What Is It?
Most Canadian provinces regulate both the amount of rent increases (through annual guidelines) and the process for implementing them (mandatory notice periods, written requirements). A landlord who increases rent without proper notice, above the permitted guideline, or more than once per year may be acting illegally — and you can challenge it at the residential tenancy tribunal at no cost.
Provinces With Rent Control
Ontario: Annual guideline set each fall by the government. For 2024: 2.5%; for 2025: 2.5%. Applies to most rental units first occupied before November 15, 2018. Units first occupied after that date are exempt from rent control.
BC: Annual allowable increase set by the Residential Tenancy Branch. For 2024: 3.5%; for 2025: 3.0%. Applies to most residential units. Notice requirement: 3 full months before the increase takes effect.
Manitoba: Annual rent increase guideline applies. For 2024: 3%. Notice: 3 months.
Prince Edward Island: Annual guideline applies. Commission can approve above-guideline increases for capital expenditures.
Quebec: No fixed province-wide guideline, but landlords must justify increases using a calculation formula (considering operating costs, taxes, insurance). Tenants can refuse an increase within 1 month of notice and the matter goes to the Tribunal administratif du logement.
Provinces Without General Rent Control
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia (for most units), New Brunswick, Newfoundland: No province-wide rent control. The landlord can increase rent to any amount with proper notice. Nova Scotia introduced a temporary 2% cap that expired in 2025. Alberta requires 3 months written notice for rent increases.
Notice Requirements
Across all provinces, the landlord must:
- Give notice in writing — verbal notice is insufficient
- Give notice at least 3 months before the increase takes effect (Ontario, BC, Alberta, Nova Scotia) or 3 clear months in advance (Manitoba, Quebec)
- Increase rent no more than once per year
If the landlord fails to follow proper notice procedures, the rent increase is void — you are not required to pay it.
How to Challenge an Improper or Above-Guideline Increase
Step 1 — Calculate whether the increase exceeds the guideline for your province. Check the current year’s guideline on your province’s residential tenancy authority website.
Step 2 — Check that proper notice was given. Count the months from the date of the written notice to the effective date. If it’s less than 3 clear months, the notice is defective.
Step 3 — Respond in writing. Inform the landlord that the increase is invalid due to insufficient notice or exceeding the guideline. Continue paying your current rent.
Step 4 — File an application at the residential tenancy tribunal if the landlord insists. Applications are free (or very low cost). The tribunal will order the landlord to comply.
What Most People Don’t Know
- A defective notice means the entire increase is void, not just the excess above the guideline. If the landlord gave 2 months notice instead of 3, the entire increase can be refused until properly re-noticed.
- The guideline is a cap on rent increases, not a required increase. Landlords are not required to increase rent annually.
- “Above guideline” increases require tribunal approval in provinces with rent control — the landlord must apply and the tenant has the right to contest.
- If you’ve been paying an illegal rent increase for months, you may be entitled to a rent reduction and repayment of overpaid amounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
My unit is new construction and my landlord says rent control doesn’t apply. Is that right?
In Ontario, units first occupied for residential use after November 15, 2018 are exempt from rent control. In BC, the rent increase guideline applies to most residential tenancies regardless of when the unit was built.
My landlord increased the rent twice in one year. Is that legal?
No — in all provinces with rent increase rules, rent can only be increased once per 12-month period. A second increase in the same year is illegal and can be challenged at the tribunal.
I’m in Alberta with no rent control. My landlord increased my rent by 30%. Can I do anything?
In provinces without rent control, you have fewer options on the amount. However, the landlord must still give 3 months written notice and can only increase rent once per year. If proper process wasn’t followed, you can challenge the notice.
I’m in Quebec and refused the rent increase. What happens next?
In Quebec, if you refuse a proposed rent increase within 1 month of receiving notice, the landlord can apply to the Tribunal administratif du logement to have the increase approved. The tribunal uses an objective formula based on cost increases. If the landlord doesn’t apply within 1 month of your refusal, the lease renews at the current rent.