Rent increases

A landlord must provide written notice to increase rent. Landlords must provide a minimum of six-months’ notice of a rent increase.

Landlords are not permitted to increase rents above 3%. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords must give tenants six months’ written notice of a rent increase. Landlords can only increase rent once every 12 months, and not within the first 12 months of the lease.

Any tenant that is served a notice of rent increase above 3% should contact the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office to request assistance.

A landlord can increase rent once per 12-month period and must provide the tenant with the proper amount of notice in writing. The rent increase must be a separate document from any other notice or receipt given to the tenant by the landlord and include:

• The name of the tenant
• The address of the rental unit
• The current amount of rent and the amount of rent after the increase takes effect
• The date when the increase is to take effect
• Dated and signed by the landlord or an agent or representative of the landlord

Additional requirements for mobile home site tenants

The landlord must increase the rent by the same percentage for each site in the mobile home community, or in the same area of the mobile home community.

A landlord must give a proper amount of notice to increase rent. The landlord must provide written notice at least 6 months before the rent increase will start.

For example, for a rent increase to start on July 1, your landlord must provide written notice no later than January 1.

Mobile home site

For more information about the unique requirements related to mobile home sites:

Mobile home sites

The landlord cannot increase rent within the first 12 months of a tenancy.

The rent can only be increased once every 12 months.

If a tenant suspects the landlord increased rent because the tenant filed a complaint against them, they may contact the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office who offers protection against retaliatory rent increases under the Residential Tenancies Act. 

When a tenant receives notice of a rent increase, they have the choice of requesting a review through the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office or ending their lease. If they choose to request a review, they must apply within 60 days of service of notice.

Request a review

Tenants may have a written notice reviewed to ensure it was served properly. To request a review, they must apply within 60 days of receiving a notice of a rent increase by completing an application for assistance with the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office. A copy of the written notice of rent increase received from the landlord must be included in the application.  There is no fee to apply.

Landlords must apply for rent increases above the 3 percent cap, up to 9 percent, for justified capital expenditures for renovations of units. Landlords must provide supporting evidence when applying, and the Residential Tenancies Officer will assess and make decisions on these applications.

The Tenant and Landlord Relations Office is available to help answer questions or help you with your application of a rent review by calling 1-888-762-8600, emailing  [email protected] or visiting a Service New Brunswick service centre.

• Tenant Application for Assistance (Online)
• Tenant Application for Assistance (PDF)

Ending a lease

Should a tenant choose to end the lease, a written notice must be provided to the landlord. The written notice must include the address of the rental unit, the date the tenancy will terminate and be signed by the tenant. How much notice is required depends on the lease term:

• For a fixed-term, year-to-year, or month-to-month lease, the tenant must provide at least 1 month’s written notice before the rent increase starts.
• For a week-to-week lease, the tenant must provide at least 1 week’s written notice before the rent increase starts.

If you have questions or need help understanding a notice of a rent increase, talk to your landlord or contact the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office at 1-888-762-8600 or by email [email protected].