Springfield rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Union County — Chapter 14, Rent Leveling. Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- Rent may increase by up to 4% since the last increase, with a minimum 12-month interval between increases; no increase takes effect if the landlord is in violation of the chapter.
- Frequency
- once per 12 months minimum
- Notice required
- 30 days — Landlord must give 30 days' written notice before the increase, including the calculation method, the date/amount of the prior increase, the maximum allowable percentage, and the actual percentage and dollar amounts imposed; tenants must also be informed of registration status, complaint rights, and Board contact information.
- Who's covered
- Landlords owning 3 or more rental units
- Exemptions
- motels, hotels, rooming houses
- 2-unit buildings
- 3-unit buildings with owner-occupancy
- units under NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency control
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- Upon voluntary vacation, landlord may set a new rent freely, provided the departing tenant signs a non-coercion certification (or an exemption applies); once a new tenant occupies the unit, standard controls resume.
- Registration
- Landlord must register annually with the Township Clerk by January 31 at $5/unit (half paid by landlord, half by tenant during January); failure to register by May 1 incurs a $25/month/unit penalty.
- Surcharges
- Capital-improvement surcharge capped at 10% of the prior year's rent (30-day certified notice; improvement life capped at 15 years for allocation purposes). Hardship increase available when the operating ratio (operating expenses / (total income minus capital surcharges)) exceeds 0.60.
- Penalties
- Fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 90 days imprisonment; each housing space and each day of violation are separate offenses.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
Ordinance text
annual increase of 4% since the last rent increaseChapter 14, Rent Leveling — https://ecode360.com/35104904
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- No rent increase limit
- Units covered
- --
- Exceptions
- No rent control ordinance on record
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- The DCA 2026 survey lists 'No rent control ordinance on record' / 'No rent increase limit' for Springfield Township (Union), but Chapter 14 (Rent Leveling) is published on the municipal code site with a 4% annual cap, registration fees effective 2011, and no repeal language was found in the retrieved text; the ordinance appears to be the more current and reliable source. Recommend confirming directly with the Township Clerk.
- Exact date of the most recent amendment (cited only as Ord. No. 2010-09) could not be confirmed beyond the year; left last_amended as null.
- No DCA office/board contact information is on file for this municipality (DCA survey fields blank).
Rent board
Not on file — check the ordinance
Generate a rent increase notice
Fill in the tenant, unit, and rent details and get a printable, ordinance-cited rent increase notice for Springfield — $9, pay by card.
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