2026 State Legislative Trends in the Northeast: Algorithmic Rent Bans, Just Cause Evictions, and Protections for Survivors of Abuse

By Nada Hussein, NLIHC State & Local Research Analyst 

NLIHC’s Research team follows developments in rental housing policies and programs at the state and local level, including the introduction and passage of bills related to tenant protections in the legislatures of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Over the next month, through Memo to Members & Partners, NLIHC will highlight 2026 legislative trends across the Northeast, South, Midwest, and Western regions of the U.S. 

This article focuses on the Northeast region, which encompasses Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. While it uplifts a few key trends, the bills discussed here represent a small fraction of the scores of housing-related bills pursued this year across the region. 

Legislators Take a Clear Stance on the Rent-Setting Algorithms 

In recent years, landlords and property managers have increasingly relied on third-party software to handle management duties like setting rental prices and vacancy rates. These software programs often use algorithms—known as “rent-setting algorithms”—to analyze large amounts of public and proprietary data on rental conditions to maximize profits for their clients, which can result in rent prices that are artificially inflated. The U.S. Department of Justice noted that usage of third-party software to artificially inflate rental costs prevents competition in the rental market, which can lead to unaffordable rental costs. The complaint notes that this is particularly concerning given that a single company, RealPage, held an 80% share of the market for commercial revenue management software for U.S. multifamily properties as of February 2025. 

On July 20, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed into law Assembly Bill 3497, also known as the “Forbidding the Algorithmic Inflation of Rent (FAIR) Act.” The FAIR Act makes it a violation of the state’s anti-trust laws for rental property owners or representatives to use services like rent-setting algorithms to coordinate with other rental property owners to restrict competition in the rental market or otherwise engage in coordinated efforts with competitors to manipulate rental costs. The law requires the Attorney General of New Jersey to create a website where individuals can report violations. The law will take effect in July 2027. The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (HCDNNJ), an NLIHC state partner, advocated for more than three years for the passage of the FAIR Act. 

With the passage of the FAIR Act, New Jersey becomes the fourth state to enact legislation to address the role of technology in the rental market, joining California, New York, and Connecticut. However, legislation targeting algorithms and other technology used to set rental costs has gained traction across multiple states in the Northeast, where rents are particularly unaffordable. According to NLIHC’s Out of Reach report, which calculates the “housing wage” for each state as the hourly wage required to afford a modest two-bedroom rental unit, half of the top 10 states ranked by highest housing wage were in the Northeast (see map below). In the 2026 legislative session, bills were introduced in Massachusetts (Senate Bill 2983), Maryland (House Bill 434), and Rhode Island (House Bill 7764) to regulate the use of rent-setting technology.  

The role of technology in the rental market has faced scrutiny in recent years. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice sued RealPage for violating anti-trust laws and colluding to create a price-fixing rent scheme, citing the loss of competition in the rental market as being harmful to millions of Americans. In a 2025 settlement, RealPage was required to cease data sharing with competitors, including not sharing sensitive information about rental units, vacancy rates, or price schedules with competitors to create alignment on rental costs. 

Housing Advocates Continue to Push for the Passage of “Just Cause” Eviction Laws 

“Just cause” (sometimes called “for-cause”) eviction laws specify the reasons for which a landlord can legally evict a tenant. Eligible reasons might include nonpayment of rent, violation of the lease agreement, or intent by the landlord to live in or sell the rental unit. Just cause standards are important because they protect tenants against arbitrary, retaliatory, or discriminatory eviction practices. Currently, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York are the only states in the Northeast with broadly applicable just cause eviction laws. Connecticut has just cause protections that apply only to tenants who are 62 years or older, or have a physical or mental disability, and reside in a multifamily property with at least 5 units or in a mobile home park. In 2026, advocates in the Northeast tried to advance or expand just cause protections in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  

