How to Give a Rent Increase Notice in Ontario for 2027 (N1 Form)

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 2 November 2026 · 10 min read — The 1.9% cap, a rent increase calculator, 2027 serving deadlines and a box-by-box guide to Ontario’s N1 form.

This guide is for Ontario landlords who need to give a rent increase for 2027, and for tenants who want to check the notice they just received. You will get the 2027 number, a quick calculator table, the serving deadlines worked out for each month, a box-by-box walk through Form N1, and the mistakes that make a notice void. It is general information as of November 2026, not legal advice.

What is Form N1 and who has to use it?

Form N1, Notice of Rent Increase, is the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) form most Ontario landlords must use to raise a sitting tenant’s rent. Section 116 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) says a rent increase needs at least 90 days’ written notice, on a form approved by the Board, stating the new rent. The current N1 on the LTB’s forms page is version 01/04/2022.

The LTB’s N1 instructions list three cases where you use a different form:

• Form N2 if the unit is exempt from the rules that limit the size of the increase, such as most units first occupied after November 15, 2018.
• Form N3 for a care home, such as a retirement home.
• Form N10 if you and the tenant agree to an increase above the guideline in exchange for capital work or a new or added service. The N1 itself says no Notice of Rent Increase is needed in that case.

Not sure if your unit is exempt? The Ontario government says the landlord must be able to prove the first-occupancy date if there is a dispute, using things like building and occupancy permits or builder documents.

How much can rent go up in Ontario in 2027?

1.9%. Ontario’s rent increase guideline for 2027 is 1.9%, down from 2.1% in 2026 and 2.5% in 2025. It applies to increases that take effect between January 1 and December 31, 2027. Under section 120 of the RTA, the guideline is based on Ontario’s Consumer Price Index and can never be more than 2.5%.

The guideline covers most rented houses, apartments, basement units and condos. It does not limit the first rent for a new tenant, units first occupied after November 15, 2018, community housing, long-term care homes or commercial space. For the history and exemptions in more depth, see my post on the 2027 rent increase guideline.

How do you calculate a 1.9% rent increase?

Multiply the current monthly rent by 0.019, round to the cent, and add it to the current rent. Here is a quick calculator for common GTA rents:

Source: Government of Ontario, Residential rent increases (2027 guideline of 1.9%). Dollar amounts calculated by me.

For the timing rules behind the yearly increase, see can a landlord raise the rent every year. Two details trip people up. First, the N1 says the new rent includes the basic rent plus any amount the tenant pays separately to the landlord for services, so use the full current rent, not just the base. Second, you can increase by less than 1.9%; the guideline is a ceiling, not a target. Many of my landlord clients keep a good long-term tenant by staying under it.

When do you have to serve the N1 for a 2027 increase?

At least 90 days before the increase takes effect, and at least 12 months after the tenant’s last increase or move-in date (RTA section 119). Ontario’s Legislation Act, section 89(3), says you count by excluding the day the notice is given and including the day the increase starts. If you mail it, RTA section 191(3) treats it as given on the fifth day after mailing, so mail at least 95 days ahead.

Source: RTA ss. 116 and 191(3); Legislation Act, 2006, s. 89(3). Dates calculated by me. Serving earlier than these dates is fine; later is not.

If you hand an N1 to your tenant on 10 November 2026, the earliest date the increase can take effect is 8 February 2027. For an increase taking effect in January 2028, the 2028 guideline applies; under section 120(3) the government must publish it by August 31, 2027.

How do you fill out the N1, box by box?

The LTB’s instructions warn that a notice filled out wrong may not be valid and you may have to start over. Go through it in this order:

1. To: the names of every tenant in the unit, plus the address.
2. From: the name and mailing address of every landlord.
3. Address of the Rental Unit: the full address with unit number and postal code.
4. Your New Rent: the date the increase starts (dd/mm/yyyy), the new total rent in dollars and cents, and whether it is per month, per week or another period.
5. Explanation of the Rent Increase: the dollar amount of the increase and the percentage.
6. Shade one box: either the increase is at or below the guideline, or it is above the guideline and has been approved by an LTB order, or you have applied for an above-guideline increase.
7. Signature: shade Landlord or Representative, then print your name, add a phone number, sign and date it. A representative also completes the representative information section.

