Can a Landlord Raise Rent Above the Guideline in Ontario?

You open a notice from your landlord and the new rent is far higher than you expected. Before you decide what to do, it helps to know what a landlord must do to raise rent at all, and which units sit outside the usual yearly limit.

This article explains the basic rent increase rules, the narrow situations where there may be no cap, and the ways to challenge a Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) order. It is general information, not advice on your situation.

The basic rules for any rent increase

Most rental homes in Ontario are covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. Rental units include apartments, houses and rooms in rooming or boarding houses, and the Act also covers care homes, retirement homes, and sites in mobile home parks and land lease communities.

For a covered unit, a rent increase needs at least 12 months since the tenant moved in or since the last increase, plus at least 90 days' written notice. The Ontario Government sets the guideline each year.

• Check the date: 12 months must have passed since move-in or the last increase.
• Check the notice: it must be in writing and give at least 90 days.
• Check the amount against the guideline for the year the increase takes effect, which the Ontario Government publishes.
• Check your lease: most tenancy agreements first entered into on or after April 30, 2018 must use the Standard Form of Lease.

When the guideline may not apply

A unit that was not occupied for residential purposes on or before November 15, 2018 may be exempt from the rent increase guideline. Notice is still required, but there is no limit on the size of the increase.

Whether your unit fits that exception depends on its history, so it is worth asking your landlord how they say the exemption applies and confirming it. Other situations, including whether a landlord can seek more than the guideline for other reasons, depend on the facts and are worth confirming with a lawyer.

Also remember that some arrangements fall outside the Act. It does not apply if you must share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner or the owner's family members. Non-profit, public, university and college residences are covered by most of the Act's other rules, such as maintenance and eviction, but many of its rent rules do not apply.

Other rules that often come up with a big increase

A large increase often arrives alongside other disputes. A rent deposit can only be used for the last month's (or week's) rent, and it cannot exceed one month's rent where rent is paid monthly.

A landlord may generally enter only after giving 24 hours' written notice stating the reason, and only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Landlords also cannot shut off vital services such as heat from September 1 to June 15, electricity, fuel, or hot or cold water. How this applies if you feel pressured over rent depends on your situation, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer.

If the LTB makes an order about your rent

If a dispute reaches the LTB and you disagree with the order, there are three ways to have it changed.

For orders issued on or after July 1, 2026, the LTB may review a final order only on three grounds: you were not reasonably able to participate (for example, no adequate notice of the hearing), a serious error, or new evidence that could not have been obtained earlier. Older brochures and third-party pages may still show the 30-day deadline and broader grounds, so check the date of your order.

• A late review request is considered only if a Request to Extend Deadline, with reasons for the delay, is filed with it.
• You may make only one review request per order.
• The LTB may stay the order where enforcement would cause harm that cannot be undone.
• Requests to review a consent order are rarely granted unless there is evidence of fraud, coercion or duress.
• An appeal automatically stays the LTB's order until the court decides, and a copy of the appeal documents must be sent to the LTB. While an appeal is filed, the LTB cannot consider a Request to Review unless the stay is first lifted.

What to do next

• Write down the date you moved in, the date of your last increase and the date you received the notice.
• Keep your lease, the notice and any messages with your landlord.
• If a hearing is set, disclose your evidence 7 days before it and any responding evidence 5 days before, unless the LTB orders otherwise.
• Send hearing evidence to LTB.Evidence@ontario.ca with the file number and hearing date in the subject line, or upload it through the Tribunals Ontario Portal.
• Mark the review or appeal deadline on your calendar as soon as an order is issued.

You can call the LTB toll-free at 1-888-332-3234, or 416-645-8080 in the Toronto area. Staff give information but not legal advice. The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario helps tenants and is funded by Legal Aid Ontario. Because deadlines are short, a lawyer can confirm which option fits your order.

Frequently asked questions