What is exempt from rent control in East Windsor, NJ?

dwelling units that do not fall within the ordinance's definition of "apartment complex"; initial leases of vacant apartments. New construction is also exempt statewide for 30 years from certificate of occupancy under N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2.

East Windsor rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)

Mercer County — § 13-4, Annual Rent Increases (Chapter 13, combined with Uniform Construction Code). Full ordinance text ↗

Maximum rent increase

No standard formula on file — see below

The Allowable Base Increase (ABI) equals a 'general operating increase' (half the average change in the NYC/Philadelphia-metro consumer price indices, measured May to May, plus 1 percentage point), plus an additional fuel-cost component that applies only when actual fuel-cost increases exceed twice the general operating increase; owners may also apply for an emergency increase for extraordinary hardship.

Calculator unavailable

This town's cap formula ("other") doesn't fit a standard pattern the calculator can evaluate automatically. Read the formula and verbatim text below, and check open questions.

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Summary

Cap formula

Frequency

once per 12 months (lease year beginning October 1)

Notice required

Not on file — check the ordinance

Who's covered

Apartment complexes of 4 or more dwelling units on the same tax map lot

Exemptions

dwelling units that do not fall within the ordinance's definition of "apartment complex"
initial leases of vacant apartments
new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)

Status

active

Confidence

medium

Last verified

2026-09-23

Ordinance text

no apartment owner shall execute or cause to be executed any lease at a rental in excess of the base rent plus the allowable base increase (ABI). ... COST OF LIVING — Shall mean the arithmetic mean of the changes in the consumer price indices (all items) for the New York City and Philadelphia Metropolitan areas§ 13-4, Annual Rent Increases (Chapter 13, combined with Uniform Construction Code) — https://ecode360.com/36430855?highlight=rent,rents&searchId=16668450616550509#36430855

State survey entry

Increase limit: Determined by the "allowable base increase" formula, outlined in §13-4B.
Units covered: 4+/Apartment complexes
Exceptions: Exception(s) - Any dwelling unit that does not fall within the ordinance's definition of "apartment complex." Initial leases of vacant apartments.

Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov

Open questions

Ordinance text was retrieved and confirms the DCA-described "allowable base increase" (ABI) formula in §13-4B, but the retrieved excerpts were truncated before reaching the notice, registration, surcharge, vacancy-decontrol, and penalty provisions (4 fetch attempts made: r.jina.ai on the code_url, r.jina.ai on the parent Chapter 13 index, r.jina.ai on a deeper subsection link, and a web search); those fields are left null pending further retrieval.
Last-amended date specific to the rent-increase formula (§13-4B) could not be confirmed; an unrelated amendment (Ord. 2025-05, 3/25/2025) addressing fee structures was found but its scope relative to §13-4 was not verified.

Lead-safe certification

Pre-1978 rentals here also need a lead-safe certificate (separate from rent control) — valid 3 years, per P.L.2024, c.74. See East Windsor Township's lead-safe certification requirements →

Rent board

Township of East Windsor · (609) 443-4000 · https://www.east-windsor.nj.us/