West New York rent control: maximum rent increase (2026)
Hudson County — Chapter 312, Rent Control. Full ordinance text ↗
Summary
- Cap formula
- Base formula: the increase equals the CPI change measured 90 days before lease expiration/termination/renewal versus the preceding 12-month period, capped at 5%. A 2026 amendment (eff. 4/15/2026) added an overall limit: combined rent increases from all causes may not exceed 3% in any 12-month period, which is the current binding ceiling.
- Frequency
- once per 12 months
- Notice required
- 30 days — Landlord must give at least one month's advance written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, stating all reasons for the increase and an itemized computation.
- Who's covered
- All rental dwellings, including rented condominiums and cooperatives (1+ units)
- Exemptions
- motels, hotels, similar premises
- owner-occupied 2-, 3-, and 4-family dwellings (except condos/co-ops)
- owner-occupied commercial buildings with 3 or fewer residential units plus 1 commercial unit
- newly constructed (ground-up) units built after 10/1/1995 (permanently exempt)
- condos/co-ops rented after 8/1/1995 with base rent over $1,000
- substantially rehabilitated units (80% of units vacant as of 9/1/2010, rehab cost exceeding the structure's equalized value)
- new construction (30 yrs from certificate of occupancy, N.J.S.A. 2A:42-84.2)
- Vacancy decontrol
- No vacancy decontrol. When a unit returns to residential use, the base rent is the lawful rent last charged to the prior tenant; units must be re-rented within 60 days of vacancy or the owner faces penalties.
- Registration
- Landlords must file a rent registration statement within 60 days (tenant names, unit count, current base rent, last increase date/amount, lease expiration, services, owner/agent contact info); annual re-registration by October 1, $10 fee.
- Surcharges
- Tax surcharge: tenants receive 100% of any tax-reduction rebate as a credit. Sewerage-utility pass-along above the 1998 base year, divided by rooms or metered usage. Capital-improvement surcharges spread over the improvement's useful life. Heating-system conversion triggers an automatic rent reduction equal to the tenant's monthly utility bill.
- Penalties
- Fine up to $500 and/or up to 30 days imprisonment; harassment carries a minimum $150 fine (first offense), escalating to $500 for subsequent violations.
- Status
- active
- Confidence
- medium
- Last verified
- 2026-09-23
Calculate your maximum increase
Ordinance text
the percentage difference between the Consumer Price Index 90 days prior to the expiration or termination or renewal of the tenancy or lease and the Consumer Price Index for the preceding twelve-month period (§312-3E); combined rent increases for all causes [capped at 3% in any 12-month period] (§312-19A, 2026 amendment)Chapter 312, Rent Control — https://ecode360.com/7058058
State survey entry
- Increase limit
- CPI between 90 days prior to end of lease and preceding 12 month period. Maximum of 5%.
- Units covered
- 1+
- Exceptions
- Exception(s) - Motels, hotels, similar premises, owner-occupied 2- 3- and 4-family dwellings (except condos and cooperatives), owner-occupied commercial buildings containing 3 or less residential units in addition to a single commercial unit that is leased or owned or rented by the owner, newly constructed (from ground-up) units (permanently exempted), condos and cooperative units with a base rent exceeding $1000, and substantially rehabilitated units.
Source: NJ Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey — nj.gov
Open questions
- The DCA survey lists a maximum of 5% (base CPI formula only), but a 2026 amendment (Ord. No. 10/26, eff. 4/15/2026) added an overall cap of 3% on combined rent increases from all causes in any 12-month period; the DCA survey does not reflect this newer, more restrictive combined cap. The ordinance is more recent and controls.
Rent board
Rent Control Office · (201) 295-5290 · https://www.westnewyorknj.org/departments/rent-control
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