Rental Property Rules in Hamilton, NJ (2026)
4 verified rental property rules for Hamilton, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Hamilton Township caps annual rent increases in residential multi-family buildings under § 5-162 of the Rent Leveling Commission ordinance. Landlords who furnish heat may raise rent only by the average of the Consumer Price Index and Residential Renters CPI increases from the preceding July; landlords who do not furnish heat are capped at 60% of that average. Increases are limited to once every twelve months.
Hamilton Rent Control: Annual Increase Cap
Significant RestrictionsHamilton Code § 5-162A, B
Establishment of rents between a landlord and a tenant in all residential multiple-family dwellings shall hereafter be determined by the provisions of this article. At the expiration of a lease or at the termination of the lease of a periodic tenant, no landlord who furnished heat to tenants may request or receive a percentage increase which is greater than the average of the percentage increas...
Rental Registration
Hamilton Township requires every landlord to hold a valid rental registration before renting any unit, under § 268-18D of the Housing Standards chapter. Registration must be filed within 90 days of the ordinance's 2018 amendment, renews every five years alongside the mandatory unit inspection, and cannot be transferred to another owner. Fees are set in Chapter 215, Fees.
Hamilton Landlord Rental Registration Rule
Significant RestrictionsHamilton Code § 268-18D
Registration of landlords. In addition to any other requirements herein, each landlord shall apply to the appropriate office within the Township of Hamilton for a landlord registration within 90 days of the publication of this amended ordinance. ... No landlord shall be entitled to rent a rental unit unless said landlord is in possession of a valid landlord registration. The fee for a landlord ...
Rent Increase Notice
Before raising rent, a Hamilton landlord must notify the tenant by certified mail or personal service under § 5-165, using a form approved by the Business Administrator. The notice must show the calculations behind the increase under the § 5-162 formula and the rent charged under the tenant's most recent prior lease. A copy goes to the Rent Leveling Commission Secretary at the same time.
Hamilton Rent Increase Notice to Tenants
Some RestrictionsHamilton Code § 5-165
Any landlord seeking an increase in rents shall notify the tenant by certified mail or by personal service, on a form approved by the Business Administrator, of the calculations involved in computing the increase, including all information required in order to compute the formula as set forth in § 5-162, as well as the rental charged for the apartment under the terms of the most recent prior le...
Repairs & Habitability
Chapter 268 of Hamilton's Township Code bars anyone from occupying or renting out a dwelling that doesn't meet baseline structural and safety standards. Section 268-8 covers foundations, walls, doors, windows, roofs, and detectors, while §§ 268-9 through 268-14 add space, ventilation, plumbing, heating, and electrical requirements.
Hamilton's General Rental Habitability Standards
Some RestrictionsHamilton Code § 268-8
No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or let to another for occupancy any dwelling, hotel, motel, rooming house or boardinghouse for the purpose of living therein which does not comply with the following requirements: ... Foundation. Every foundation shall adequately support the building at all points and shall be free of breaks, holes or cracks which make the building unsafe to occupy or wh...
Looking for Mercer County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Hamilton city rules.
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