Almost a third of P.E.I. renters are living in homes that aren’t affordable to them, paying 30 per cent or more of their income on shelter costs. Photo by anyaberkut /Getty Images/iStockphotoArticle contentIt’s that time of year again, when the province consults with landlords and tenants on the maximum allowable rent increase for the coming year. Our recommendation is a rent freeze, meaning the maximum allowable rent increase should be zero, as was done in 2023.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentIn P.E.I., renters are more likely to experience core housing need and struggle with affordability compared to home owners. Based on the last census, an alarming 30.3 per cent of renters are living in homes that aren’t affordable to them, paying 30 per cent or more of their income on shelter costs.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentRents in the province are also very high: $1,067 a month for a one bedroom and $1,483 for a three bedroom, rates which have surely gone up since these were collected by CMHC last fall.Article contentThe 2025 P.E.I. living wage report showed that food and shelter are the two largest expenses for Islanders. It also showed that there’s a whopping gap of almost six dollars between the living wage of $22.77 and the current minimum wage. A rent freeze would serve as one of the many cost-of-living measures urgently needed in the context of this gap.Article contentMost workers, and especially those precariously employed and low-waged, are also not receiving cost of living increases equal to the overall CPI; in 2025, average hourly wages in P.E.I. grew by $0.55 or 1.9 per cent, and were the lowest in the country.Article contentA rent freeze is also needed because individuals and families in receipt of income assistance have incomes that fall below the poverty line, and amounts received are not indexed to inflation. A rent freeze, in addition to contributing to housing affordability for renters, would thus be consistent with the province’s commitment to eliminating poverty.Article contentArticle contentOverall, rent control in P.E.I. is critically important because, as is the case across Canada, so much of the rental housing stock on the Island is owned by private landlords. Research shows that private sector landlords operate with the goal of profit maximization, while public and non-profit providers of different kinds tend to keep rents lower, and keep the well-being of tenants in mind in other ways (such as by connecting their housing to community services or building new housing in neighbourhoods where for-profit developers can’t establish a business case to do so).Article contentSince housing is so fundamental to the well-being of individuals and families, it is important to have laws in place that constrain or limit the behaviour of for-profit actors, and rent control is certainly key to this. Rent control can keep downward pressure on the cost of rent, promote long-term tenure, and bring stability to neighbourhoods.Article contentIt is also so important that P.E.I. has vacancy control in place (tying allowable increases to the unit) versus rent control that only applies to the tenant, since a lack of vacancy control can negatively impact renters. For example, with the introduction of a rent cap in Nova Scotia tied only to current tenants, landlords have increasingly turned to using fixed term leases. This leads to tenant turnover, at which point landlords can increase rents by whatever amount they choose. Of course, this creates housing instability, and also makes renters less likely to report repair needs on the chance their landlord might agree to putting a new fixed term lease in place for them.
COMMENTARY: Housing is a human right: P.E.I. renters deserve a break
