Ontario Rent Increase 2026: How Much Can Your Landlord Legally Raise the Rent?

For 2026, Ontario's rent increase guideline is 2.1%. That is the maximum a landlord can raise the rent for most existing tenants in a year without getting special approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). The 2025 guideline was 2.5%, so this year's cap is the lowest in four years.

A practical example: if your rent is $2,000 a month, a 2.1% increase adds $42 per month. Your new rent becomes $2,042 — not a dollar more, unless a specific exception applies.

Three rules protect tenants. First, at least 12 months must pass since your last increase or the day your tenancy began. Second, your landlord must give you at least 90 days' written notice using the LTB's official Form N1 (Notice of Rent Increase) — a text message or casual conversation does not count. Third, the increase cannot exceed the guideline unless the LTB approves an above-guideline increase.

One important exemption: units first occupied for residential purposes on or after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the guideline percentage. The landlord can raise the rent by any amount on those units, but must still give 90 days' notice and respect the 12-month rule.

If you receive a notice, check three things: the percentage math, the 90-day notice period, and the 12-month gap. If any of them are wrong, the increase is generally not valid. Want to check your numbers in seconds? Try our free Ontario rent increase calculator — it does the guideline math for you.