Can a Landlord Raise Rent During a Fixed Term Lease in Alberta?

No, an Alberta landlord cannot raise rent during a fixed term lease of one year or more, whatever the lease says (Residential Tenancies Ministerial Regulation, AR 211/2004 s.3(3)). For back-to-back terms shorter than a year, rent can rise only after 365 days, and if that day falls inside a term, the landlord waits until the term ends.

This page answers the questions landlords and tenants ask most about rent and fixed-term leases in Alberta. Each answer names the section of the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) or its regulation so you can check it. The rules were checked against the King's Printer consolidations on October 24, 2026.

Can an Alberta landlord raise rent in the middle of a one-year lease?

No. In Alberta, a landlord shall not increase the rent, or collect any extra rent from an increase, during a fixed term tenancy of one year or more (AR 211/2004 s.3(3)). The regulation applies "despite any agreement, declaration, waiver or statement to the contrary", so a lease clause that allows a mid-term increase does not change it.

The rule covers leases of exactly one year and longer ones, such as an 18-month or two-year lease. The rent you signed for holds until the last day of the term. A notice that tries to raise it earlier does not comply with the Act and is void (RTA s.14(6)).

What about a lease shorter than one year, or back-to-back short leases?

An Alberta landlord cannot raise rent within the first year in any case, because the Act sets a minimum of one year between increases (RTA s.14(4)). Where a tenant stays in the same unit under two or more consecutive fixed terms, each shorter than a year, rent can rise only once at least 365 days have passed since the first term began or the last increase, whichever is later (AR s.3(4)).

If the 365th day falls inside one of those short terms, the landlord must wait until that term expires before the higher rent can start (AR s.3(5)). Signing a new short lease does not restart the clock.

Can rent go up when the fixed term ends?

Yes, an Alberta landlord can ask for a new rent when a fixed term ends, as long as at least 365 days have passed since the tenancy began or the rent last went up. A fixed term ends on its end date with no notice from either side (RTA s.15), so a new rent comes with a new agreement or with the tenancy that follows.

There are two common paths:

• A new fixed-term lease. The landlord offers a new term at a new rent, starting the day after the old one ends. The tenant can accept, negotiate or decline and move out at the end of the term.
• Staying on month to month. If the tenant stays after the term with no new lease, a monthly periodic tenancy may be implied (RTA s.13). Any increase in that tenancy needs written notice at least 3 tenancy months before it takes effect (s.14(1)(b)).

Our conservative reading: when it is unclear which path applies, treat the tenancy as monthly, wait the 365 days and give 3 tenancy months' written notice that is dated, signed and states the effective date (s.14(2)). That notice is valid either way. The Alberta rent increase rules guide and how much notice is needed for a rent increase in Alberta work through the dates.

How much can rent go up at renewal in Alberta?

Alberta sets no limit on the amount of a residential rent increase. The rules control only timing and notice, unlike BC, where the 2027 limit is 2.2%, or Ontario, where the 2027 guideline is 1.9%.

Because there is no cap, the renewal offer is a negotiation. A tenant who does not accept the new rent on a fixed term can leave at the end date without giving notice (s.15). A monthly tenant who receives a notice of increase and does not give notice to end the tenancy effective on or before the increase date is deemed to have agreed to it (s.14(5)).

What can a tenant do about an early or improper increase?

An Alberta tenant can treat an increase that breaks these rules as void and keep paying the old rent (RTA s.14(6)). If you already paid the higher amount, you can recover the difference in an action in debt (s.14(7)).

Start with a short written note to the landlord quoting the rule, such as AR 211/2004 s.3(3) for a mid-term increase, and keep a copy. If it is not resolved, the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) and the courts hear tenancy disputes. For the wider picture, see the Alberta landlord guide and what must be in writing in an Alberta lease.

Frequently asked questions

Can my Alberta lease say rent goes up halfway through the year?

Not for a fixed term of one year or more. AR 211/2004 s.3(3) applies despite any agreement to the contrary, so the clause cannot be enforced during the term. Rent stays as signed until the term ends.

Does a landlord need to give notice of a new rent at the end of a fixed term?

A fixed term ends without notice (RTA s.15), and a new lease at a new rent needs the tenant's agreement. If the tenancy continues month to month instead, the increase needs 3 tenancy months' written notice. Giving that notice in either case is the safe course.

Can the landlord increase rent on a six-month lease that renews?

Only after 365 days have passed since the first six-month term began or the last increase, and only once the term then running has ended (AR s.3(4)-(5)). A renewal does not reset the 365-day count.

Is there a maximum rent increase in Alberta?

No. Alberta has no rent increase limit. It limits how often rent can rise and how much notice is needed, and bars increases during a fixed term of one year or more.

Can a landlord raise the security deposit when rent goes up?

No. An Alberta landlord cannot increase the security deposit when rent increases (RTA s.43(2)).

The short answer for most Alberta tenancies: a one-year or longer lease locks the rent for the whole term, and any new rent waits for the term to end, 365 days to pass and, for a monthly tenancy, 3 tenancy months' written notice.