How much can your rent go up in 2026 and 2027?
For a current tenant whose increase takes effect in 2026, the published limit is 2.1% in Ontario, 2.3% in British Columbia and 5% in Nova Scotia. Pick your province to apply its limit, its notice rules and its exemptions to your own rent and dates.
Ontario also has an exemption check and an N1 notice calculator. For what renters pay in your city, see rents by city.
The three provinces side by side
In Ontario and British Columbia the year that counts is the calendar year in which the new rent starts, not the year the notice was written: an increase that starts on January 1, 2027 uses the 2027 figure. In Nova Scotia the cap is the same in both years.
| Rule | Ontario | British Columbia | Nova Scotia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limit, increase starting in 2026 | 2.1% | 2.3% | 5% |
| Limit, increase starting in 2027 | 1.9% | 2.2% | 5% |
| How long the limit lasts | Set for each calendar year; capped at 2.5% | Set for each calendar year; an unused part of one year's limit can't be carried into the next | Same cap every year until December 31, 2027 |
| Written notice before the new rent starts | At least 90 days | At least 3 whole months | 4 months on a year-to-year or month-to-month lease; 8 weeks on a week-to-week lease; on a fixed-term lease, the amounts and dates in the lease |
| Form or required content | Form N1 - Notice of Rent Increase for most units | Form RTB-7, Notice of Rent Increase | There is no prescribed form; the written notice must state the amount of the increase and the date the new rent starts |
| A mailed notice counts as received | On the fifth day after mailing | 5 days after mailing | On the 3rd day after mailing (registered mail, express post or courier) |
| Gap between increases | 12 months | 12 months | No more than once in 12 months, and none in the first 12 months of a tenancy |
| Who decides a dispute | Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) | Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) | Residential Tenancies Program |
| Official source | Residential rent increases | Rent increases (Residential Tenancies; page last updated August 27, 2026) | Temporary Rent Cap and Rent Increases (2026) |
Notice is where the provinces differ most: Ontario counts days, British Columbia counts whole months of rent, and Nova Scotia counts months, or weeks on a weekly lease.
One rent, three provinces
Say you pay $1,800.00 a month and the increase takes effect on February 1, 2027. The most each limit allows, if your unit is covered:
- Ontario: $1,800.00 × 1.9% = $34.20, so a new rent of $1,834.20.
- British Columbia: $1,800.00 × 2.2% = $39.60, so a new rent of $1,839.60.
- Nova Scotia: $1,800.00 × 5% = $90.00, so a new rent of $1,890.00.
Each still depends on the notice arriving in time and on the gap since your last increase.
Who the limits leave out
- Ontario: a unit first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 can be exempt from the guideline if it's in a new building or addition, or is a new unit in a house that meets the Act's conditions, though 90 days of notice and 12 months between increases still apply. See the exemption check.
- British Columbia: housing co-operatives renting to members, and public housing where the rent is tied to the tenant's income, are among the tenancies outside the limit. The B.C. page lists the rest.
- Nova Scotia: the cap does not cover a new tenant signing a new lease, or land-lease communities such as mobile home parks. The Nova Scotia page explains renewals of a fixed-term lease, which are covered.
What this site does, and what it doesn't
Every figure here was read on the province's own web pages or in its statutes, regulations, forms and guides, or in Statistics Canada's tables, and it's shown with that source and the day it was checked. The tools run in your browser: what you type stays on your device.
It doesn't decide whether your increase stands: the LTB, the RTB or the Residential Tenancies Program does, and each province page names free help. It covers these three provinces only. How figures are checked and rounded is in the methodology.
Last change to the site: . Every change is listed, with its date, on What's new.
Sources
- Residential rent increasesGovernment of Ontario
- Rent increases (Residential Tenancies; page last updated August 27, 2026)Government of British Columbia
- Residential Tenancies Program: legislative changesGovernment of Nova Scotia
- Temporary Rent Cap and Rent Increases (2026)Government of Nova Scotia
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17 (consolidation from September 21, 2026; currency date September 28, 2026)Government of Ontario
- Notice of Rent Increase, Residential Rental Units, form RTB-7 (2024/08)Residential Tenancy Branch
- Residential Tenancies Guides: Renting Guide (pages dated April 2025)Government of Nova Scotia
- Form N1 Notice of Rent Increase (v. 01/04/2022)Tribunals Ontario
- Residential tenancy formsGovernment of Nova Scotia
- Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c. 78 (current to September 22, 2026)Government of British Columbia
- Residential Tenancies Act, R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 401 (official consolidation of October 3, 2025, archived copy)Province of Nova Scotia
Every source listed here was consulted on .