Raising the rent in Ontario, BC and Manitoba

The yearly guideline

Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba each publish a percentage, usually in the summer or autumn before the year it applies to. For a covered unit it is the most the rent can rise without the tribunal’s approval or the tenant’s written agreement. The percentage applies to the calendar year the increase takes effect in, not the year the notice is given.

Each row links to the page it was read from. Verified for 2027 on 2026-09-21; a year not yet published shows nothing rather than a guess.

Once every twelve months

In all three provinces the rent can rise at most once every twelve months, counted from the day the current rent took effect: the last increase, or the start of the tenancy if there has been none. An increase also starts on the first day of a rental period, so the earliest date is the anniversary of the current rent. Nothing is banked: a year skipped is not two years’ worth later.

Notice and the form

• Ontario: at least 90 days before the increase, on Notice of Rent Increase (Form N1). The Landlord and Tenant Board publishes the guideline and the form.
• British Columbia: three full months before the increase, on Notice of Rent Increase (Form RTB-7). The Residential Tenancy Branch publishes the guideline and the form.
• Manitoba: at least three months before the increase, on Notice of Rent Increase (Residential Tenancies Branch form). The Residential Tenancies Branch publishes the guideline and the form.

Ontario counts 90 days back from the effective date. British Columbia and Manitoba count three full months, so an increase on January 1 needs the notice in the tenant’s hands by September 30. Miss the deadline and the increase moves to the next rental period the notice can reach; it never takes effect early.

Units the guideline does not cover

Each province exempts some units — newer buildings in Ontario and Manitoba, units above a rent threshold in Manitoba, and several kinds of social and institutional housing everywhere. An exempt unit still needs the notice period and the form; only the percentage cap is lifted. Quebec sets rent through its own tribunal and is not covered here. Check the tribunal’s page for your unit before serving notice.