Can a landlord increase rent during a fixed-term lease?
Short Answer
No. In Newfoundland and Labrador rent cannot be increased during a fixed-term lease, whatever the lease says. The one exception is a written agreement for a new service or benefit, such as a parking space (s.16(7)).
No. Rent may not be increased during the term of a fixed-term agreement. This one is not negotiable by contract: section 16 opens with "notwithstanding another Act, agreement, declaration, waiver or statement to the contrary", so a clause in the lease purporting to allow a mid-term increase does not make it lawful. The one narrow exception is s.16(7): where the landlord adds a service or benefit not provided before, such as a parking space, the landlord and tenant may agree in writing to an increase for it.
- Section 16(1)(b); Section 16(7), Residential Tenancies Act, 2018 (Newfoundland and Labrador)