Q: What is the Rent Increase Guideline for 2026?

A: The Ontario government has set the 2026 Rent Increase Guideline at 2.1%.

This applies to rent increases taking effect between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026.

Q: Does this apply to all my units?

A: No. The most critical "switch" in your property management software this year is the New Build Exemption.

Units that were first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018, are exempt from the 2.1% cap. For these units, you may increase the rent by any amount, provided you still give proper notice.

Q: What are the notice requirements?

A: You must provide 90 days’ written notice using the official Form N1 (for guideline increases) or Form N2 (for exempt units).

• Warning: A common error is counting "3 months" instead of "90 days." If you serve notice on February 1st for a May 1st increase, you might be short on days depending on the month lengths. The RTA is strict; being one day short voids the increase.

The Ontario market operates on specific rules that generic property management software configurations often miss.

If your system isn't distinguishing between "Pre-2018" and "Post-2018" units for rent control, or if your N4 notices are still defaulting to old timelines, you are exposing your portfolio to risk.

Assetsoft is a specialized consulting firm for the real estate industry. We are experts in Yardi Voyager and MRI Software. We don't just implement software; we configure it to align with the specific laws of the jurisdictions you operate in.

We can help you:

• Audit your Rent Roll for 2026 guideline compliance.
• Configure automated N1 and N4 notices that meet LTB standards.
• Clean up your data to ensure your LTB applications are bulletproof.
• Implement mobile apps for Fire Code documentation.

Is your portfolio ready for the 2026 rules?

Contact the Assetsoft team today to ensure your technology is working as hard as you are.

In legacy versions of MRI (e.g., X.6 and earlier), customizing a page often means writing SQL queries and expressions directly in the Web Design tool. While flexible, this approach lacked structure and security.

With Upgrade X.7, MRI has introduced an API-first architecture. Logic Builder allows developers to write APIs in a new internal language called Via. This language acts as a bridge, combining the logic of languages such as JavaScript or C# with the data retrieval capabilities of SQL.

When a user interacts with a page in Platform X, the page doesn't touch the database directly. Instead, it calls a Logic Builder API. This API handles the request, communicates with the database, and returns a structured result.

Based on the latest developer showcases, Logic Builder introduces several critical features that modernize how customizations are built:

1. Enhanced Security and Parameterization

The most significant improvement in Logic Builder is security. Legacy string literals are replaced with parameterization. In the past, developers might have hard-coded variables into SQL strings, leaving systems vulnerable to SQL injection.

Logic Builder enforces the use of parameters (e.g., @BuildingID or @LeaseID). This provides built-in table-level security and field-length validation, ensuring data is sanitized and safe before it interacts with the database.

2. Type Safety and Result Definitions

Logic Builder introduces Type Safety. The system creates a contract between the API and the page. You must explicitly define your data types: Strings, Integers, Booleans (Bit), or Dates.

Furthermore, the Result Type Definition feature requires developers to define the exact structure of the data returned from the API. This eliminates the guessing game; when Page Builder calls an API, it knows precisely what columns and data types to expect in return.

3. SQL Abstraction and the "Via" Language

For those who know SQL, the transition to Logic Builder is intuitive. The tool uses SQL Abstraction, which handles the heavy lifting of syntax details and best practices.

You can declare variables and write queries that look very similar to standard SQL (e.g., SELECT * FROM LEASE WHERE...), but they are wrapped in the Via language syntax. This enables powerful Control Flow features that were difficult in legacy tools, including loops, complex conditional execution, transaction controls, and exception handling (try/catch blocks).

Logic Builder lives within the new Application Studio interface (which, developers will be happy to note, comes in Dark Mode). The interface is organized with folder structures for modules and color-coded syntax highlighting to make coding easier.

Perhaps the most impressive feature for teams upgrading to X.7 is the integration between Page Builder and Logic Builder.

In a recent demonstration, MRI developers showed "the easy way" to build an API. Instead of writing code from scratch, Logic Builder includes an Import feature. You can select a page you have already built in Page Builder, and Logic Builder will scan the page for data requests. It then auto-generates the API shell, including all necessary input parameters and output definitions. This drastically reduces development time and human error.

One of the biggest challenges in software upgrades is maintaining customizations without breaking the core product. Logic Builder addresses this with robust Version Management.

In Upgrade X.7, you can view the core MRI (system) version of an API alongside your custom "Client" version. If you need to add a custom field or change logic, you create a client version of the API. You can then toggle which version the system uses as the default. This ensures that your customizations are separated from the core code, making future upgrades significantly smoother.

Logic Builder is more than just a scripting tool; it is the backbone of the modern MRI Software ecosystem. By moving to an API-based architecture, Upgrade X.7 provides a more secure, maintainable, and scalable platform.

For organizations looking to get the most out of MRI Software Upgrade X.7, understanding Logic Builder is essential. It empowers your team to build sophisticated, secure, and robust business logic that delivers a seamless experience for your end users.

Are you preparing for the significant upgrade to MRI Property Management? Ensure your team is ready for the shift to Logic Builder and Platform X.

When we start a new project, we don't start from scratch. We deploy proven assets built from decades of real-world implementations.

Pre-built chart of accounts templates mapped to real estate industry standards, residential, commercial, mixed-use, construction, and investment management. We've seen what works for REITs, private developers, and fund administrators. These templates eliminate weeks of discovery and configuration.

