Hackensack, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rent Increase Notice (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice required
- 30 days, written, certified mail return receipt requested
- Cap, landlord pays heat
- 5% per year, § 134-3B(1)(a)
- Cap, tenant pays heat
- 4.5% per year, § 134-3B(1)(b)
- Senior tenant caps
- 4% or 3.5% depending on who pays heat
- Increase frequency
- No more than once every 12 consecutive months
Summary
Hackensack caps annual rent increases on stabilized units at 4% to 5% depending on who pays for heat, and requires landlords to notify tenants in writing by certified mail at least 30 days before any increase takes effect. Section 134-3 of the Rent Stabilization ordinance sets both the cap and the notice rule together.
Five percent where the landlord provides heat to the rental unit; ... Four and one-half percent where the tenant is obliged to pay for the heating of the rental unit; or ... Four percent for a qualified senior tenant where the landlord provides heat to the rental unit; or ... Three and one-half percent for a qualified senior tenant where the tenant is obliged to pay for the heating of the rental unit. ... Any landlord seeking an increase in rent pursuant to the provisions of Subsection B hereof shall notify the tenant, in writing, by certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the tenant at the rented premises not less than 30 days in advance of the proposed effective date of the rent increase. Said notice shall set forth the mathematical calculations involved in computing the new rent.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 134-3 of Chapter 134, Rent Stabilization, ties Hackensack's annual rent-increase cap and its notice requirement together. 5% for a qualified senior tenant who pays for heat. Before collecting any increase, § 134-3B(2) requires the landlord to notify the tenant in writing, by certified mail with return receipt requested, addressed to the tenant at the rented premises, not less than 30 days in advance of the proposed effective date, and the notice must set forth the mathematical calculations used to compute the new rent. A qualified senior tenant is defined in § 134-2 as at least 62 years old, or a surviving spouse at least 50, whose total household income does not exceed Bergen County's most recent per-capita income figure published by the state Department of Community Affairs, and who has lived in the unit at least one year.
Any rent increase collected outside this schedule, or above the capped percentage, is void under § 134-3C, and a dispute over the amount goes to the Rent Stabilization Board for a hearing under § 134-3D.
Violations & Fines
Collecting a rent increase without the required 30-day certified-mail notice, or above the 5%/4.5%/4%/3.5% caps in § 134-3B(1), makes the increase void under § 134-3C. A tenant or landlord may bring a dispute to the Rent Stabilization Board under § 134-3D, and a willful violation of the chapter is punishable under § 1-15, up to a $2,000 fine or 90 days' imprisonment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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