Landlord & Tenant in Canada

How much can my landlord raise the rent?

Province by province: Ontario's 2026 guideline is 2.1% for most units — once every 12 months, on 90 days' written notice — but units first occupied after 15 November 2018 are exempt from the cap. BC's 2026 limit is 2.3%, once every 12 months on 3 months' notice. Alberta caps frequency (once a year), not amount. Quebec has no fixed cap, but you can refuse a proposed increase and the Tribunal administratif du logement will set the rent. An increase notice that breaks the rules is generally void — check before you pay it.

I got an eviction notice. Do I have to move out by the date on it?

In Ontario and BC, no — the notice starts a process; it doesn't end your tenancy. In Ontario only the Landlord and Tenant Board can evict, after the landlord applies and you get a hearing; the sheriff, not the landlord, enforces. In BC you have short windows to act (5 days to pay or dispute a 10-day non-payment notice), and disputing preserves your tenancy until the Residential Tenancy Branch decides. The dates on the notice are deadlines for responding, not removal dates. Never ignore one — and never assume it's valid either.

I'm behind on rent. How fast can I actually be evicted?

There is a real process, and paying up usually stops it. Ontario: the N4 gives 14 days to pay in full (7 days for notices served on or after 21 September 2026); pay within it and the notice dies. Miss it and the landlord applies to the LTB — hearings take time, and even at the hearing the Board can order a payment plan. BC: a 10-day notice, with 5 days to pay or dispute. The worst move everywhere is silence: tenants who engage — pay, dispute, or propose a plan — keep options that no-shows lose.

My landlord says they're moving in. Can they end my tenancy for that?

Own-use evictions exist everywhere, with compensation and good-faith rules attached. Ontario's N12 requires 60 days' notice to the end of a rental period, one month's rent in compensation, and genuine intention — the landlord or close family must actually move in and stay (12 months is the benchmark); bad-faith own-use draws heavy penalties and tenant compensation at the LTB. BC's own-use notices carry their own periods, compensation and dispute windows. If the "moving in" story smells like a rent reset, dispute it — tribunals see the pattern constantly.

What can my landlord demand up front — and do I get my deposit back?

Depends where you rent. BC: at most half a month's rent as a security deposit (plus a pet damage deposit), with move-in/move-out inspections; after you leave, the landlord must return it or apply against it within strict timelines, and doubling penalties punish non-compliance. Ontario: no damage deposit is lawful — only a rent deposit applied to the last month's rent, which earns annual interest; charging "key money" beyond actual key cost is prohibited. Quebec: deposits are banned outright — first month's rent is all that may be collected. Illegal deposits are recoverable.

Repairs aren't being done. Can I withhold rent?

Not safely — unilateral withholding hands the landlord a non-payment case in most provinces. The lawful routes bite harder: document the disrepair (photos, dated requests), involve municipal property standards or health inspectors where applicable, and apply to your tribunal — Ontario's LTB (a T6 application) and BC's RTB can order repairs, rent abatements (effectively refunds for the period of disrepair) and cost awards. Landlords' repair obligations run even when rent is owing; tenants' rent obligations run even when repairs are owing. Use the forum, not self-help.

Can a landlord refuse me because of kids, income assistance or a pet?

Children and income source: no — human rights codes across Canada prohibit refusing tenants on family status, and most protect lawful income sources including assistance; "adults only" advertising is itself unlawful in the ordinary rental market. Pets are property-law, not human-rights, territory and vary: Ontario voids no-pet clauses in signed leases (condo rules and genuine allergy/nuisance cases aside) but allows refusing an applicant for having a pet; BC allows no-pet policies. Service and guide animals override no-pet rules everywhere.

Is this legal advice? Are you a law firm?

No. Legal Hotline is not a law firm. The free line gives clear, general legal information about Canadian residential tenancy law — not legal advice on your specific situation — and calling creates no lawyer-client relationship. When a tenancy fight needs a professional, we connect you with a Canadian lawyer for a one-hour consultation at a flat C$295 — the total, nothing added — bookable on the call, with the price confirmed before you pay anything.