's notice before the increase takes effect (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(f), 2A:18-61.2) — delivered by personal delivery, by leaving a copy at the tenant's usual place of abode with a household member age 14 or older, or by certified mail (regular mail to follow if unclaimed). It can't take effect mid-term on a fixed-term lease.
• New construction is separately exempt from any local rent control for 30 years from the certificate of occupancy (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2) — moot here since there's no local ordinance to be exempt from, but relevant if Collingswood adopts one later.
• Pending bills, not law: statewide rent-cap and unconscionability-codifying bills (e.g. S452/A751, A5432) remain pending in the Legislature as of September 2026 — none is currently enacted.

Checklist for raising rent in Collingswood

1. Confirm the unit isn't in an owner-occupied building with 2 or fewer rental units — those fall under a different, less protective notice-period scheme instead of the rules below.
2. Set the new rent. There's no percentage cap here, but it must not be "unconscionable" under Fromet Properties, Inc. v. Buel — be ready to justify it against your costs and comparable rents nearby; the burden is on the landlord.
3. Write a notice that terminates the current tenancy and offers a new one at the higher rent — a notice that just states a new number doesn't fit the statutory structure.
4. Give at least one full month's notice before the increase takes effect (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(f), 2A:18-61.2), and never mid-term on a fixed-term lease.
5. Deliver it by personal delivery, by leaving a copy with a household member age 14 or older, or by certified mail (regular mail to follow if unclaimed).
6. If the unit was built before 1978, confirm its lead-safe certificate (method: visual assessment here) is current before or at the next turnover.

Camden County towns that do have rent control

8 of 36 municipalities in Camden County currently have a local rent control ordinance on file:

• Camden — the lesser of the average Philadelphia-area CPI increase for the preceding 12 months or 6% of the most recent rent
• Cherry Hill — Base rent is multiplied by the CPI multiplier (percentage change in the housing component of the CPI for the Philadelphia, PA-New Jersey area over the trailing 12 months vs. the prior 12 months), with the resulting increase capped at 5% of the Gross Potential Allowable Rent; landlords may separately petition for a hardship increase, itself capped at 5%.
• Chesilhurst — Landlords apply to the Rent Control Board for an increase between 1% and 6%, set case-by-case (not automatic); amounts above 6% require a separate hardship application under §373-9.
• Gloucester — Standard annual increase up to 4.5% for Class A dwelling spaces (landlord pays heat directly) and up to 4% for Class B dwelling spaces (tenant pays heat directly), granted by the Administrator on a complete application, with proof of a termination notice served on affected tenants at least 90 days before the increase's effective date; not mandatory, and may be reduced for failure to meet maintenance-standard criteria.
• Haddon — Average CPI increase for urban wage earners and clerical workers (Philadelphia/NJ), measured July of the prior year through June of the current year, not exceeding 4%.
• Oaklyn — Standard annual increase capped at 7% of the tenant's yearly rent; if the landlord supplies the tenant's main source of heat, the cap rises to 10%. These limits apply only when the Rent Control Board has declared a "housing state of emergency" (a vacancy rate under 5%), and only to landlords who own 6 or more rental units within Oaklyn.
• Pennsauken — The annual increase is the lesser of 4% or the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the Delaware Valley Region over the previous calendar year; the same formula applies to hardship-increase requests.
• Winslow — a flat maximum annual increase of 2.5% on covered mobile home dwelling units