Ewing rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Mercer County — Chapter 14, Article IV, Rent Control Board (incl. § 14-37, Rent Increases). Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- 85% of the average of the CPI increases (average of the Philadelphia and New York-Northeastern NJ regional indices) for the one-year periods ending in January and July.
- Frequency
- once per 12 months (applies only to renewal rents, not to initial rents at the inception of a new tenancy)
- Notice required
- Any landlord seeking an increase must notify the tenant by certified mail or personal service of the calculations involved in computing the increase, including all information required to compute the §14-37 formula, and the rent charged under the most recent prior lease (§14-41).
- Who's covered
- Residential multiple-family dwellings containing 20 or more units
- Exemptions
- Motels, hotels, or other buildings/structures serving transients
- Initial rents charged at the inception of a new tenancy or leasehold (applies only to renewal rents thereafter)
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- The provisions of this article apply only to renewal rents; initial rents at the inception of a new tenancy or leasehold are not restricted (§14-47, Initial rentals).
- Registration
- No standing annual registration system found in the retrieved ordinance text.
- Surcharges
- Landlords may seek a hardship increase for major capital improvements or services; tenants must be notified by certified mail of the improvement's details. Hardship increase applications must be filed no later than 90 days prior to the proposed effective date; a notice of appeal must be posted at least 15 days before filing. The Board will not permit a total increase exceeding a just and reasonable rate of return, based on the landlord's original investment.
- Penalties
- Willful reprisal by a landlord against a tenant (or vice versa) for using the chapter's provisions is punishable, upon conviction, by the penalty in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article III, General Penalty; no specific fine amount for general chapter violations was found in the retrieved text.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- high
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
Ordinance text
At the expiration of any tenancy, be it oral or written, by lease or otherwise, and whether it is called tenancy at will, month-to-month tenancy, periodic tenancy or otherwise, no landlord may request or receive a percentage increase in rent which is greater than the percentage calculated by using the following formula: Eighty-five percent of the average increase in the Consumer Price Index = W for the one-year periods ending during the months of January and July.Chapter 14, Article IV, Rent Control Board (incl. § 14-37, Rent Increases) — https://ecode360.com/9384834
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- Average of the CPI increases for the 2 preceding one-year periods ending during the months of January and July, multiplied by 85%.
CPI used is average of Philadelphia-NJ area and NY-Northeast NJ area.
- Units covered
- 20+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Motels, hotels, and similar type dwellings. "The provisions of this article shall not apply to initial rents charged at the inception of a new tenancy or leasehold, and thereafter it shall apply only to renewal rents." Vacancy decontrol
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Rent board
Rent Control Board · (609) 436-1200 · https://www.ewingnj.org/boards/rent
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