In Connecticut, Senate Bill 257 would have expanded the state’s existing just cause law to include all tenants who have lived in the aforementioned eligible properties for at least 12 months. Under the proposed law, valid reasons for eviction include nonpayment of rent, refusal of a rent increase, noncompliance with the lease agreement, removal of the unit from the rental market, or intent for the landlord to use the unit as a principal residence. This session continued a years-long effort by housing advocates to secure expanded just cause protections for the state, with the campaign even drawing public support from Governor Ned Lamont. Supporters of the proposed law included the Connecticut Tenants Union, Make the Road Connecticut, the Connecticut Fair Housing Center, and the Partnership for Strong Communities. The Partnership, NLIHC’s state partner in Connecticut, noted that, “despite public backing from Governor Lamont and co-sponsors representing more than 50% of the Democratic caucus in both chambers…the legislature failed to bring this bill to a vote for the third consecutive year…limiting transparency and accountability on an issue affecting roughly one-third of Connecticut families who rent their homes.”  

Legislators in Rhode Island (Senate Bill 2294) and Vermont (House Bill 0772) proposed similar bills this session that listed specific causes for which landlords can legally seek an eviction, including non-payment of rent, violation of the renter’s lease agreement, or intent for the landlord to move into the premises. The Vermont bill also included demolition or renovation of the unit as sufficient grounds for eviction, specifically if the renovations would cost more than 50% of the unit’s value to become or remain habitable. Under the proposed Vermont law, which also included stronger protections around security deposit returns and longer notice periods for eviction, renters would have the right to reoccupy the unit and pay market rate rent (“right of first refusal”) once renovations are completed. 

Legislators Introduce Bills to Protect Survivors of Abuse 

In this legislative term, over a third of states in the Northeast introduced legislation to advance or expand protections for renters who are survivors of abuse, including domestic or intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, stalking, human trafficking, or other forms of harassment. While the federal “Violence Against Women Act” (VAWA) provides protections for survivors in federally subsidized housing, there are currently no federal protections for survivors who reside in other kinds of rental housing. 

In June, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed into law House Bill 7199/Senate Bill 2291, better known as the “Survivor Early Lease Termination Act.” The new law allows survivors of abuse the ability to terminate their lease agreements early without facing eviction or financial liability for the remainder of their lease as long as sufficient notice is provided to the landlord. The law also allows for survivors of abuse to request that their landlords change their locks if they feel unsafe. Housing and survivor advocates supported the law as a way of removing barriers for survivors of abuse who need to flee or leave unsafe situations but are unable to do so with their existing lease agreements in place. Lucy Rios, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, noted that the law will “save lives.” In Pennsylvania, a similar bill (House Bill 72) was introduced to allow victims of domestic or sexual violence to terminate their lease agreements early. 

Rhode Island joins multiple states across the Northeast region that already have laws allowing survivors to terminate their lease agreements early or request a change in locks. This session, two of these states—New Jersey and New York—attempted to expand legal protections for renters who are survivors of abuse or violence. New Jersey’s proposed law (Assembly Bill 4218) would prohibit a landlord from terminating a tenancy, failing to renew a tenancy, or refusing to rent to a prospective renter if they indicate on their rental application that they are the victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill was introduced on February 19, 2026, and was referred to the Assembly Judiciary Committee on September 10, 2026. In New York, Assembly Bill 09112 was reintroduced in the 2026 legislative session and would have prohibited landlords from using consumer credit reports to screen prospective renters who self-attest to being a victim of domestic violence and made it unlawful to deny applications from victims of domestic violence on the basis of credit history. The bill did not make it out of committee before the end of session.  

Join NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protections Network Bimonthly Calls 

Are you pursuing tenant protection legislation in your own jurisdiction? NLIHC's Research team hosts a bimonthly State and Local Tenant Protections Network call that serves as an informal meeting space for housing advocates, tenant organizers and leaders, legal service providers, and academics to discuss efforts and challenges to advance tenant protections at the state and local levels. Register for the next State and Local Tenant Protections Network call on December 10 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET. 

Have questions about state and local housing research, or want to share updates from your community? Email [email protected]