NORTHWEST TERRITORIES · RENTAL OFFICE · INDEPENDENT GUIDANCE
NWT rent increases: 12-month spacing and 3-month notice
Why the NWT has no general percentage ceiling but still restricts timing.
Annual spacing
Under section 47 the rent for the premises generally cannot be increased until 12 months after the last effective increase or, for a first rental, first charged rent. A change of landlord or tenant does not restart the property’s clock.
Required written notice
Section 47 generally requires at least three months’ written notice of a rent increase, and an increase cannot take effect before the 12-month spacing rule is satisfied. The NWT does not usually impose a general percentage ceiling on private rent increases; the notice and timing rules still apply. A Rental Officer may order repayment of an improperly collected increase.
Changing homes after a notice
A tenant receiving a rent increase notice may in certain cases elect to treat the notice as notice of termination and must tell the landlord in writing. The landlord faces obligations on a subsequent re-rental.
Subsidized public housing exception
Section 47(6) expressly excludes subsidized public housing from section 47. The ordinary 12-month increase-spacing and three-month notice estimates described here are not a substitute for confirming the rules and tenancy terms governing subsidized public housing. See the official Residential Tenancies Act, section 47(6).
Related Northwest Territories tenancy guides
Official sources
Official sources
This is an independent guide. Check the official rules and forms for your case.