Ontario Rent Increase Calculator
Check if your landlord's rent increase is within Ontario's LTB rent increase guidelines. Free, instant, no signup.
Ontario Rent Increase Guideline 2027
The Ontario rent increase guideline for 2027 is 1.9%. This is the maximum a landlord can raise rent for an existing tenant in a rent-controlled unit effective January 1, 2027.
Units built after November 15, 2018 are exempt from rent control and may be increased by any amount with proper notice.
📋 Ontario Rent Increase Guidelines
| Year | Guideline % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 1.9% | Set by Ontario government |
| 2026 | 2.1% | Set by Ontario government |
| 2025 | 2.5% | Set by Ontario government |
| 2024 | 2.5% | Set by Ontario government |
| 2023 | 2.5% | Set by Ontario government |
| 2022 | 1.2% | Set by Ontario government |
| 2021 | 0% | Rent freeze (COVID-19 response) |
| 2020 | 2.2% | Set by Ontario government |
Understanding Ontario Rent Increase Rules
Every year, the Ontario government publishes an annual rent increase guideline under the Residential Tenancies Act. This percentage represents the maximum amount a landlord can raise rent in a 12-month period without applying to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) for special permission. For 2026, that guideline is 2.1%, and for 2027 it is 1.9% — both confirmed by the Ontario government. If your landlord is charging more than that on a standard rental unit, the increase may be illegal.
The guideline applies to most private residential rental units in Ontario — apartments, houses, basement units — as long as the unit was first occupied for residential purposes before November 15, 2018. Newer units built after that date are generally exempt, meaning landlords can charge any amount of rent increase. However, even for exempt units, landlords must still give 90 days written notice using Form N1 before any increase takes effect.
This tool calculates whether your specific rent increase falls within the guideline. It compares your current rent and new rent to the official LTB percentage for the year your increase takes effect, and gives you an instant verdict. It does not replace legal advice — if you believe your landlord has violated the rules, contact the LTB directly.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your current monthly rent — the amount you pay right now.
- Enter the new rent amount your landlord is proposing, either as a dollar amount or percentage increase.
- Select the year the increase takes effect.
- Select your unit type — standard (pre-Nov 2018) or newer (potentially exempt).
- Click Check My Rent Increase to get your instant verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026 guideline is 2.1% and the 2027 guideline is 1.9% — both confirmed by the Ontario government. A tenant paying $1,800/month can have rent raised to a maximum of $1,834/month in 2027 under a standard guideline increase.
At least 90 days written notice using LTB Form N1. An email or text message does not satisfy this requirement — it must be a formal written notice.
Your landlord needs LTB approval through an Above Guideline Increase (AGI) application. Without that approval, you can file a T1 application at tribunalsontario.ca/ltb to dispute it.
No. Ontario law limits rent increases to once every 12 months, regardless of the amount. A landlord cannot stack two increases in a single year.
Yes — in 2021, the Ontario government froze rent at 0% as part of COVID-19 relief measures. Most tenants in standard units saw no legal rent increase that year.
The November 15, 2018 exemption
This is the first thing to check, because it determines whether the guideline applies to you at all. Rental units first occupied on or after November 15, 2018 are exempt from Ontario's annual rent increase guideline. A landlord of an exempt unit can raise rent by any amount.
The test is when the unit was first occupied as a residential unit, not when the building was built and not when your tenancy started. A basement apartment created in an old house in 2021 can be exempt; a 1960s apartment is not. Even for exempt units the landlord must still give 90 days written notice on Form N1 and may raise rent only once every 12 months — those rules apply to everyone.
Above-guideline increases, and what a landlord cannot do
A landlord may apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an Above Guideline Increase — for major capital work, a significant rise in municipal taxes, or added security services. But it must be applied for and granted. A landlord cannot simply charge more and call it an AGI, and you are entitled to notice of the application and to dispute it.
Note also that the guideline caps increases, not starting rent. When a unit is re-rented to a new tenant the landlord may set any rent the market allows. This is why "renoviction" — pressuring a tenant out to reset the rent — is a live issue in Ontario, and why an unexpected eviction notice for landlord's own use or major renovation deserves advice rather than compliance.
If the increase is wrong
Raise it in writing first. A large share of over-guideline notices are simple errors — last year's percentage applied, or 12 months counted from the wrong date. Quote the correct guideline and the maximum lawful rent; many are corrected immediately and without conflict.
If that fails, an increase is not enforceable for the excess where it exceeds the guideline without an approved AGI, gives less than 90 days notice, comes less than 12 months after the last increase, or is not on the proper form. You can dispute at the LTB. Keep the written notice you were served — it is the central evidence. Paying an unlawful increase does not make it lawful, though recovering it later is more work than challenging it up front.