What is exempt from rent control in Freehold, NJ?

housing space rented for the first time (unrestricted initial rent; subsequent increases regulated); vacant units (unrestricted initial rent; subsequent increases regulated); multiple dwellings containing fewer than 4 units; motels, hotels, and similar buildings; housing space converted to condominium units after the units' bona fide sale subsequent to conversion. New construction is also exempt statewide for 30 years from certificate of occupancy under N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2.

Freehold rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)

Monmouth County — Chapter 261, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗

Summary

Cap formula

The automatic increase equals a percentage of the CPI change measured between the 4th month before the new lease begins and the 4th month before the prior lease began: up to 90% of that change if the landlord supplies and pays for heat, or up to 80% if the tenant pays for heat; no more than one such increase per year.

Frequency

once per 12 months

Notice required

30 days — A landlord seeking an automatic increase under §261-8 must provide the tenant at least 30 days' notice prior to the anticipated date of implementation.

Who's covered

Buildings with 4 or more units

Exemptions

housing space rented for the first time (unrestricted initial rent; subsequent increases regulated)
vacant units (unrestricted initial rent; subsequent increases regulated)
multiple dwellings containing fewer than 4 units
motels, hotels, and similar buildings
housing space converted to condominium units after the units' bona fide sale subsequent to conversion
new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)

Vacancy decontrol

Vacant units and units rented for the first time are not restricted in the initial rent charged, but any subsequent rental increase is subject to the chapter (no full ongoing vacancy decontrol found in the retrieved text).

Status

active

Confidence

medium

Last verified

2026-09-23

Calculate your maximum increase

Ordinance text

At the expiration of a lease or at the termination of the lease of a periodic tenant, the landlord may request and receive from the tenant a percentage rental increase no greater than 90%, if the heat is supplied and paid for by the landlord, and 80%, if heat is paid for by the tenant, of the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the fourth preceding month prior to the month in which the new lease arrangement shall be implemented and the consumer price index (CPI) for the fourth preceding month prior to the month the current leasing arrangement was entered into with said tenant.Chapter 261, Rent Control — https://ecode360.com/9106061

State survey entry

Increase limit: Calculated as a percentage of the difference between CPI 4 months before new lease and 4 months before current lease. Percentage can be no greater than 90%, if landlord pays heat, and no greater than 80%, if tenant pays heat. No more than 1 increase per year.
Units covered: 4+
Exceptions: Housing space being rented for the first time which shall not be restricted in the initial rent charged. Any subsequent rental increase, however, shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter. Vacant units which shall not be restricted in the rental charged. Any subsequent rental increase, however, shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter. Multiple dwellings containing fewer than four dwelling units. Motels, hotels and similar type buildings. Housing space which has been converted to condominium units, after the units' bona fide sale subsequent to conversion.

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

Open questions

The full ordinance text for Chapter 261 could not be directly fetched (the ecode360 chapter page returned only a table of contents on two attempts); the cap formula above was reconstructed from a web-search result that quoted §261-8 and the 30-day notice provision of §261-8, and should be independently re-verified against the full chapter text.
Article IV also lists a 'Hardship increase provision' (§261-9) and 'Market adjustment' (§261-10) as separate mechanisms; their text was not retrieved, so surcharges/hardship details are left null.
Registration requirements, penalty amounts (§261-13), and the last-amended date were not found within the fetch budget (4 attempts: r.jina.ai on code_url twice, web search, and review of search snippets).

Rent board

Rent Leveling Board · (732) 294-2000 · https://www.twp.freehold.nj.us/172/Rent-Control-Board

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