Ontario renter guide
Last verified: August 27, 2026. Last updated: .
The short answer: in 2026, most Ontario rentals fall under the provincial rent increase guideline of 2.1%. Your landlord must give you at least 90 days' written notice on the official form, and can only raise your rent once every 12 months. If your unit was first occupied after November 15, 2018, the 2.1% cap does not apply to it, but the notice and timing rules still do.
If your unit is rent-controlled, the most your landlord can raise your rent in 2026 without special permission is 2.1%. That's the provincial guideline, set each year by the Ontario government. On a $2,000 rent, that's a maximum increase of $42 a month.
The guideline applies to rent increases that take effect during 2026. The 2027 guideline has already been announced at 1.9%, so an increase taking effect on or after January 1, 2027 falls under that number instead.
Want to raise it more than the guideline? A landlord can't just decide to. They have to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) for an Above Guideline Increase (AGI), and the LTB decides whether to allow it. If you receive notice of an AGI application, you'll have the chance to respond through the LTB process.
Rent control in Ontario is tied to the building, not the tenant. The golden rule is the November 15, 2018 cutoff:
This catches a lot of renters. The cutoff applies to the specific unit, not the building around it. If you live in a house built decades ago, but your basement apartment was newly created and rented out for the first time in 2020, that basement unit is not rent-controlled, even though the rest of the house might be.
If your landlord claims your unit is exempt and hands you a big increase, you don't have to take their word for it:
If you believe the landlord is claiming the exemption to raise your rent illegally, you can file an A9 application with the LTB to have it officially determine whether your unit is rent-controlled.
The N1 is the Landlord and Tenant Board notice generally used for rent increases in rent-controlled units. A landlord uses the applicable form for the unit, commonly an N1 or an N2 for a partially exempt unit. For most private residential rentals, the core timing rules are:
An increase that skips these steps isn't valid. If you receive one, you can raise it with your landlord in writing and, if needed, take it to the LTB.
No. A landlord cannot increase your rent or charge extra fees because a partner or roommate moved into your unit. The only exception is subsidized or rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing, where rent is calculated from household income.
A landlord must provide a minimum of 90 days' written notice using the proper LTB form (usually Form N1 or N2). Rent can only be increased once every 12 months.
For rent-controlled units (first occupied on or before November 15, 2018), the 2026 limit is the 2.1% guideline unless the LTB approves an Above Guideline Increase. Units first occupied after that date have no cap, but the 90-day notice and 12-month spacing rules still apply.
If anyone lived in your unit on or before November 15, 2018, it's rent-controlled. If it was first occupied after that date, it's exempt from the guideline cap.
It depends on when the basement unit itself was first occupied, not the house. A new basement apartment first rented in 2020 is exempt, even in an older house.
No. Rent can't go up because another person moves in, except in subsidized (RGI) housing where rent is based on household income.
Direct links to the Residential Tenancies Act, the Landlord and Tenant Board, and the Ontario Standard Lease are on our RTA resources page.
Moving because of an increase you can't absorb? Browse rentals by city or read the guide to breaking a lease in Ontario.
The information provided on Tenant.ca is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Landlord and tenant matters in Ontario are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and adjudicated by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Please consult the LTB or a legal professional for guidance on your specific situation.
