New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill Signs FAIR Act Banning Algorithmic Rent Pricing

Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act, making New Jersey the fourth U.S. state to prohibit landlords from using algorithmic pricing tools to set rents. The legislation, sponsored by state Senator Brian Stack, makes it illegal for landlords to employ software that coordinates rent levels or occupancy across properties, targeting large corporate landlords and aiming to curb artificial rent hikes and improve housing affordability.

The FAIR Act follows local bans adopted by Jersey City and Hoboken and reflects growing national scrutiny of rent‑setting algorithms. A Washington Post analysis cited RealPage as an example, with about 600 customers using its software for roughly 4.5 million residential units, adding an estimated $70 per month to rents and costing renters $3.8 billion in 2023.