Refusing a Rent Increase
Your landlord can take advantage of the lease renewal period to request an excessive rent increase.
You can refuse a rent increase and stay in your home!
Your landlord has to use the calculation tool provided by the Tribunal du logement (TAL, formerly Régie du logement or rental board), which accounts for the building’s revenue and costs. Click here to see the TAL’s calculation tool.
Unfortunately, the TAL’s calculation tool is inadequate for tenant use. Tenants would need to provide 18 pieces of information—some of which they don’t have in their possession—to calculate the rent increase.
Considering that the calculation tool isn’t adapted to the information the tenants actually have, we suggest that you participate in our rent increase workshops to help you estimate your increase! Click here to find out when our next workshops are.
In the meantime, click here to see the TAL’s documents.
Our own calculation tool to help you ESTIMATE your rent increase is available here and uses information about municipal and school taxes, as well as renovations carried out by the landlord. This calculation tool allows you to estimate a “reasonable” increase of your monthly rent. The tool ultimately helps determine whether your landlord’s requested rent increase is excessive.
Keep in mind that you have one month within receiving the rent increase notice to refuse the increase by registered mail.
Click here to see a template for rent increase refusal (available in French).
If you haven’t received a rent increase notice three months before the end of your lease (for 12-month leases), the lease will automatically renew under the same conditions. If you don’t want to renew your lease, send a notice of non-renewal of the lease three to six months before the end of the lease by registered mail. Click here to see a sample notice (available in French).
Our workshops on rent increases will provide you with all the information you need to defend your rights and estimate your rent increase. Call us for more information!
