JERSEY CITY, NJ (January 8, 2026) — Mayor-elect James Solomon today testified in front of the New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee in support of Assembly Bill No. 4872. This bill would clarify existing anti-trust laws to explicitly prohibit landlords from using rent-setting algorithms to fix rental prices and restrict competition.

As a member of the City Council in Jersey City, Mayor-elect Solomon introduced and passed one of the nation’s strictest municipal ordinances banning rent-setting algorithms.

The following is the text of the Mayor-elect’s testimony as prepared.

Chairwoman Swain and members of the Committee:

My name is James Solomon. I serve on the Jersey City Council, where nearly a year ago we passed one of the strongest municipal ordinances in the country banning the use of rent-setting algorithms that facilitate collusion among landlords.

We did not act out of ideology. We acted out of necessity.

Jersey City is in the grip of a severe rental housing crisis. Rents have risen at a pace far beyond wage growth, and working- and middle-class residents are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they built. Families, seniors, and essential workers are spending more than half their income just to stay housed, while vacancy rates remain artificially constrained.

At the same time, Jersey City is home to many of the very developers and property managers named in nationwide lawsuits alleging algorithmic rent-fixing—companies like AvalonBay, Greystar, Brookfield, Bozzuto, and Kushner Real Estate. These firms control tens of thousands of units in our region. When they act in concert, the consequences are not theoretical—they are felt immediately by tenants signing leases and facing renewals they cannot afford.

Our ordinance was designed to confront a simple truth: price-fixing does not become lawful because it is done by software instead of phone calls and meetings. Algorithms that aggregate nonpublic rent and occupancy data and recommend pricing strategies to competitors undermine competition and harm the public just as surely as traditional collusion.

That is why I strongly support A4872/S3699—with the favorable amendments now being adopted.

Those amendments matter enormously.

First, they ensure the bill does not legalize or weaken existing antitrust protections, but instead reinforces them.

Second, they close loopholes that would otherwise allow landlords to evade accountability through corporate structures, agents, or proprietary systems.

Third, they restore a workable pleading standard so that tenants and the Attorney General can realistically enforce the law in the face of opaque, technology-driven collusion.

Without these amendments, there is a real danger that municipalities that acted early and responsibly would see their protections wiped out and replaced with a weaker state standard—leaving tenants worse off than they are today. That would be exactly the wrong outcome.

Jersey City’s experience shows this problem is real, the harm is measurable, and strong policy solutions are workable. A strong state law, aligned with what cities have already done, will protect renters statewide while ensuring responsible landlords can continue to operate competitively and lawfully.

I urge you to advance A4872/S3699 with these amendments intact and to send a clear message: New Jersey will not allow rent-gouging by algorithmic collusion, and it will not undermine the communities that have led the way.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Mayor-Elect James Solomon was elected Mayor of Jersey City on December 2 with a mandate to pursue an aggressive agenda focused on affordability, modernizing city services and operations, and delivering a competent and effective government. Mayor-elect Solomon previously served as a two-term councilman, where he built a reputation for standing against corruption and fighting for housing affordability and a more responsive City government. Mayor-elect Solomon will take office on January 15.