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

Trenton Code § 222-10C, in Chapter 222, Rent Control, governs increases tied to capital or service improvements that substantially benefit a dwelling unit. A landlord must compute the average yearly cost of the improvement using its tax depreciation period, then prorate the monthly increase among all benefiting units by dividing one-twelfth of the annual cost by the total rent roll of those units, occupied or unoccupied; tenants who get no benefit from the improvement owe nothing toward it, and no tenant's increase can exceed the depreciation period of the improvement.

Before that increase takes effect, the landlord must notify tenants at least 60 days in advance, and the notice must include the dollar amount of the increase. A tenant who receives the notice may request a hearing before the Rent Stabilization Board within 30 days. The Board may approve the increase before the improvement is completed, but it cannot take effect until the work is finished, and under § 222-11A the Board will not let a capital-improvement increase take effect until completion is certified to the Board with notice to tenants stating the total cost and each unit's allocated share.

A related notice duty applies to tax-increase petitions under § 222-7B, which requires the landlord to notify the tenant, in the manner prescribed for Board procedures, of the intention to seek the increase and to provide a clear statement of how it was calculated before the increase is imposed.