B.C. caps residential rent increases at 2.2% in 2027
This is the seventh consecutive year that the B.C. government has capped annual residential rent increases at or below inflation
Glen Korstrom, Aug 27, 2026
The B.C. government is capping the maximum allowable annual rent increase that landlords can charge residential tenants at 2.2 per cent starting Jan. 1, 2027.
That is down from the 2.3 per cent maximum increase allowed this year, and marks the seventh consecutive year where the maximum allowable increase has been capped at or below inflation.
“When many people are feeling the impact of rising costs, linking rent increases to inflation helps renters, including seniors and families, meet their housing expenses, while also ensuring landlords can continue providing stable, well-maintained homes for renters for years to come,” said Christine Boyle, minister of housing and municipal affairs in a statement.
She said her focus is to help B.C. residents find housing that fits their needs and budgets.
Government data and estimates show that before 2019, when the provincial government began pegging rent increases to inflation, renters faced rent increases that tended to be two percentage points above the inflation rate. That cost people hundreds of dollars each in additional rent each year.
If the change had not taken place, allowable rent increases would have reached 5.4 per cent in 2023 and 5.6 per cent in 2024, the ministry said in a news release.
“Announcing the increase now provides landlords time to give the required minimum of three months notice of the change so renters can plan ahead,” it said.
Landlords are only allowed to raise rents once every 12 months.
In an August report from Rentals.ca, the organization found that the average asking price for new rents for a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver was $2,377 in July, down 4.8 per cent from one year earlier. Those asking prices for two-bedroom units were down 4.6 per cent in July, year-over-year.
Nonetheless, Rentals.ca ranked Vancouver as the second-highest priced market for asking rents among top Canadian markets, with a total average asking price of $2,686 in July. North Vancouver ranked No. 1 with a total average asking price of $3,039.
www.westerninvestor.com/real-estate/bc-caps-residential-rent-increases-at-22-in-2027-12714940
