Rent Control Arrives In Montclair; Council Passes Revamped Law

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It’s official: rent control has arrived in Montclair.

The Montclair Town Council gave a final thumbs-up to a revamped version of the municipal rent control ordinance on Tuesday, capping off a saga that’s lasted nearly two years (watch the video below).

The new ordinance will replace the old one, which sparked a fierce legal battle between renters and landlords that ended with a compromise in March. Read More: Deal Reached On Montclair 'Rent Control 2.0'

Some details of the new ordinance include:

• Immediate 6% increase on adoption of ordinance (if no increase has taken place since May 2020)
• Every 12 months thereafter, 4% allowable increase (2.5% for seniors)
• Vacancy decontrol once per five years (when a unit becomes vacant, the law allows landlords to increase rents to market rate with no percentage limits, a maximum of one time every five years)
• Inclusion of two and three-family homes (unless they are occupied by owners)

Montclair Councilman Peter Yacobellis released a list of frequently asked questions about the law, which can be seen here.

“Thousands and thousands of renters will now be protected from unreasonable rent increases, and still in a way that factors in the very real need for landlords to be able to keep up with their expenses,” he said.

“No offense, but I do not want Montclair to become Morristown or Summit,” Yacobellis said. “I want us to continue to be the place where the very rich and working class co-exist and where families who grew up here can afford to stay. Single parents, artists, hairstylists, firefighters, restaurant workers, nurses and teachers should be able to afford live in this town.”

Read More: Montclair Takes Another Stab At Rent Control Law

The law won’t take effect for 20 days after the council’s vote. It could still potentially be challenged via petition by some small landlords, some of whom have protested the inclusion of two- and three-family homes in the ordinance, Montclair Local reported.

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