How much can a landlord increase my rent in 2010?

The Ontario government has announced the maximum percentage by which a landlord will be able to raise the rent for most residential tenants (without approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board).

Follow up:

The 2010 guideline is 2.1 per cent.

The new rent increase guideline applies to a rent increase that begins any time between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010 and applies to most residential rental units in rental properties in Ontario.

In most cases, the rent for a unit can be increased if at least 12 months have passed since the tenant first moved in or since the last rent increase. The tenant must be given proper written notice of the rental increase at least 90 days before the rent increase takes effect.

The guideline was designed to take into account increases in landlords' building maintenance and operating costs in order to protect tenant safety and health.

There is more detailed information available on this page on the Landlord and Tenant Board website.

The web page includes these topics:

• The Guideline Formula
• A Sample Rent Increase Calculation
• Circumstances where an "above guideline increase" is allowed
• A table of past rent increase guidelines (1975 to 2009)
• An explanation of how the guideline is determined
• the guideline and rent deposits
• sources for more information
• how to contact the Landlord and Tenant Board 

2010 RENT INCREASE GUIDELINE