Maplewood rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Essex County — Chapter 209, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- The maximum annual percentage increase in base rent is the average CPI increase over the past 3 calendar years prior to expiration of the prior lease or tenancy.
- Frequency
- once per lease term/periodic tenancy
- Notice required
- 30 days — For surcharges (hardship, capital improvement, property tax), the landlord must notify the tenant by certified mail, return receipt requested, or personal service, at least 30 days prior to imposition, setting out the calculations involved.
- Who's covered
- Housing space in buildings occupied, or to be occupied, by 3 or more individuals or families living independently of each other
- Exemptions
- Hotels, motels, and similar type buildings
- Three-family buildings where the landlord resides
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- Former §209-11, Vacancy decontrol, was repealed effective 10-7-2025 by Ord. No. 3168-25; the chapter's retrieved text no longer contains an active vacancy decontrol provision.
- Registration
- Owners of covered multiple dwellings must file a list of rents for all their apartments with the Township Clerk on or before March 1 of each year (with a sworn affidavit of accuracy), and must notify the Township Clerk of any rent change within 60 days of the change.
- Surcharges
- Hardship rent surcharge available where a landlord does not receive a fair return on invested capital (10 interest points above the maximum passbook savings rate); capital improvement surcharge capped at 15% of the tenant's base rent; property tax surcharge capped at 75% of the tax increase.
- Penalties
- A violation of any provision of the article, including filing a material misstatement of fact with the Board, is punishable by a fine of not less than $1,250 and imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both; a violation affecting more than one multiple-dwelling unit is a separate violation as to each unit.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
Ordinance text
Annual percentage increase. At the expiration of any lease or term of periodic tenancy, the maximum annual percentage increase in the base rent for a housing unit covered by this article for the new lease or periodic tenancy shall not exceed the average increase of the CPI over the past three calendar years prior to the expiration of the prior lease or tenancy.Chapter 209, Rent Control — https://ecode360.com/9420567
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- Average increase of CPI for the metropolitan NYC area over past 3 years. Surcharge for hardship, capital improvement or property tax may be approved.
- Units covered
- 3+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Motels, hotels, similar premises, and owner-occupied 3-family buildings.
Vacancy Decontrol for multiple dwelling units.
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- The DCA 2026 survey lists 'Vacancy Decontrol for multiple dwelling units' as an exception, but the retrieved ordinance text shows former §209-11 (Vacancy decontrol) was repealed effective 10-7-2025 by Ord. No. 3168-25. The ordinance is treated as controlling; the DCA entry appears to predate that repeal.
Rent board
Rent Leveling Board · (973) 762-8120 · https://www.maplewoodnj.gov/government/boards-committees
Generate a rent increase notice
Fill in the tenant, unit, and rent details and get a printable, ordinance-cited rent increase notice for Maplewood — $9, pay by card.
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