Rent can only rise 2.1% this year, and six other rules to tape to the fridge

You do not need to read the Residential Tenancies Act. You need these seven things, which are the ones that come up in a student house, with this year's figures.

1. Rent can only go up 2.1% in 2026. That is the provincial guideline for this year (it was 2.5% in 2025). Your landlord needs at least 12 months since the last increase or the start of the tenancy, and must give you at least 90 days' written notice on the proper form. The catch: units first occupied after November 15, 2018 are not covered by the guideline. A new basement apartment can go up by any amount.

2. The deposit is one month, and it is rent. A rent deposit cannot be more than one month's rent, it can only be applied to your last month, and it earns interest every year. There is no such thing as a damage deposit in Ontario. Any lease clause asking for one is void.

3. Twenty four hours. Except in an emergency, or if you agree on the spot, your landlord has to give you 24 hours' written notice before entering.

4. "No pets" does not count. A no-pets clause in a lease is unenforceable. (Condo rules are the exception, and a landlord can still act if an animal causes real problems.) Same for "no guests".

5. Heat is 20 degrees from September 1 to June 15. If the landlord provides the heat, that is the legal minimum. If something is broken and you have told them in writing and nothing happens, the route is a T6 application to the Landlord and Tenant Board, which can order repairs or a rent reduction.

6. Leaving takes 60 days, on a form. To end a monthly or fixed-term tenancy you give at least 60 days' notice on Form N9, and the end date has to be the last day of a rental month. A fixed-term lease that runs out does not throw you out: it rolls into month-to-month automatically.

7. You can hand the lease to someone else. A landlord cannot unreasonably refuse a sublet or an assignment. If you ask to assign and hear nothing for seven days, you can end the tenancy with 30 days' notice instead of 60.

Print this. Tape it inside a cupboard. Half of what a landlord says in a stressful conversation is answered by one of these lines.

The Cribb Team