Tenant and Landlord Relations Office: New Brunswick Rent Increase Help

Who Handles Rent Increase Disputes in New Brunswick

The Tenant and Landlord Relations Office (TLRO), operating under Service New Brunswick, is the administrative body that processes rent increase applications, tenant challenges, and security deposit matters across the province. There is no municipal-level tribunal — everything runs through this one provincial office.

You may see older references to the "Residential Tenancies Tribunal" or the "Rentalsman." These terms describe the same institutional function under earlier legislation. The current enforcement mechanism is through Residential Tenancies Officers appointed under Section 26 of the Residential Tenancies Act (R.S.N.B. 1975, c. R-10.2).

What the TLRO Does for Landlords

Above-cap applications. If you need to increase rent above the statutory 3% cap for capital renovation costs, you apply to a Residential Tenancies Officer on the form the officer provides, with proof of the incurred capital expenditures. The officer can approve an increase of up to 9%.

Dispute resolution. When a tenant files an Application for Assistance challenging your rent increase notice, the TLRO assigns a Residential Tenancies Officer to investigate. The officer examines the notice for compliance — proper separate document format, correct six-month timing, within the cap — and issues a binding decision.

General inquiries. The TLRO handles questions about notice periods, deposit administration, and the current cap rate. The provincial government's rent increases page includes a rent increase calculator and application information.

What Residential Tenancies Officers Can Do

Officers hold quasi-judicial authority under the Act. In a rent increase dispute, an officer can:

• Set aside the notice entirely if it was combined with another document, violating Section 11.1(2)(b)
• Apply the deemed-3% rule — Section 11.12(2) deems a notice above 3% without approval to be a 3% notice
• Order reimbursement if a tenant has already paid an unlawful increase — either direct payment or credit against future rent
• Approve or partially approve an above-cap application based on documented capital expenditures

An officer's decision is binding. The appeal route is to the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick under Section 27(1), within seven days, on a question of law or jurisdiction.

The GNB Online Portal

The Government of New Brunswick's rentals portal (gnb.ca) is the primary free resource for landlords. It provides:

• An online rent increase calculator
• Downloadable standard forms (Application for Assistance, Standard Form of Lease)
• Instructions for both landlord and tenant applications
• Contact information for the TLRO

The portal is useful for individual questions, but it does not walk landlords through the complete execution workflow — how to calculate your timeline, draft a compliant notice, select a service method, and build a compliance file for the 60-day standard review window or 15-day mobile home site review window.

How to Contact the TLRO

Service New Brunswick offices in Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, and regional centres also handle in-person inquiries.

Free Legal Information

PLEIS-NB (Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick) publishes plain-language guides about the Residential Tenancies Act, including the 2024 rent cap amendments. Their resources are available at legalinfonb.ca and by phone at 1-888-236-2444. Their focus is primarily on tenant rights, but the statutory overviews are useful for landlords understanding the framework.

The New Brunswick Coalition for Tenants' Rights provides tenant advocacy resources. The New Brunswick Apartment Owners Association (NBAOA) offers landlord-focused industry advocacy and networking, though they do not sell individual compliance manuals.

Beyond the Free Resources

The official portal and PLEIS-NB explain what the rules are. The Rent Increases in New Brunswick guide explains how to execute them — step-by-step workflows, calculation worksheets, service log templates, and an above-cap evidence assembly guide that matches what the TLRO expects to see in a landlord application.

See more New Brunswick guides →