Bayonne, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rent Increase Notice (2026)

Bayonne caps annual rent increases for its remaining Rent-Controlled Tenants through a Consumer Price Index (CPI) application process under Section 16-4.1. A landlord applies to the Rent Control Office, which reviews the application for completeness and, within 15 days of stamping it complete, decides whether to approve or deny it. If approved, the Office calculates the increase using the CPI Percentage reported two months before the application was deemed complete, but if that percentage exceeds 5.5%, the increase is capped at 5.5% of the unit's current Base Rent.

The Office also fixes the effective date, which under state law cannot come sooner than one year after the tenant's last CPI increase. Within 10 days of receiving the stamped approval and Notice of Approval of CPI Increase, the landlord must notify each affected Rent-Controlled Tenant by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or by personal service with a sworn affidavit of service, and must send exact copies of both the approved application and the Notice of Approval. The landlord then has 14 days to submit a Notice Log to the Rent Control Office confirming that notice went out.

A landlord cannot collect the increase, and it does not become part of Base Rent, until the Office confirms the Notice Log shows proper tenant notice; an approved increase can be voided if the landlord skips this notice step.