Rental Property Rules in Lakewood, NJ (2026)
4 verified rental property rules for Lakewood, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Lakewood Township, in Ocean County, caps most annual rent increases at 6.5% where the landlord supplies heat and 5% where it does not, under Chapter 14 of the Township Code. The Rent Control Board reviews hardship, capital-improvement and utility-cost increases beyond that cap, and landlords who charge excess rent face Municipal Court penalties.
Lakewood Township, NJ Rent Control Law
Significant RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood Code § 14-1.3a
Permitted Rental Increases. Landlords who supply tenants with heat are hereinafter permitted to raise rents on rental units governed by this section once a year at a flat rate increase of six and one half (6.5%) percent over the previous base rent permitted by this section or any prior ordinance except as otherwise hereinafter set forth. Landlords who do not supply tenants with heat are hereina...
Rental Registration
Owners of any Lakewood Township building occupied by two or more families as tenants must register with the Township Clerk within 30 days, listing the owner, lessor, and a local agent, under § 15-5.1 of the Code. Registration also lets the Township serve legal notices by posting the property if no valid agent can be found.
Lakewood, NJ Multi-Family Rental Registration
Significant RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood Code § 15-5.1
All owners of buildings or structures or parts thereof, wherein the buildings or structures or parts thereof are situated in the Township and which are occupied by two or more families as tenants of an owner or as tenants of a lessor shall register with the Township Clerk upon forms prescribed by and furnished by the Clerk. The forms shall include the following items: a. The name and address of...
Rent Increase Notice
Before raising rent under Lakewood Township's Rent Control Ordinance, a landlord must give the tenant written notice showing exactly how the increase was calculated, at least 30 days before it takes effect, under § 14-1.3c of the Township Code. The same 30-day written-notice rule applies to the annual property-tax surcharge under § 14-1.6b.
Lakewood, NJ 30-Day Rent Increase Notice
Some RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood Code § 14-1.3c
Notice of Increase. Any landlord seeking an increase pursuant to subsection 14-1.3a, "Permitted Rental Increases", subsection 14-1.3b, "Optional two Year Rental Increase", subsection 14-1.6, "Tax Surcharge", or under any other subsection permitting an increase without application to the Rent Control Board, shall notify the tenant in writing of the calculations involved in computing the increase...
Repairs & Habitability
Lakewood adopts the New Jersey State Housing Code as its habitability guide and lets the Department of Code Enforcement and Zoning declare a dwelling unfit for human habitation when conditions like fire hazards, poor ventilation or structural defects endanger occupants or neighbors.
Lakewood Township Dwelling Habitability Standard
Some RestrictionsTownship of Lakewood Code § 13-1.3
For the purpose of this section the Department Head of the Department of Code Enforcement and Zoning or his designee may determine that a dwelling is unfit for human habitation if they find that conditions exist in such dwelling which are dangerous or injurious to the health or safety of the occupants of the dwelling, the occupants of neighboring dwellings or other residents of the Township. Co...