When can the increase take effect?
For ordinary covered residential rental units, the 2026 maximum is 2.3% and the 2027 maximum is 2.2%. Use the percentage for the year the increase takes effect. An unused allowance from a prior year cannot be carried forward or added to the new year's limit. A new owner does not reset the 12-month waiting period.
Count three full months of notice
If a tenant receives a valid notice during October, November, December and January are the three complete months, so the earliest possible increase under that notice is February 1, assuming the 12-month requirement is also met. The date a notice is legally received may differ from the date it was sent or delivered, depending on the permitted service method. Use the RTB's official service rules rather than assuming delivery and receipt happen on the same day.
Complete and serve RTB-7
- Enter the landlord's and tenant's names, the rental address, existing rent, calculated increase in dollars, new rent and effective date.
- Check the calculation against the BC Government rent-increase calculator. Do not round the increase upward beyond the permitted percentage.
- Give the tenant the completed notice using a method allowed by the Residential Tenancy Act, keeping proof of service and a copy of the entire notice. This is a notice to the tenant, not an application to the RTB for the standard annual increase.
What if more than the annual limit is proposed?
RTB-7 does not itself authorize a larger increase. A higher amount may require an applicable RTB order or the tenant's voluntary written agreement meeting the statutory requirements. A tenant does not have to agree to an above-limit increase merely because the landlord requests it. Special rent-increase processes and manufactured home site tenancies use different rules or forms.
Common mistakes
Counting the month in which notice was received as one of the three full months, applying a 2026 percentage to an increase effective in 2027, increasing rent before 12 months have elapsed, or treating a form delivered by an unapproved service method as valid notice. If a notice does not comply with the law, tenants may dispute or decline the unlawful increase; get advice before withholding any other rent.