The rules in Ontario
- How often it can rise
- Once every 12 months
- Notice you must get
- 3 months in writing
- How much it can go up
- At most 2.1% each time
The guideline is set each year from inflation — it is 2.1% for 2026, down from 2.5% in 2025. It caps homes covered by rent control (first lived in on or before 15 November 2018). A landlord can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an above-guideline increase in limited cases (major repairs, big utility-cost jumps).
In the law: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006
Toronto is a city of renters, and the rules on how much your rent can go up — and how much notice you must get — are set by Ontario, not the city. This checks an increase against those rules and does the arithmetic for you.
The one that catches people: rent control only caps homes first lived in on or before 15 November 2018. Most newer buildings, additions and many newer basement apartments are exempt, so there's no limit on the amount — only on the notice and timing. The checker asks which applies to you.
Your landlord must give at least 90 days' written notice on the official form (the N1), and can only raise the rent once every 12 months. (The check below counts the 90 days as three months.)