Union rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Union County — Chapter 447, Article II, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗
Status disputed
Sources disagree on whether Union's rent control ordinance is currently in force — see open questions below. Confirm directly with the municipality before relying on this page; the notice generator is unavailable until this is resolved.
Summary
- Cap formula
- Ordinance text found on ecode360 (Chapter 447, Article II, §447-12) sets two tiers: no more than a 4% increase over the base rent for properties with 500 or fewer units, and a permitted increase of 8.0% for properties exceeding 500 dwelling units. This directly contradicts the DCA 2026 survey row for Union, which states 'No rent control ordinance on record' with no office/phone/units data.
- Frequency
- Not on file — check the ordinance
- Notice required
- 30 days — Landlords must provide tenants at least 30 days' advance written notice via certified mail or personal service, including the calculations involved in computing the increase, the allowable percentage increase, and the allowable rental increase.
- Who's covered
- Text retrieved suggests residential rental properties generally (tiered by size: ≤500 units vs. >500 units); exact unit-count threshold for coverage (e.g., minimum building size) not confirmed.
- Exemptions
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Surcharges
- Capital improvement surcharges may be approved by the Board, capped at 10% of the current base rent monthly. Hardship increases available when operating expenses exceed 60% of gross income, limited to 10% of the tenants' current base rent. Per the retrieved text, a landlord is NOT entitled to a tax surcharge by reason of a municipal property-tax increase.
- Penalties
- Violations punishable by imprisonment not exceeding 90 days or a fine not exceeding $2,000.
- Status
- unclear
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
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Ordinance text
no landlord may request or receive an increase in rent of more than 4% over and above the base rent paid by said tenant during the leasehold period. [for properties exceeding 500 dwelling units] The permitted rent increase in this section shall be 8.0%.Chapter 447, Article II, Rent Control — https://ecode360.com/37570647
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
- MAJOR CONFLICT: The DCA 2026 Rent Control Survey row for Union Township states 'No rent control ordinance on record,' with office/site/ordinance/phone/units all '--'. However, ecode360 hosts an active-looking Chapter 447, Article II 'Rent Control' with substantive provisions (4%/8% tiered cap, notice, surcharge, and penalty sections; last amendment cited Feb. 28, 2017, Ord. No. 5418; original adoption April 23, 1985). Per the task instructions, the retrieved ordinance text is treated as authoritative over the DCA survey, but this is an unusually large discrepancy (existence of the ordinance itself, not just its terms) and should be manually confirmed with Union Township directly — e.g., the ordinance may have been repealed/superseded by a later, uncodified action that DCA is reflecting but ecode360's codification has not caught up to, or DCA's survey may simply have an error/omission for this municipality. status is set to 'unclear' pending that confirmation.
- No current Rent Board name, contact URL, or phone number could be sourced (DCA lists all as '--' and the ordinance text excerpt retrieved did not include current board contact information).
- Applicability threshold (minimum unit count triggering coverage) was not clearly stated in the retrieved excerpt beyond the 500-unit tier distinction between the 4% and 8% rates.
Rent board
Not on file — check the ordinance