Nova Scotia rent increase calculator (5% rent cap, 2026 and 2027)

Work out the most a Nova Scotia landlord can raise rent under the temporary 5% rent cap, the date the tenant must receive written notice (four months before), and whether 12 months have passed since the last increase. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Nova Scotia rent cap by year

The cap is a maximum, not a required increase. No figure is shown for 2028 or later, because the province says the cap is in place until 31 December 2027.

The rules this calculator uses

From the Government of Nova Scotia pages Residential Tenancies Program: legislative changes, the Residential Tenancies Program Renting guide (April 2025) and the fact sheet Temporary Rent Cap and Rent Increases (2026). Last verified: 2026-11-09.

• "A rent cap remains in place until 31 December 2027. Starting 1 January 2026, rent can only increase up to 5% each year."
• "Rent can only be increased by a maximum of 5% once every 12 months." "Rent cannot increase at all during the first 12 months of your tenancy."
• The cap applies when a tenant renews "a lease for the same unit, even if you are on a fixed-term lease". "The rent cap does not apply to new tenants signing new leases." It also does not apply to public housing or land-lease communities (such as mobile home parks).
• "Landlords need to give tenants notice of a rent increase in writing. It needs to state the amount of the increase and the date the rent will go up." Notice: "4 months' notice for year-to-year leases", "4 months' notice for month-to-month leases", "8 weeks' notice for week-to-week leases".
• "For fixed-term leases, the landlord needs to include the amounts and dates of all rental increases in the lease when it's signed."
• Removing a service (for example, parking) or charging separately for something that was included counts as a rent increase, and "If the value of a change is more than 5% of the rent, it is not allowed."

How the dates are counted

• Maximum increase = rent × 5%, rounded down to the cent, so it never goes over the cap.
• Notice-by date = the day before the same date four months earlier (for example, an increase on 1 January 2027 needs the notice received by 31 August 2026). This is the cautious reading; no extra time is added for how the notice is delivered.
• 12-month date = the same day one year after the last increase or the start of the tenancy (29 February rolls forward to 1 March).
• Week-to-week tenancies (8 weeks' notice) and land-lease communities are not covered.

Official notice form: none found for regular rentals

The province's Residential tenancy forms page (novascotia.ca) lists a Notice of Rent Increase form only for space in a land-lease community (Form M), plus the tenant's Form C1 for leaving after a rent increase notice. We did not find a landlord's notice of rent increase form for regular residential units. The Renting guide says the notice must be in writing and state the amount of the increase and the date the rent will go up. Checked: 2026-11-09.

Keeping track of renewals and notice dates

If you manage several units, a paid spreadsheet by Kyle Falk (Lease & Renewal Tracker) lists every lease with its renewal and notice dates in one place. The Small Landlord Records Bundle includes it with the other landlord record sheets. This calculator stays free either way.

Related workbook

To record rent received and expenses for each property over the year, see the Rental Property Income & Expense Tracker, a paid spreadsheet by Kyle Falk. The Small Landlord Records Bundle includes it with three other landlord record sheets. This page stays free either way.