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A 4899

Requires a lethality assessment in incidents of domestic violence

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Didi Barrett and 29 co-sponsors

Limits residential rental application fees to $50, with penalties for violations and annual CPI-based inflation adjustments.

SUBSTITUTED BY S2280C
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Bill Summary · A 4899

Summary — A4899 (Print No. 4899A)

Title: Limits amount of residential rental application fees; establishes penalty
Status: Passed Assembly (5/22/2025); received in Senate, referred to Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee

Purpose

To limit the amount a landlord (or landlord’s agent) may charge as an application (or similar) fee to apply to lease or sublease residential rental property, create an enforcement and penalty framework for violations, and provide for annual adjustment of the fee cap for inflation.

Key provisions

  • Fee cap
    • Prohibits a landlord or agent from requiring an application (or similar) fee that exceeds $50 for a residential rental application.
  • Penalties and enforcement
    • A violation subjects the landlord/agent to a penalty of $1,500 per offense.
    • $250 of any collected penalty must be remitted to the applicant or prospective tenant.
    • Penalties are to be collected and enforced by summary proceedings under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999" (P.L.1999, c.274). Jurisdiction lies with the Superior Court, Law Division, Special Civil Part in the county where the rental property is located.
    • Process issues upon complaint of the Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs or the Attorney General.
  • Exemption
    • The cap does not apply to dwelling units in one‑family or two‑family dwellings offered for rent.
  • Administrative rules & reporting
    • The Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs must adopt implementing rules and regulations, including establishing a mechanism for applicants to report violations. This reporting mechanism must be made available on the Division’s website.
  • Annual CPI adjustment
    • Beginning January 1 after enactment and each year thereafter, the $50 limitation must be adjusted in direct proportion to the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers, New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island metropolitan area (All Items), over the 12‑month period ending October 31 of the previous year.
    • The State Treasurer will determine the adjustment by December 1 each year; adjustments take effect the following calendar year and are made only if the CPI change is greater than zero. The Director must publish the applicable fee limitation annually on the Division’s website.
  • Effective date
    • Takes effect on the first day of the fourth month after enactment. The Director may take anticipatory action before that date to implement the law.

Who is affected

  • Directly: landlords and agents who charge application fees; applicants and prospective tenants for residential rental properties.
  • Indirectly: consumer protection and enforcement agencies (Division of Consumer Affairs, Attorney General), and courts handling summary penalty proceedings.
  • Not affected: rentals of units in one‑family or two‑family houses.

Legislative status & related bills

  • Assembly passed 49–27–2 on May 22, 2025.
  • Referred to the Senate Budget & Appropriations Committee (received 5/29/2025).
  • Committee amendments raised the cap to $50 (from an earlier $30 limit in the introduced version), increased the civil penalty structure, and added administrative/regulatory provisions.
  • Related/companion measures: S2280; S3659/3276; prior-session A9892.

Potential impact (concise)

  • Limits applicant out‑of‑pocket costs and standardizes application fees across most rental properties.
  • May shift some vetting costs back onto landlords or be absorbed into rent/other fees.
  • Establishes a concrete enforcement and penalty mechanism intended to deter excessive application fees while allowing the fee cap to keep pace with inflation through CPI adjustments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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