1. Find out if you’re covered by the guideline
Question & Answer
How much can my rent go up?Most rental housing is covered by the guideline rule but there are some exceptions.
You are not covered by the Guideline if you are renting a unit, which is sometimes called Rent Geared to Income (RGI) housing. RGI housing has other rules about how much rent you have to pay and how much you get if your rent is going up. Your rent is usually based on your family size and household income.
There are also exceptions for some newer units. You are not covered by the guideline if your rental unit is:
- in a building, mobile home park, or land lease community that was first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018,
- in an addition to a building, mobile home park, or land community, and the addition was first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018, or
- a self-contained unit created after November 15, 2018 in a house that contained no more than two residential units at any time up to November 15, 2018 and meets certain other conditions.
Rent freeze in 2021
The government has announced that the guideline for the year 2021 will be zero percent. This means that your landlord cannot raise your rent at all from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
Your landlord is allowed to give you a rent increase notice in 2021 but the increase cannot start before January 1, 2022.
This rent freeze will also apply to newer units that are normally not covered by the guideline. So even if your building was first occupied or your unit was created after November 15, 2018, your landlord cannot raise your rent in 2021.
The freeze also applies to RGI tenants and those paying “market” rent in community or .
You are not covered by any of the rent rules if you share a kitchen or bathroom with the landlord or their close family members. Your landlord can raise your rent as much as they want and whenever they want, unless your rental agreement says they can’t.
If your landlord has given you a Notice of Rent Increase, check to see if it is on a Form N1 or Form N2 . A Form N2 means your landlord believes you are not covered by the guideline. The form does not require the landlord to say why they think you are not covered, so you should ask them if you are not sure of the reason.
If you are not sure if you are covered or if your landlord has used the right form, check with a lawyer or legal clinic.
If you are not covered by the guideline you will have to pay the new rent unless you can get your landlord to agree to a lower amount.
