A 3507 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes standards for determining an unconscionable rent increase; excludes from public access landlord tenant records in certain circumstances.

This bill establishes clear standards for courts to determine if a rent increase is "unconscionable" (extremely unfair), directly affecting landlords and tenants in New Jersey. Courts must consider factors like the rent amount, landlord expenses, comparable local rents (including HUD data), tenant bargaining power, and property condition, with landlords bearing the burden of proof. It also excludes certain eviction court records from public access - specifically dismissed cases and cases where possession was granted over seven years ago - while exempting rent-controlled properties or regulated housing programs. The law codifies existing court practices to provide consistent, objective criteria for rent disputes.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

May 2026

General Assembly Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action May 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Technical Review Of Prefiled Bill → Introduced · 3 edits · Jan 13, 2026

MINOR

This diff reflects the transition from a technical review version to the introduced version of Assembly Bill 3507. The substantive changes are administrative: two sponsors were removed (Assemblywoman Speight and co-sponsor Morales), the status was updated, and a standard legislative statement summarizing the bill's provisions was added at the end. No changes were made to the operative text of the bill itself.

SCOPE

Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (District 29) was removed as a sponsor, and Assemblywoman Morales was removed from the co-sponsor list, narrowing the group of legislators formally backing the bill.

TECHNICAL

A legislative statement was added summarizing the bill's content: it codifies a multi-factor test for determining whether a rent increase is unconscionable (considering amount, landlord profitability, comparable rents including HUD Fair Market Rents, bargaining position, property condition, and tenancy history), establishes confidentiality for certain eviction court records, and exempts rent increases governed by local rent control or affordable housing programs.

The bill status changed from 'As reported by the Assembly Housing Committee with technical review' to 'Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel,' reflecting a procedural stage change rather than a policy change.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the General Assembly by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 4, 2026

Committee

Received in the Senate, Referred to Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee

upper

Mar 23, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed by the Assembly (59-11-2)

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading

lower

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing Committee

lower

3 primary · 3 co-sponsors