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A4242
ASSEMBLY, No. 4242
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 19, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman� SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Extends grace periods for rental late charges for
certain tenants who receive public assistance payments.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning late fees for certain rental payments,
amending P.L.1976, c.100, and repealing section
3 of P.L.1976, c.100
.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� Section 1 of P.L.1976,
c.100 (C.2A:42-6.1) is amended to read as follows:
���� 1.���
a.
� A person to
whom rent is due and payable
[
on
the first of the
]
each
month upon a lease or other agreement shall allow a period of five
business days grace in which the rent due
by a qualified tenant
shall be
paid.� No delinquency or other late charge shall be made which includes
the
period before the expiration of
the grace period of five business days.
����
b.��� For any month in
which rent is due and payable, the grace period shall not commence before the
date on which the qualified tenant receives payment of public assistance.� If
the qualified tenant receives multiple payments of public assistance during any
month for which rent is due and payable, the grace period shall not commence
before the date on which the qualified tenant receives the final payment of
public assistance.� The lease or other agreement of the qualified tenant shall
set forth the dates on which the qualified tenant is scheduled to receive
public assistance during any month for which rent is due and payable.� �
����
c.
���� As used in this
section
[
,
"
business
]
:
����
"Business
day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday
,
or State or
federal holiday.
����
"Public assistance"
means payments received pursuant to Social Security Old Age Pensions, Railroad
Retirement Pensions, other governmental pensions in lieu of Social Security Old
Age Pensions, Social Security Disability Benefits, Supplemental Security Income,
or Work First New Jersey.
����
"Qualified tenant"
includes any recipient of public assistance.
(cf: P.L.2001, c.142, s.1)
���� 2.��� Section 3 of P.L.1976,
c.100 (C.2A:42-6.3) is repealed.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect on the 90th day after enactment and shall apply to any lease or other
agreement that is entered into, or renewed, on or after that date.
STATEMENT
���� This bill extends the grace
period for rental late charges for certain persons who receive public
assistance payments.
���� Under current law, certain
tenants are entitled to a grace period of five business days following the date
in which rent is due and payable.� During this grace period, a landlord may not
impose delinquency or other late charges on unpaid rent.� This law currently
applies to the following tenants, to whom rent is payable on the first of each
month: senior citizens receiving Social Security Old Age Pensions, Railroad
Retirement Pensions, or other governmental pensions in lieu of Social Security
Old Age Pensions; and recipients of Social Security Disability Benefits,
Supplemental Security Income, or benefits under Work First New Jersey (i.e.,
"
qualified
tenants
"
).
���� This bill extends the current
grace period to include the period of time before a qualified tenant receives a
monthly public assistance payment.� For example, if the rent of a qualified
tenant is due on the first day of the month, but the tenant receives payment of
public assistance on the 10th day of the month, then the landlord may only
impose late charges after the fifth business day following the 10th day of the
month.� Under the bill, the lease agreement of a qualified tenant would be
required to set forth the dates on which the qualified tenant is scheduled to
receive public assistance for each month in which rent is due and payable.
���� As used in the bill, "public
assistance" is defined as payments received pursuant to Social Security
Old Age Pensions, Railroad Retirement Pensions, other governmental pensions in
lieu of Social Security Old Age Pensions, Social Security Disability Benefits,
Supplemental Security Income, or Work First New Jersey.
���� The provisions of this bill
apply to the same persons who are currently entitled to the grace period,
except that the grace period would be provided for any qualified tenant,
regardless of whether rent is due on the first of the month.
���� The bill would take effect on
the 90th day after enactment of the bill and would apply to any lease or other
agreement that is entered into or renewed thereafter.