New Brunswick vs the rest of Canada
What national renting guides get wrong about New Brunswick
Most rental advice online is written for Ontario or generic Canada, and a lot of it is simply wrong here. New Brunswick has its own rules. Here is what the big national sites get wrong, and what is actually true in NB, with the official source for each.
Does my landlord hold my security deposit in New Brunswick?
National guides assume your landlord keeps your deposit (and may owe you interest on it).
In New Brunswick the deposit is held by the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office, through Service New Brunswick, not by your landlord. The landlord must remit it within 15 days and needs an order from the Office to claim any of it.
Do I pay first and last month's rent in New Brunswick?
Most Canadian rental advice tells you to budget for first and last month's rent up front.
Not in New Brunswick. A landlord can collect at most one month's rent as a security deposit (one week for a week-to-week tenancy), and cannot make you prepay last month's rent or first-and-last together.
How much can rent go up in New Brunswick?
Guides often quote a provincial rent-increase guideline of around 2 to 2.5%, or say newer buildings have no cap.
New Brunswick caps rent increases at 3% for the 2027 calendar year, allowed once every 12 months, with at least six months' written notice, and no increase at all in the first year of a tenancy. The cap applies to every unit.
Can a landlord charge an application or credit-check fee in New Brunswick?
In many places a landlord can charge an application or credit-check fee.
Not in New Brunswick. There is no legal application or credit-check fee. A landlord can run a credit check with your written consent, but cannot charge you for it.
Can a landlord charge a late fee in New Brunswick?
Pay rent late and you'll owe a late fee, that's the assumption in most rental guides.
New Brunswick does not allow a flat late fee. The only extra a landlord can pass on is the actual bank charge for a bounced (NSF) payment, and only if your lease says so.
Where do rental disputes go in New Brunswick?
Lots of advice points you to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), that's Ontario.
In New Brunswick, disputes go to the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office, run through Service New Brunswick. You can apply online, by mail, or in person, and an officer can issue a binding decision.
Am I protected if I don't have a written lease in New Brunswick?
No written lease, no rights, a common worry.
Even without a written lease, the Residential Tenancies Act still applies in New Brunswick and treats your agreement as the Standard Form of Lease, so you have the same protections.
Every answer here is verified against official New Brunswick sources. How we verify.
