WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

A 3996

Requires certain record keeping related to municipal rent control compliance; appropriates $2 million.

2026-2027 Regular Session

Requires landlords in rent-controlled areas to file publicly accessible digital Rent Control Compliance forms; enables online search and penalties for false data.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing Committee
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 3996

Summary of Bill A-3996 (NJ, 222nd Legislature)

Purpose and intent

This bill requires enhanced record-keeping and digitization related to municipal rent control compliance. It aims to standardize what landlords must report, create public access to compliance records, and improve municipal enforcement through an online system. The measure also provides funding to support digitization and establishes penalties for false reporting.

Key provisions and changes

  • Landlord reporting requirements

    • Landlords of residential rental properties in municipalities with rent control must file a Rent Control Compliance Form with the local municipal clerk or designated official.
    • The form must be submitted on a Department of Community Affairs (DCA)–published template.
    • Affected landlords must file the initial compliance form on or before the first day of the sixth month after the bill’s effective date, and must amend within 20 days after any change in required information. Amendments do not carry a filing fee unless ownership changes.

  • Public records and accessibility

    • Municipal clerks must index, file, and make compliance forms available for public inspection.
    • By the first day of the 12th month after enactment, all forms must be accessible on the DCA website, and historical compliance records must be submitted to the DCA for publication on the DCA’s website.
    • Paper and electronic records must be accessible to the public without restrictions or additional fees under typical open records law.

  • DCA role and online system

    • The DCA will publish a rent control compliance form within 30 days of the act’s effective date. The form will collect detailed information such as unit address, owner, registration data, occupancy certificates, exemptions, complaints, and enforcement actions.
    • The DCA must establish an online system by the first day of the sixth month after enactment to store and allow public search of compliance records by address, apartment number, owner, and date.
    • The DCA may provide grants to municipalities to assist with digitization of records.

  • Financial support

    • A $2,000,000 General Fund appropriation is provided to the DCA to fund grants to municipalities for digitization and related costs.

  • Penalties and enforcement

    • There is a rebuttable presumption that a municipal rent control ordinance applies to a rental when compliance records are missing or incomplete in the online system.
    • Landlords who knowingly submit false information on a compliance form face a civil penalty of $150 per offense, with each affected unit and each month of violation treated as a separate offense.
    • The Department of Community Affairs will audit the online system annually and publish a report identifying municipalities with deficient record-keeping.

Timing and effective dates

  • Sections 1, 3, and 4 take effect immediately.
  • Section 2 (the online system and related presumption) takes effect on the first day of the 12th month after enactment.

Potential impact

  • Increased transparency and public access to rent control compliance data for all units in rent-controlled municipalities.
  • Administrative burden on landlords to maintain up-to-date compliance information.
  • Municipalities may incur costs related to digitization and ongoing management of the online system, with state grants intended to offset those costs.
  • Establishment of penalties for misreporting aims to strengthen data accuracy and enforcement against noncompliance.

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

Sign in to ask a question.