Worked example: current rent $2,300 a month, last increase June 1, 2026, next increase June 1, 2027. The new rent is $2,343.70, the increase is $43.70 or 1.9%, you shade the “less than or equal to the guideline” box, and you serve it by hand no later than March 3, 2027.

How do you serve an N1 notice the legal way?

Section 191 of the RTA and the LTB’s N1 instructions allow you to:

• hand it to the tenant, or to an adult in the rental unit;
• leave it in the tenant’s mailbox or where their mail is normally delivered;
• slide it under the door or through a mail slot in the door;
• send it by courier, by fax to the tenant’s home or business, or by mail (adding five days for mail).

The instructions say you cannot serve it by posting it on the tenant’s door. Keep a record of how, when and by whom it was served, plus a copy of the signed form. If the increase is ever challenged, that record is your proof.

What mistakes make a rent increase notice invalid?

• Less than 90 days’ notice, counted the way the Legislation Act requires.
• Less than 12 months since the last increase or move-in.
• An increase above 1.9% on a covered unit without an LTB order or a valid agreement.
• The wrong form, such as an N1 on an exempt unit (use N2) or a letter or email instead of the LTB form.
• Serving by posting on the door.

There is a time limit on challenges. Section 135.1 says a void increase is treated as valid if the tenant has paid it for 12 consecutive months without bringing an application in which it is in issue, and section 136 makes rent charged for a year or more lawful unless it was challenged within that year. The Ontario government says tenants can dispute an increase at the LTB within 12 months after the amount was first charged. My guide on checking whether a rent increase is illegal walks tenants through it.

What can a tenant do after getting an N1?

Check the five points above first. If the notice is valid and the tenant stays, section 118 says a tenant who does not give notice to end the tenancy is deemed to have accepted whatever increase the Act allows. The tenant does not sign the N1 and, as the form itself says, does not have to sign a new lease; the tenancy simply continues month to month.

If the landlord has applied for an above-guideline increase that has not been decided yet, the N1 instructions say the tenant can choose to pay either the new rent in the notice or the current rent plus the guideline. If the order later approves more, the tenant may owe the difference. My post on above-guideline increases explains the process.

Can rent go up for an air conditioner or parking outside the guideline?

Yes, in limited cases. Since the Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023, section 36.1 of the RTA lets a tenant install a window or portable air conditioner where the landlord does not supply air conditioning, after notifying the landlord in writing, unless the landlord can prohibit it in limited prescribed circumstances. If the landlord pays for electricity, the landlord may increase the rent by no more than the actual cost of the electricity used to run the air conditioner, or a reasonable estimate based on what the tenant told the landlord. The rent must go back down if the tenant removes it or stops using it for the season.

Separately, section 123 allows an increase when a landlord and tenant agree to add a parking space or another prescribed service, and section 119 says that increase does not count for the 12-month rule.

What to do next

1. Confirm whether the unit is covered by the guideline (N1) or exempt (N2), and find the last increase or move-in date.
2. Calculate the new rent at no more than 1.9% using the full current rent.
3. Download the current N1 from the LTB forms page and fill in every box, naming all tenants and landlords.
4. Serve it by hand or another allowed method before the deadline in the table, and keep a written record of service.
5. Tenants: check the notice against the five-point list and contact the LTB within 12 months if something is wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Landlord and Tenant Board: Form N1, Notice of Rent Increase (v. 01/04/2022)
• Landlord and Tenant Board: Instructions for Form N1
• Landlord and Tenant Board: Forms
• Government of Ontario: Residential rent increases (updated June 23, 2026)
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (ss. 36.1, 116, 118, 119, 120, 123, 135.1, 136, 191)
• Legislation Act, 2006, s. 89 (counting time)

Related reading

• Can My Landlord Enter Without Notice in Ontario?
• Can a Landlord Evict You Without Going to the LTB in Ontario?
• Can My Landlord Raise the Rent Every Year in Ontario? 2027 Rules
• Can a Landlord Put Security Cameras in or Outside a Rental in Ontario?