Truth in Renting: The NJ Landlord-Tenant Law Guide (2026)

Truth in Renting is New Jersey's official statement of tenant and landlord rights, published free by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). People also search for it as the “truth in renting booklet,” the “NJ landlord-tenant handbook,” or the Truth in Renting Act. The Act (N.J.S.A. 46:8-43 et seq.) does more than create the booklet: it decides which landlords have to hand it out, sets rules for how covered landlords collect rent, and limits what a lease can say.

This page covers who the Act applies to, what it requires, and where the booklet fits into the rest of NJ landlord-tenant law. NJ Landlord Forms is not a law firm. The DCA booklet and the statute are the authoritative sources.

What Is “Truth in Renting”?

The Truth in Renting Act directs the DCA to prepare a statement of the legal rights and responsibilities of residential tenants and landlords, post it on the DCA website in a printable format, and publish it in English and Spanish (N.J.S.A. 46:8-45). That statement is the Truth in Renting guide.

The booklet walks through the lease, renewals and termination, right of entry, pets, security deposits, discrimination, rent, habitability, eviction, foreclosure, protections for senior citizens and disabled tenants, and agency contacts. It is informational. The statute says the statement does not bind a court deciding a case.

Get it from the NJ DCA Landlord-Tenant Information hub or download the Truth in Renting guide PDF directly. The DCA's copy is the one to hand out, not a summary like this page.

Who Has to Give Tenants the Booklet?

The Act applies to a “landlord,” and N.J.S.A. 46:8-44 defines that term to leave out the smallest rentals. It covers anyone who rents a dwelling unit for a term of at least one month, except dwelling units in:

• rental premises containing not more than two units,
• owner-occupied premises of not more than three units, or
• hotels, motels, or other guest houses serving transient or seasonal guests.

The DCA booklet puts it the other way around: distribution goes to tenants with a rental term of at least one month “living in residences with more than two dwelling units, or more than three if the landlord occupies one of the units.”

If your building is exempt, nothing stops you from giving the tenant a copy anyway. It answers many of the questions tenants ask. If your situation does not fit the table cleanly, for example several buildings on one lot, check the DCA source or ask a licensed NJ attorney.

What the Act Requires of Covered Landlords

1. Give each new tenant the current booklet

N.J.S.A. 46:8-46 requires a copy of the current statement for each new tenant “at or prior to the time he assumes occupancy.” The DCA booklet describes the same duty as at or before the tenant signs the lease. Including it in the lease package meets both.

2. Redistribute when the DCA releases a new version

Each existing tenant gets a copy within 30 days after the DCA makes a new statement available. The statute directs the DCA to update it annually, so check the DCA page for a newer edition when you renew leases.

3. Keep a copy posted

The current statement has to stay posted in one or more locations where it is “prominent and accessible” to all tenants. In practice that usually means a lobby, laundry room, or mail area.

4. Keep illegal clauses out of the lease

N.J.S.A. 46:8-48 bars a landlord from offering or signing a lease with a provision that violates clearly established legal rights of tenants or responsibilities of landlords under NJ law at the time it is signed. A tenant can ask a court to terminate a lease that contains one. The landlord is not liable where the tenant originated the clause. Our lease compliance review checks an existing lease against NJ requirements, including this one.

Penalty

A landlord who violates the Act is liable for a penalty of up to $100 for each offense (N.J.S.A. 46:8-47). The DCA commissioner, the Attorney General, or any other person can bring the complaint in the Superior Court, Special Civil Part, in the county where the property is located.

Keeping proof you delivered it

The statute does not say how the booklet has to be delivered or how to prove it was. A signed acknowledgment is the simplest record. The NJ Landlord Forms lease includes a Truth in Renting clause the tenant signs, and you can keep a dated photo of the posted copy with your property records.

Rent Payment Rules in the Same Act

A 2020 law (P.L.2019, c.300, approved January 13, 2020) added two rent payment rules to the Truth in Renting Act. They use the Act's definition of landlord, so the exemptions in the table above apply to them too. Both apply to leases, renewals, and extensions signed on or after January 13, 2020.

No required electronic payment

A covered landlord may not require a tenant or applicant to pay rent or other amounts due under the lease by electronic funds transfer, including automatic recurring transfers (N.J.S.A. 46:8-49.1). Offering an online portal as one option is not the same as requiring it. Violations carry the Act's $100 per offense penalty.

A receipt for every cash payment

For each cash payment, a covered landlord has to give the tenant a printed or emailed receipt that shows (N.J.S.A. 46:8-49.2):

• the amount paid,
• what the payment was for,
• when it was received,
• the printed or typed names of the landlord and the tenant, and
• who accepted the payment.

The penalty is the Act's $100, plus $100 more for a second violation within five years and $200 more for each later violation within five years. A missing receipt is also a valid defense in a nonpayment eviction for the months the violation covers. If you take cash, a receipt template is worth having before the first payment.

Where Truth in Renting Fits in NJ Landlord-Tenant Law

Most of the booklet summarizes other statutes. These are the areas small landlords ask about most.

Leases and Rent

A lease is the written agreement that sets the rent, payment schedule, term, property rules, and each side's obligations. Rent increase rules can depend on the property, the town, and the lease, so the booklet is the starting point and a local rent control ordinance may add more.

Habitability and Repairs

The unit has to be fit to live in. A written system for receiving repair requests, scheduling the work, and keeping proof it was done makes disputes easier to resolve.

Lead Paint Disclosure

Older properties carry federal disclosure duties and NJ inspection rules. See the NJ lead paint disclosure guide.

Landlord Registration

Most NJ rentals have to be registered, and where you file depends on the property. Look up your town in the NJ landlord registration directory.

Security Deposits: The Short Version

Security deposits in NJ are governed by the Rent Security Deposit Act, N.J.S.A. 46:8-19 through 46:8-26. A landlord may not collect more than 1.5 times one month's rent.

The deposit is held in trust for the tenant, must not be commingled with the landlord's personal money, and the interest belongs to the tenant.

After the tenant returns possession, the landlord generally has 30 days to return the deposit or provide an itemized accounting. Shorter deadlines apply in special cases, including fire, flood, condemnation, or domestic violence. See the official DCA Security Deposit Law bulletin, our NJ security deposit rules guide, and wear and tear vs. damage in NJ security deposits.

Evictions: Only Through the Court

A landlord may not personally remove a tenant, lock a tenant out, change the locks, or shut off utilities to force the tenant to leave. The landlord has to obtain a judgment for possession in the Superior Court, Special Civil Part, and only a Special Civil Part court officer may carry out the eviction.

After the judgment, the landlord requests a warrant of removal, which cannot be issued less than 3 business days after the judgment. The grounds for eviction are limited by NJ's Anti-Eviction Act.

See our NJ eviction process guide, the NJ Courts Landlord/Tenant self-help hub, and the DCA's Grounds for Eviction bulletin.

A Move-In Checklist for Covered Landlords

1. Download the current Truth in Renting PDF from the DCA.
2. Give it to the tenant with the lease, and have the tenant sign the acknowledgment.
3. Confirm a current copy is posted in a common area.
4. Collect the security deposit within the 1.5x cap and document how it is held.
5. If you accept cash, have a receipt ready that shows all five required items.
6. Complete a move-in condition checklist with the tenant.
7. Save copies of everything in one place.

FAQ

Build a Cleaner NJ Landlord Workflow

Truth in Renting tells you what the state expects. NJ Landlord Forms turns that into documents: a lease with the Truth in Renting acknowledgment built in, notices, security deposit receipts, condition checklists, and rent increase letters.