Rent increase

[Mitch13]

My landlord used to live with me, but recently moved downstairs after the previous tenant moved out. Now he’s trying to double my rent, can he do that?

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

According to the Steps to Justice guide to rent increases, the 2019 rent increase guideline is 1.8%.

A rent increase guideline is the most a landlord can increase rent without applying to the Landlord and Tenant Board.

If this is the case, here is an excerpt on the rules your landlord must follow:

To give you a guideline rent increase, your landlord must follow these rules:
12 months apart: After you move in, your landlord must wait at least 12 months before raising your rent. And any increases after that also must be at least 12 months apart.
90 days’ written notice: Your landlord must give you a written notice at least 90 days before your rent goes up. This notice should be on one of the forms from the Landlord and Tenant Board. If your landlord does not use the Board’s form, the notice could still be valid if it includes all the information that is on the Board’s form.

For increases above the guideline, your landlord may take the following actions:

If your landlord applies for an above-guideline increase, the Board will schedule a hearing. Your landlord must give you a copy of the application and a Notice of Hearing at least 30 days before the hearing.
You and other tenants affected by the application have the right to challenge your landlord’s application at the hearing. For example, you might be able to argue that the work done by your landlord was not needed or did not cost what your landlord says it did.
After hearing from you and your landlord, the Board will decide how much of a rent increase it will allow.
If your landlord makes this kind of application, try to get legal help. There is information about where to get legal help in section Where to get help.

You may want to contact the Landlord and Tenant Board for general information about landlord and tenant issues at 1(888)332-3234. You may also find legal advice and services near you in https://settlement.org/findhelp/ontario/

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

We hope this information is helpful.

Settlement.Org Team