Rent increases are one of the few parts of being a landlord with hard deadlines. Get the notice or the timing wrong and the increase isn’t valid, even if the amount was fine. Here’s how it works in Ontario, in the order you’ll need it.
How much can the rent go up?
It depends on when the unit was first lived in.
- Units first occupied on or before November 15, 2018. The rent can go up by no more than Ontario’s yearly rent increase guideline: 2.1% in 2026 and 1.9% in 2027. Going above the guideline needs approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board.
- Units first occupied after November 15, 2018. The guideline doesn’t apply, so there’s no cap on the amount. The notice and timing rules below still apply in full.
“First occupied” means the first time anyone lived in the unit, not when your current tenant moved in. A condo built in 2016 is covered by the guideline even if you bought it last year.
The notice: Form N1, at least 90 days ahead
A rent increase has to be given to the tenant in writing at least 90 days before it takes effect, on the Landlord and Tenant Board’s Form N1, Notice of Rent Increase. A text, an email or a letter you write yourself doesn’t count, and neither does a notice that arrives on day 89.
If you mail the notice, allow extra time: a mailed notice counts as delivered five days after it’s sent.
Once every 12 months
Rent can go up only once in any 12-month period: no sooner than 12 months after the tenant moved in, or 12 months after their last increase.
Putting dates on it
Say your tenant moved in on February 1, 2026, paying $2,200 a month, in a condo first occupied in 2014.
- The earliest the rent can go up is February 1, 2027, 12 months after move-in.
- The 2027 guideline is 1.9%, so the most the rent can rise to is $2,241.80.
- The N1 has to reach the tenant by November 3, 2026, 90 days before the increase. Mailing it? Send it by October 29.
Miss November 3 and the increase simply starts later: count 90 days forward from the day the tenant actually receives the notice.
Keep a record
Keep a copy of every N1 you give, and note how and when it was delivered. If the increase is ever questioned, those two facts are what matter.
With Rentwise full management, we track every tenancy’s dates and send the N1 on time, on the right form.
This is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Government of Ontario, Residential rent increases · Queen’s Legal Aid, The N1 form and rent increases · Landlord and Tenant Board forms