This bill aims to protect New Jersey tenants from excessive surcharges imposed by landlords for online rent payment methods. It prohibits landlords from charging any surcharge that exceeds five dollars per monthly rental payment for online transactions. If a third-party payment method requires a surcharge above this limit, the landlord must either absorb the cost or reimburse the tenant. Additionally, landlords are required to provide tenants with a detailed document itemizing any charges and confirming that they have covered or reimbursed any surcharges exceeding five dollars within ten days of payment.

The bill also mandates that landlords provide a receipt for each rent payment, which must include an attestation affirming compliance with the new surcharge regulations under penalty of perjury. Violations of this bill will be considered unlawful practices under the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and will subject landlords to increased penalties, raising the maximum fine from $100 to $1,000 for each offense. Tenants are granted a private cause of action to recover damages, including the amount of any surcharge exceeding five dollars, along with reasonable attorney fees and other related costs. The bill is set to take effect three months after its enactment.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 46:8-49.1, 46:8-49.2, 46:8-47