Statement from Assemblywoman Katie Brennan on New Jersey Banning Rent-Setting Algorithms

Governor Mikie Sherrill signs the FAIR Act into law, making New Jersey the fourth state to ban rent-setting algorithms, a policy Asw. Brennan sponsored and campaigned on

NEWARK, NJ — Earlier today in Newark, Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act into law, making New Jersey the fourth state to ban landlords from using rent-setting algorithms.

The FAIR Act makes the use of rent-setting algorithms illegal and directs the Attorney General to set up a way for renters to report violations. The law targets pricing software like RealPage that large corporate landlords use to set rent prices across their buildings.

"We're in the middle of a housing crisis, and it's gotten worse because corporate landlords are using algorithms to jack up everyone's rent," said Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-Jersey City), sponsor of the FAIR Act. "This type of software recommends identical increases across different properties and neighborhoods, driving up rents and pricing people out of their communities. No one should have to bid against a machine designed to squeeze every last dollar out of them. The FAIR Act bans the use of rent-setting algorithms and gives renters a fair shot at an apartment they can afford."

This is the first housing bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Katie Brennan (D-Jersey City) to be signed into law. Assemblywoman Brennan made banning rent-setting algorithms a centerpiece of the housing plan she released during her 2025 campaign.

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