Requires inclusion of information about discriminatory housing practices in Truth in Renting Guide.

A4831

ASSEMBLY, No. 4831

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 4, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires inclusion of information about
discriminatory housing practices in Truth in Renting Guide.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning discriminatory housing practices and
amending P.L.1975, c.310.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� Section 3 of P.L.1975,
c.310 (C.46:8-45) is amended to read as follows:

���� 3.��� a.�
(1)
� The
department shall, as soon as practicable and annually thereafter, after public
hearing, prepare and make available at no cost to the public, to the extent
that funding has been made available to the department for free distribution, a
statement, in a form and size suitable for posting and distributing pursuant to
the provisions of this act, of the primary clearly established legal rights and
responsibilities of tenants and landlords of rental dwelling units.

����
(2)
�� This statement
shall be printed in both the English and Spanish languages and shall be posted
on the department's Internet website, in an easily printable format, and
updated annually.� The statement shall serve as an informational document, and
nothing therein shall be construed as binding on or affecting a judicial
determination under section 6 of P.L.1975, c.310 (C.46:8-48) of what
constitutes a lease provision which violates clearly established legal rights
of tenants or responsibilities of landlords.

����
(3)�� The statement shall
contain information about discriminatory housing practices prohibited under the
"Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1 et seq.) in
substantially the following form:

The New Jersey �Law
Against Discrimination� requires equal treatment in the sale or rental of
housing regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex,
marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial
status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
mental and physical disability, nationality, pregnancy, or source of lawful
income.� A State or federally issued housing voucher, or any other lawful
rental subsidy, qualifies as a source of lawful income.� Therefore, it is
unlawful for a landlord to refuse to rent to persons on the basis that they
would be paying with Section 8 housing vouchers or any other lawful rental
subsidies.� It is also an unlawful practice to advertise that a landlord will
not rent to persons with Section 8 housing vouchers or any other lawful rental
subsidies.

���� b.��� Where practical
considerations make it necessary for the department to limit the extent of the
statement, items to be included shall be selected on the basis of the
importance of their inclusion in protecting the rights of the public.

(cf: P.L.2007, c.177, s.1)

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

����� This bill would require the Department
of Community Affairs to include information in the Truth-in-Renting Guide that
it is discriminatory and unlawful for a landlord: to refuse to rent to a person
who would be paying with a housing voucher or other lawful rental subsidy; and to
advertise that the landlord will not rent to persons with a housing voucher or another
lawful rental subsidy.

�The bill would also require the department to include information in the
Truth-in-Renting Guide indicating that State and federal rental housing
vouchers are considered a source of lawful income, which is a protected
category under the �Law Against Discrimination,� and therefore, unlawful for a
landlord to refuse to rent to persons who would pay with these rental
subsidies.�

���� Current law, �The Truth-in-Renting Act,� requires the
DCA to prepare, make available, and update annually a statement in English and
in Spanish of the established rights and responsibilities of residential
tenants and landlords in the State.� The law requires the department to post
this document, known as the Truth-in-Renting Guide, on the department's
Internet website.� The Truth-in-Renting Guide currently contains information
about discriminatory housing practices, which are prohibited under the New Jersey
�Law Against Discrimination,� but does not specifically inform landlords,
tenants, and the general public that it is unlawful to: (1) refuse to rent to
persons with Section 8 housing vouchers, and (2) advertise that a landlord will
not rent to persons with Section 8 housing vouchers.