Verona rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Essex County — Chapter 402, Article I, Rent Control (within 'Rental Regulations' chapter). Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- Annual increase is the greater of 3.0% or the percentage difference in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) between 3 months before lease expiration/termination and 3 months before the lease term began; for units with a tenant 62 or older, the cap is the straight CPI difference with no 3% floor. The maximum combined annual increase from all sources (CPI/hardship/capital-improvement/tax-appeal) is capped at 15%.
- Frequency
- once per 12 months
- Notice required
- 30 days — Rent increase notices must state in detail the reasons for the increase and include instructions on how to appeal to the Rent Control Board; hardship-decision notices to tenants must be delivered by certified mail, effective upon 30 days' notice.
- Who's covered
- Residential dwelling units in buildings assessed as Class 4A/4B/4C with 4 or more units (buildings with fewer than 4 units are exempt)
- Exemptions
- buildings with fewer than 4 residential units
- units that are landlord-occupied or occupied by the landlord's immediate family (still must register)
- units whose rent is set as a function of household income by a government program
- motels, hotels, similar transient-use buildings; commercial floor space; licensed rooming houses
- units rented for the first time after adoption of the article (initial rent only; subsequent rents are controlled)
- units exempted by state or federal law
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- Upon voluntary, uncoerced vacation of a unit, the landlord may fix the new rent at such sum as deemed appropriate (full decontrol), subject to filing a notarized landlord/tenant certification of non-coercion (with exceptions where certification is not required, e.g., no-notice move-outs or judicially mandated evictions).
- Registration
- Landlords must file an annual rent-roll statement (rents as of June 1) with the Rent Control Administrator by July 1 each year.
- Surcharges
- Hardship increase available when a building's annual operating expenses exceed 75% of total annual gross income (the resulting figure becomes the new base rent and may be increased by 10% after the first year); major capital improvement surcharges expire once the cost plus reasonable interest has been recovered; tax-appeal refunds must be passed through to tenants at 100% of the reduction (after deducting the landlord's reasonable appeal expenses); maximum combined annual increase from all sources is capped at 15%.
- Penalties
- Violations are subject to the general penalty provisions of Chapter 1, Article II of the Township Code (specific fine amount not given in the retrieved text).
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
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Ordinance text
The maximum permissible annual rent increase is 3.0%, or the percentage difference between the consumer price index three months prior to the expiration or termination of the lease and three months prior to the commencement of the lease term, whichever is greater. Exception for qualified senior tenants. For dwelling units in which at least one tenant is 62 years of age or older, the maximum annual permissible rent increase shall be equal to the percentage difference between the consumer price index three months prior to the expiration or termination of the lease and three months prior to the commencement of the lease term. [...] The maximum annual increase from all sources listed under this ยง 402-21, Permitted increases, shall not exceed 15% unless an inefficient landlord cannot meet operation expenses or make a fair return on his/her investment.Chapter 402, Article I, Rent Control (within 'Rental Regulations' chapter) — https://ecode360.com/VE0815/laws/LF1315140.pdf
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- Greater of 3% or the percentage difference in CPI-W NY/Northeast NJ between the consumer price index three months prior to the expiration or termination of the lease and three months prior to the commencement of the lease term
- Units covered
- 4+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - 1 to 3 family homes, motels, hotels, similar premises, landlord-occupied or landlord family member occupied- units, income-restricted housing, rooming houses, space rented for commercial purposes, and first-time rentals (until re-rented).
Vacancy Decontrol. Maximum of 15%.
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- CONFLICT: The DCA survey states 'Vacancy Decontrol. Maximum of 15%,' but the codified ordinance (Section 402-22, Vacancy allowance) describes full vacancy decontrol with no stated percentage cap -- the 15% figure that does appear in the code (Section 402-21F) applies only to the combined annual increase from CPI/hardship/capital-improvement/tax-appeal sources, not to vacancy decontrol specifically. The DCA entry may be conflating these two provisions; the ordinance's plain text is used here per instructions (ordinance wins), but this should be confirmed with the Township before publishing a vacancy-decontrol percentage to end users.
- Exact adoption date of Ordinance No. 2021-08 (which repealed and replaced the chapter) was not found in the retrieved excerpt; only the ordinance number is confirmed, so last_amended is left as the year only is not used and the field is left null pending an exact date.
Rent board
Rent Control Board · (973) 857-4767 · https://www.veronanj.org/rentcontrol
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