The DCA records no general vacancy decontrol in Chapter 260. The only decontrol it names runs to buyers of covered multi-family dwellings certified vacant as of 1 July 1998, which is a closed historical class.
So for a covered building — five units or more — a below-market tenancy stays below market through a turnover and through the sale, and a pro-forma that resets those rents is modelling a right the chapter does not appear to grant. Read from the survey rather than the ordinance, so confirm it before an offer depends on it.
- Vacancy decontrol
- No
Sources
- NJ DCA — 2026 Rent Control Survey — New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 2026 Rent Control Survey (spreadsheet, linked from the DCA Landlord-Tenant Information page; last revised 20 May 2026). The department's own caveat: the survey is only as current as the published codes, and the stated percentage may differ from the increase actually permitted.