Your landlord will soon be eligible to spike up your monthly rent as much as 2.2%, according to the Ontario government’s rent increase guideline for 2020.
The new 2.2% guideline will go into affect for increases between January 1 and December 31, 2020, and is the highest that the guideline has been in six years, beat only by a 2.5% guideline set in 2013.
Last year, the number was set at 1.8%, and it did not go up for 2019.
Previous Ontario rent increase guidelines were as follows:
| Year | Guideline (%) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1.8 |
| 2018 | 1.8 |
| 2017 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | 2.0 |
| 2015 | 1.6 |
| 2014 | 0.8 |
| 2013 | 2.5 |
| 2012 | 3.1 |
| 2011 | 0.7 |
| 2010 | 2.1 |
| 2009 | 1.8 |
See also
- The average cost of rent in Canadian cities in June (MAP)
- Toronto's average home prices need to fall $523,000 to reach affordability
This means that if you’re already paying $1,000 for rent, that could be increased to $1,022 a month.
Keep in mind, though, that a landlord can only increase your rent payment 12 months after a previous increase, and must give you written notice 3 months in advance.
The Ontario government’s rent increase guideline sets the maximum that landlord is allowed to raise a tenant’s rent during the year without the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board.
It’s calculated using the Ontario Consumer Price Index, which measures the province’s inflation rate—the increase of the general price of goods and services—throughout the year.
Government of Ontario website
While the guideline applies to most private residential rental units covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, it does not apply to residential units that are vacant, social housing units, nursing homes, commercial properties, or new buildings, additions or basement apartments that are occupied for the first time after November 15, 2018.
For Ontario, the new rent increase guideline comes at time where many cities in the province are already experience some of the highest rent in the country.
As per the report from PadMapper for the month of June, released a week ago, cities in Ontario already count for 5 out of the top 10 Canadian cities with the most expensive average rent prices for a single bedroom unit.
Of course, at the top of that list is Toronto, with a rent that’s has reached an all-time high this month at $2,230, according to the report.
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