A manager with buildings in Winnipeg and Toronto sits down in late September to prepare January rent increases. Ontario's 2027 guideline is 1.9%, Manitoba's is 3%. Two numbers, two spreadsheets, done by lunch.

Except Manitoba's notice for a 1 January 2027 increase has to reach the tenant by 30 September 2026. And on the same date the increase takes effect, Manitoba raises the rent threshold below which more units become subject to the guideline, from $1,670 to $2,000 a month. A unit renting at $1,800, for example, can move from the exempt range in 2026 to the guideline-controlled range in 2027.

The percentage is the easiest thing to look up and the least likely to cause a problem. What causes problems is whether the unit is covered at all, and whether the notice went out in time. Here is where each province sits, and what decides coverage.

The Current Figures

*Saskatchewan has separate notice and timing rules for ordinary periodic tenancies and for prescribed landlord-association members. See the Saskatchewan section below.

Ontario publishes its guideline at ontario.ca. British Columbia publishes its limit through the Residential Tenancy Branch, which also states that where utilities and other fees are included in the rent, the landlord cannot exceed the limit even if their costs are higher.

What Determines Whether A Limit Applies

The answer depends on the province. Common factors include when the unit or building was first occupied, the current rent, the type of housing, and whether the tenancy falls within a statutory exemption. Provinces do not draw these lines in the same place, so a national portfolio cannot apply one coverage rule to every unit.

When the building was first occupied. Ontario's guideline applies to units first occupied for residential purposes before 15 November 2018. Manitoba exempts units in buildings first occupied after March 2005, for 20 years.

What the rent is. Manitoba is the clearest example, and it changes on 1 January 2027. The province announced that the monthly rent exemption threshold rises to $2,000 from $1,670, which it describes as the largest expansion of rent control in decades.

What kind of housing it is. Manitoba's guideline does not apply to several categories, including various kinds of social housing and government-owned units. Other provinces set their own exclusions.

New Brunswick Has A Cap, And A Long Notice Period

New Brunswick belongs in the capped group, which some national summaries still miss.

The provincial government states that landlords are not permitted to increase rent by more than 3% every 12 months, that six months' written notice is required, and that rent can only be increased once every 12 months and not within the first 12 months of the tenancy.

The cap took effect in February 2025 and is reviewed annually. In June 2026 the province announced it would be maintained for the 2027 calendar year, with the next review scheduled for May 2027.

Six months' notice on an annual cycle is a planning constraint rather than a paperwork one. A January increase has to be planned in the previous June.

Did Nova Scotia's Rent Cap Expire?

Some published guidance still says it did. That is out of date.

Nova Scotia's cap is set at five per cent for 2026 and five per cent for 2027. The province's own Rent Cap Facts sheet confirms it runs to 31 December 2027 and states there are no exceptions, regardless of lease type, how many people live in the unit, or changes to services offered.

Nova Scotia requires four months' notice for a rent increase.

Quebec Is Not A Percentage

Quebec does not publish a single figure every landlord may apply.

The Tribunal administratif du logement publishes annual percentages used in its rent-fixing calculation. For 2026, the base percentage applicable to rent is 3.1%. Other components can apply depending on services, capital expenditures, energy costs and other factors, and the Tribunal provides a calculation tool.

That 3.1% is not a province-wide maximum. The calculation is specific to the building or dwelling. That distinction matters whenever Quebec appears in a national rent comparison.

The Provinces Without An Annual Percentage Cap

Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador do not set an annual percentage cap. That is not the same as no regulation.

Alberta. There is no statutory limit on the amount. Rent cannot be increased until at least 365 days have passed since the last increase or the start of the tenancy, whichever is later, and it cannot be increased during a fixed term. Three months' written notice applies to month-to-month tenancies, with different periods for other tenancy types.

Saskatchewan. There is no percentage cap, and the rules run on two tracks. For periodic tenancies, landlords who are not members of a prescribed landlord association serve a 12-month Notice of Rent Increase; the increase may not begin within the first 18 months of the tenancy and rent may be increased only once every 12 months. Landlords in good standing with the Network of Non-Profit Housing Providers of Saskatchewan or the Saskatchewan Landlord Association may serve a six-month notice; the increase may not begin within the first 12 months and rent may be increased once every six months. For fixed-term tenancies, rent may be increased as set out in the written agreement or through the Term Lease Two Month Notice of Intention form, served at least two months before the tenancy end date. The forms are issued through the Office of Residential Tenancies.

Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no percentage cap. Rent cannot be increased within the first 12 months of the tenancy, or more than once in a 12-month period. Notice is six months for month-to-month and fixed-term tenancies, and eight weeks for week-to-week. Rent generally cannot be raised during a fixed term unless the increase was agreed at the outset.

Above The Ordinary Limit

In several provinces, landlords can apply for an increase above the ordinary annual limit. Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have processes that can permit a higher increase when the applicable requirements are met.

These are applications with grounds and evidence requirements, decided by the relevant body, not increases a landlord applies unilaterally.

The Order To Work In

For each unit, in order:

Is this unit covered by a limit at all, given when the building was first occupied, what the rent is, and what kind of housing it is?

When was the last increase, and has the required period passed?

What is the notice deadline, counted back from the effective date?

Only then, what is the percentage for the year the increase takes effect?

An increase that clears the percentage but misses the notice period can still be invalid, making the calendar just as important as the rate. For a portfolio, the practical challenge is keeping the coverage rule, the last-increase date, the notice deadline and the applicable percentage connected to the individual unit. That is the difference between looking up a guideline and managing a rent increase across a portfolio, and it is the unit-level side that RIOO's pricing strategies addresses. 

Common Questions

1. Which provinces cap rent increases?
Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island set annual limits. Quebec uses a tribunal calculation rather than a single cap. Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador do not set an annual percentage cap.

2. What are the 2027 figures?
Ontario 1.9%, British Columbia 2.2%, Manitoba 3%, New Brunswick 3%, Nova Scotia 5%. PEI's allowable increase is set annually by the Director of Residential Tenancy.

3. What if a province has not published its 2027 figure yet?
Some provinces set the allowable increase annually and publish it later in the year. As at 23 September 2026, PEI's 2027 maximum and Quebec's 2027 rent-fixing percentages had not been published. The previous year's figure is not a substitute when calculating an increase for the following year.

4. Does the cap apply to every unit?
No. Ontario's guideline applies to units first occupied before 15 November 2018. Manitoba exempts buildings first occupied after March 2005 for 20 years, and units above a rent threshold, which changes to $2,000 on 1 January 2027.

5. When does notice have to be given?
Ontario requires 90 days on Form N1, British Columbia and Manitoba three months, PEI three months, Nova Scotia four months, and New Brunswick six months. For a 1 January 2027 increase in Manitoba, notice must be received by 30 September 2026.

Sources: Ontario, Residential rent increases, for the 2027 guideline of 1.9%; Ontario, Residential rent increases, for the 2026 limit of 2.3% and the 2027 limit of 2.2%; Province of Manitoba news release, 3 September 2026, for the 2027 guideline of three per cent, the rent exemption threshold changing to $2,000 on 1 January 2027, the exemption for buildings first occupied after March 2005, and the 30 September 2026 notice deadline for a 1 January increase; Government of New Brunswick, Rent increases, for the 3% limit, the six-month notice requirement and the 12-month rules, together with the province's June 2026 announcement maintaining the cap for the 2027 calendar year; Nova Scotia Rent Cap Facts and Bill 467, for the five per cent cap for 2026 and 2027; the Tribunal administratif du logement, for the 2026 base percentage of 3.1% and the rent-fixing criteria; and the Government of Saskatchewan, Rent Increases, for the two periodic-tenancy tracks and the fixed-term rules. The Ontario 2026 guideline of 2.1% and the PEI 2026 allowable increase of 2% are drawn from published summaries citing the respective provincial bodies. The Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador rules described above are drawn from published legal-education summaries of the provincial tenancy statutes, including the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta and the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights, and should be confirmed with the relevant provincial tenancy authority. Provincial figures are set annually and notice requirements vary by province and tenancy type. This article describes the position in general terms and is not legal advice. Confirm the current figure and notice requirement with the relevant provincial tenancy authority before serving a notice of rent increase.