The Ontario government has set the 2017 Annual Rent Increase Guideline at 1.5%. The guideline increase of 1.5% for 2017 is the maximum a landlord can raise a tenant’s rent without approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board. This applies to most sitting tenants in private residential rental units covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. Rents charged to new tenants are at the discretion of the landlord.
The 2017 guideline increase takes effect from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. As noted above, landlords cannot increase rent for sitting tenants above the 1.5% guideline without seeking approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board. This 2017 guideline increase of 1.5% is slightly lower than the 1.6% rent increase for 2016. It is based on the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation calculated monthly by Statistics Canada.
If the landlord intends to implement an Above Guideline Increase the landlord is required to abide by the regulations of the Landlord and Tenant Board and file an application with Landlord and Tenant Board for an Above Guideline Increase. Refer to this link: http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/documents/ltb/Brochures/2017%20Rent%20Increase%20Guideline%20(EN).html
Detailed information on the 2017 Annual Rent Increased Guideline is available at this link: https://www.ontario.ca/page/rent-increase-guideline
East York Tenants Group 
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