The B.C. government has announced the maximum allowable rent increase for 2026, setting the cap at 2.3 per cent.
That’s down from the 2025 limit of three per cent.
The province says the rate is tied to the annual change in the Consumer Price Index, marking the second year in a row the cap has been set at inflation.
The Ministry of Housing notes that before 2018, landlords could raise rents by inflation plus an additional two per cent.
Officials say that change has saved the average renter hundreds of dollars each year.
The increase cannot take effect before January 1, 2026, and landlords must give tenants at least three months’ notice using the rent increase form.
Rents can only be raised once every 12 months.
The annual change does not apply to commercial tenancies, non-profit housing where rent is compared to income, co-ops, or some assisted-living facilities.
According to the ministry, past caps were: 3.0 per cent in 2025, 3.5 per cent in 2024, and 2.0 per cent in 2023.
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