spaces, bicycle-share programs, or one-time rentals of party or media rooms, may also be charged to affordable unit tenants, if applicable.
6.
Pet fees may not exceed $30.00 per month and associated one-time payments for optional fees pertaining to pets, such as a pet cleaning fee, are prohibited.
7.
Fees charged to affordable unit tenants for other optional, unit-specific, non-communal items shall not exceed the amounts charged to market-rate tenants.
8.
For any prior round rental unit leased before December 20, 2024, elements of the existing fee structure that are consistent with prior rules, but inconsistent with 5:80-26.13(c)1, may continue until the occupant household’s current lease term expires or that occupant household vacates the unit, whichever occurs later.
Q. Tenant Income Eligibility.
1.
Tenant income eligibility shall be determined pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.14, as may be amended and supplemented, and shall be determined as follows:
a.
Very low-income rental units shall be reserved for households with a gross household income less than or equal to 30% of the regional median income by household size.
b.
Low-income rental units shall be reserved for households with a gross household income less than or equal to 50% of the regional median income by household size.
c.
Moderate-income rental units shall be reserved for households with a gross household income less than 80% of the regional median income by household size.
2.
The Administrative Agent shall certify a household as eligible for a restricted rental unit when the household is a very low-income, low-income or moderate-income household, as applicable to the unit, and the rent proposed for the unit does not exceed 35% (40% for age-restricted units) of the household’s eligible monthly income as determined pursuant to N.J.A.C. 5:80-26.17, as may be amended and supplemented; provided, however, that this limit may be exceeded if one or more of the following circumstances exists:
a.
The household currently pays more than 35% (40% for households eligible for age-restricted units) of its gross household income for rent, and the proposed rent will reduce its housing costs;
b.
The household has consistently paid more than 35% (40% for households eligible for age-restricted units) of eligible monthly income for rent in the past and has proven its ability to pay;
c.
The household is currently in substandard or overcrowded living conditions;
d.
The household documents the existence of assets with which the household proposes to supplement the rent payments; or
e.
The household documents reliable anticipated third-party assistance from an outside source such as a family member in a form acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the owner of the unit.