Lakewood, NJ Rental Property Rules: Rent Increase Notice (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum notice
- 30 days written
- Must disclose
- calculation of the increase
- Applies to
- annual increase, 2-yr lease, tax surcharge
- Effective date rule
- increase void until notice given
- Governing section
- Township Code § 14-1.3c
Summary
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.
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 at least 30 days prior to the effective date of the increase. The increase shall not be effective unless and until 30 days written notice thereof is given to the tenant.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 14 of the Lakewood Township Code, Ocean County, New Jersey, conditions every permitted rent increase on advance written notice to the tenant. 6, notify the tenant in writing of the calculations involved in computing the increase at least 30 days before the increase takes effect; the increase 'shall not be effective unless and until' that 30-day written notice is given. 6b has to go further than a bottom-line number: it must show the present property tax for the dwelling, the property tax for the previous year, the total square footage of the building, the tax increase per square foot, and the square footage occupied by that tenant, so the tenant can check the landlord's arithmetic.
5, run on a different clock: they become effective retroactive to the first rent period 30 days after the landlord files the application with the Board, and any retroactive portion is collected from the tenant in three equal monthly installments rather than as a lump sum.
Violations & Fines
A rent increase served without the required 30-day written notice, or without disclosing the calculations behind it, is not effective under § 14-1.3c, meaning the tenant is not obligated to pay it. A landlord who nonetheless collects rent above the last lawfully noticed amount is subject to the general penalty at § 1-5, prosecuted in Lakewood Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice must a Lakewood, NJ landlord give before raising rent?
Does the 30-day notice rule apply to the tax surcharge too?
What happens if my Lakewood landlord doesn't give 30 days notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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