Rent Increase Notice and Limits for Tenants in New Brunswick

A letter arrives saying your rent is going up. Before you decide whether to accept it, it helps to check whether the landlord followed the rules on notice, timing and amount. A notice that does not meet the rules may not mean what the landlord thinks it does.

This article explains in plain terms how notice, frequency, first-year protection and the percentage cap work for tenants in New Brunswick, and what you can do if the notice looks wrong. Your lease and your situation may add details, so a lawyer can confirm how the rules apply to you.

This article covers the law of New Brunswick.

How much notice the landlord must give

The General Regulation under the Residential Tenancies Act says a landlord shall not increase the rent unless the landlord gives the tenant six months' notice. The province's guidance says that notice must be in writing.

The notice also has to take a particular form. It must be a separate document, dated and signed by the landlord or agent, and it must state the current rent, the new rent and the effective date.

• Is it a separate document, not a line in another letter or a text message?
• Is it dated and signed by the landlord or agent?
• Does it state your current rent, the new rent and the effective date?
• Does it give you six months' notice before the new rent takes effect?

How often rent can go up

Unless the parties agree otherwise in writing, a landlord cannot increase rent during the first consecutive 12-month period of a tenancy. After that, rent may be increased no more than once in any consecutive 12-month period.

Because these limits can be varied by written agreement, check whether you signed something that changes them. If you did not sign anything like that, the first-year protection and the once-a-year limit apply.

The 3% cap and the exception

A landlord must not increase rent by more than 3% effective at any time on or after February 1, 2025. If a notice asks for more than 3%, it is deemed to be a notice of 3%. In June 2026 the government announced that the cap stays at 3% for 2027.

There is an exception. A landlord may apply to a residential tenancies officer for an increase above 3%, and the officer may approve it in whole or in part, up to an upper limit set by regulation. As the regulation reads, that limit is 9% and is tied to renovation capital expenditures. Sources describe the section numbers differently, and a review of the Residential Tenancies Act is under way, so confirm the current rules if a landlord says they have approval.

Other situations to watch for

• Mobile home sites: increases must be the same percentage across the community or area.
• Retaliation: a retaliatory notice of increase given after a tenant complaint is prohibited.
• Agreements: the 12-month frequency and first-year limits can be varied by written agreement.

What to do next

If the notice looks wrong, you can ask a residential tenancies officer to review it within 60 days of receiving it. There is no fee, and you must include a copy of the notice. Do not wait, because the 60 days run from when you received the notice.

• Keep the notice and note the date you received it.
• Check it against the notice, timing and percentage rules above.
• Look at your lease and anything you signed about rent.
• Calculate the percentage increase from current rent to new rent.
• File a review request with a copy of the notice within 60 days if something is off.
• Speak with a lawyer if the landlord claims approval for more than 3% or you think the notice is retaliation.

Frequently asked questions