All 50 states

New Jersey landlord-tenant law.

Updated August 2026. No statewide rent control, but roughly 100 New Jersey municipalities (including Newark, Jersey City, and many others) have adopted their own local rent control or rent leveling ordinances; always check the specific municipality.

Deposit limit

1.5 months' rent maximum for an initial deposit; additional annual increases limited to 10% of the current deposit on hand (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2)

Deposit return

Deposit (plus the tenant's share of accrued interest) must be returned within 30 days of tenancy termination, with deductions itemized in writing (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1); deposits must be held in an interest bearing account or insured money market fund, with interest belonging to the tenant (N.J.S.A. 46:8-19); shorter deadlines apply for fire, flood, or condemnation displacement (5 business days) and domestic violence related terminations (15 business days)

Notice to pay

Nonpayment of rent cases (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(a) and (f)) are exempt from the Anti-Eviction Act's separate notice-to-quit requirements, so a landlord may file the eviction complaint directly once rent is due and unpaid, though a written demand is standard practice; other grounds carry their own notice periods under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2

Landlord entry

No statewide statute fixes a number of days; New Jersey case law requires landlords to give reasonable advance notice before entry based on the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, so leases should specify a reasonable notice period (commonly 24 to 48 hours) rather than allowing entry at will

Security deposits

Deposit limit. 1.5 months' rent maximum for an initial deposit; additional annual increases limited to 10% of the current deposit on hand (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2)

Getting it back. Deposit (plus the tenant's share of accrued interest) must be returned within 30 days of tenancy termination, with deductions itemized in writing (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1); deposits must be held in an interest bearing account or insured money market fund, with interest belonging to the tenant (N.J.S.A. 46:8-19); shorter deadlines apply for fire, flood, or condemnation displacement (5 business days) and domestic violence related terminations (15 business days)

Late fees and rent

No statutory cap on the fee amount, but every tenant paying rent due on the first of the month must get a 5 business day grace period before any late charge can be assessed (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-6.1)

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. Nonpayment of rent cases (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1(a) and (f)) are exempt from the Anti-Eviction Act's separate notice-to-quit requirements, so a landlord may file the eviction complaint directly once rent is due and unpaid, though a written demand is standard practice; other grounds carry their own notice periods under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.2

Month-to-month termination. The Anti-Eviction Act bars no-cause termination of any residential tenancy, including month-to-month, once the tenant has resided there long enough to be covered; a landlord must have one of the statutory good cause grounds and give the matching notice, commonly 1 month's notice for habitual late rent payment or lease violations, more for other grounds (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1, 2A:18-61.2)

Landlord entry

No statewide statute fixes a number of days; New Jersey case law requires landlords to give reasonable advance notice before entry based on the tenant's right to quiet enjoyment, so leases should specify a reasonable notice period (commonly 24 to 48 hours) rather than allowing entry at will

Required disclosures

  • Federal lead based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d, 24 CFR Part 35)
  • Truth in Renting statement of tenant and landlord rights, prepared by the state Department of Community Affairs, must be given to tenants in buildings the statute covers (N.J.S.A. 46:8-44, 46:8-45)
  • Flood risk disclosure stating whether the unit is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area or Moderate Risk Flood Hazard Area, any actual knowledge of prior flooding, and a standard notice about FEMA flood insurance availability, given in writing before the lease is signed (N.J.S.A. 46:8-50); exempt for seasonal rentals under 120 days and buildings of 2 or fewer units
  • Registration statement identifying the owner, managing agent, and person authorized to accept legal notices (N.J.S.A. 46:8-28)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

  • Any lease clause that violates a tenant's clearly established legal rights under state law is unenforceable, and a tenant may petition a court to strike it (N.J.S.A. 46:8-48, the Truth in Renting Act)
  • Waivers of Anti-Eviction Act good cause protections, including clauses purporting to let a landlord terminate a periodic tenancy without cause (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1)
  • Confession of judgment clauses and other clauses waiving a tenant's right to a court hearing before eviction
  • Exculpatory clauses releasing the landlord from liability for its own negligence

Notes for landlords

New Jersey is unusually landlord-restrictive because the Anti-Eviction Act (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1 et seq.) requires good cause for eviction even of month-to-month tenants in most housing, so a generic 30 day no-cause notice will not work state-wide the way it does elsewhere; the product should model NJ termination by cause/ground, not a flat notice period. Local rent control ordinances vary widely by municipality and can independently cap rent increases and require registration, separate from the statewide security deposit and eviction statutes.

Sources

This guide is general legal information for landlords, not legal advice. Statutes change and local ordinances can add stricter rules on top of state law. Confirm any requirement with the current statute or a licensed attorney in your state before acting on it.

Run your New Jersey rentals on Sahab Key.

Collect rent and track leases for two dollars a unit a month, with a fifty dollar monthly minimum.

Get started Try the live demo

Other states