Quispamsis renters will see their annual rent increases stay capped at three per cent through 2027, after the New Brunswick government announced the continuation of the provincewide limit on June 24, 2026. Housing Minister David Hickey said the move is meant to give tenants stability while the province works to improve housing conditions.
“We’re keeping the rent cap in place for the 2027 calendar year to maintain that stability and predictability that tenants need,” Hickey said. The cap means a landlord cannot raise rent more than three per cent in any 12-month period. The policy will be reviewed again in May 2027.
The rent cap first took effect in February 2025, fulfilling a campaign promise by Premier Susan Holt’s Liberal government during the 2024 election. Before that, a temporary 3.8 per cent cap introduced in 2022 under former premier Blaine Higgs had expired at the end of that year. The current cap has no set end date, but is checked annually.
In a community like Quispamsis, known for its single-family homes but facing more demand for smaller housing as residents age, the cap offers some protection. Mayor Libby O’Hara has noted that many locals want to downsize while staying in the area, but affordable apartments can be hard to find. The cap does not apply between tenancies, meaning a landlord can set a higher rent for a new tenant.
Some housing experts say the cap does not go far enough. Matthew Hayes, a sociology professor at St. Thomas University, pointed out that rental inflation in New Brunswick is about 5.5 per cent, nearly double the national average. The province is also reviewing the Residential Tenancies Act, with a revised version expected to be introduced in the legislature by fall 2026.