Standard integration patterns for the connections every real estate organization needs banking feeds, expense management platforms like SAP Concur and AvidXchange, construction systems like Procore and Vista Viewpoint, facility management tools like Urbanise and Facilio. We've built these bridges before. We know where the gaps are.

Testing scripts and validation frameworks that catch errors generalist teams miss. CAM reconciliation edge cases. Percentage rent calculations. ASC 842 lease accounting compliance. Our test cases come from problems we've actually solved.

Training curricula and change management frameworks tailored to property management teams. We know which features confuse lease administrators and where accountants get stuck during month-end close.

Here's what we've learned watching implementations fail: cheaper isn't faster, and faster isn't better if you're building on the wrong foundation.

Large firms often pitch offshore delivery as a cost advantage. And yes, hourly rates in India or the Philippines look attractive on a spreadsheet. But real estate technology isn't generic IT work. When your offshore team doesn't understand Canadian GST/HST implications, Australian strata title structures, or how percentage rent clauses actually work, they're not saving money they're creating rework.

We have team members in India and Sri Lanka. But they're not generic developers learning real estate on your project. They're specialists who've spent years on Yardi and MRI implementations, trained in our frameworks, and understand the domain deeply. The difference between offshore labor and offshore expertise is the difference between a six-month struggle and a six-week win.

The same logic applies to AI. Every software vendor now promises AI-powered implementation accelerators. And AI is genuinely helpful, we use it ourselves for documentation, code review, and pattern recognition.

But AI doesn't know that a specific client's CAM reconciliation is failing because their expense pools were misconfigured three years ago. AI doesn't recognize that integration errors stem from a mismatch between the chart of accounts and the actual property structure. AI doesn't understand that the "simple" report request requires rebuilding their entire tenant classification hierarchy.

This is where experience matters. Our playbooks capture knowledge gained only from working with frustrated controllers at month-end, debugging reconciliation errors at quarter-close, and rebuilding systems that generalist teams misconfigured. AI can accelerate the work of consultants who already have this knowledge. It can't replace the knowledge itself.

When clients ask why our timelines are shorter, here's the honest answer: we've already solved most of the problems they're facing.

A typical property management system implementation with a generalist firm takes 4-6 months. They're learning your industry while billing you for the education. They're building integrations from scratch. They're discovering edge cases in production that should have been caught in testing.

Our framework-driven approach consistently delivers in 6-8 weeks for a comparable scope. Not because we cut corners, but because we're not reinventing solutions that already exist in our playbooks.

That's 500+ implementations distilled into reusable assets, pre-built templates. Proven integrations. Battle-tested scripts. Training that actually sticks.

Our implementation frameworks aren't tribal knowledge locked in consultants' heads. They're documented assets templates, scripts, curricula, and methodologies that exist independent of any individual. 

For organizations evaluating build-versus-buy for PropTech capability, this matters. You're not acquiring hours billed. You're developing the distilled expertise of 25 years and 500+ implementations, ready to deploy on day one.

Assetsoft delivers PropTech implementations across Yardi, MRI, Sage, Procore, and integrated platforms. Our framework-driven approach consistently reduces implementation timelines by 60-70% compared to industry averages.

The primary drivers of Report Builder are accessibility and modernization. For years, users were tethered to Windows environments to design reports, checks, and statements. The goal of MRI Platform X is to free users from these constraints by moving operations entirely online.

Report Builder performs a "lift and shift" of the core concepts you know from Report Design but "webifies" them. This means you don't have to relearn how to build a report from scratch. If you’ve used Report Design for the last 25 years, Report Builder will feel remarkably familiar, yet significantly more powerful.

While the core logic remains consistent, Report Builder introduces several quality-of-life improvements that address long-standing user pain points.

1. No More Squinting: A Zoomable Interface

One of the most frequent complaints about the legacy Report Design tool was the small font size and inability to scale the view. Report Builder addresses this with a native web interface that lets you zoom in and out effortlessly. Whether you are working on a complex financial statement or a simple rent roll, you can finally see what you are doing without straining your eyes.

2. Unified Design Environment

Previously, designing different outputs required opening different tools: Report Design for reports, Check Design for checks, and Statement Design for statements. Report Builder consolidates all three into a single, unified interface. You can create and edit reports, financial statements, and check layouts from a single menu, streamlining your workflow.

3. Automatic Web Enablement

In the old workflow, building a report was a two-step process: design it in the Windows tool, then jump into Web Design to "web enable" it so other users could run it. Report Builder eliminates this friction. When you create a report now, it is automatically web-enabled by default. This saves time and removes a tedious step from the deployment process.

4. Persistent Property Dialogues

If you’ve ever lost your properties window behind your main report screen in the old tool, you know the frustration of toggling views to find it again. Report Builder features docked dialogue boxes for Fields and Properties that never get lost behind your canvas. You can toggle them on or off, but they stay accessible, improving the design ergonomics.

A significant concern with any software migration is the fear of losing legacy work. The MRI product team has ensured that Report Builder is fully compatible with existing work.

• Shared Repository: Files saved in Report Design are accessible in Report Builder, and vice versa. They pull from the exact location in the database (MRI_RPTS and MRI_RPTP tables).
• Legacy Functions: All the familiar expressions and functions you used in Report Design (like Annual for annualizing amounts based on frequency) work the same way in the web version.
• Table Access: Just like its predecessor, Report Builder gives you direct access to every table in the PMX database, including custom tables you may have created.

The transition to the MRI Platform X Report Builder represents a significant leap forward in usability and accessibility. By moving critical reporting functions to the web, MRI provides a more flexible and modern environment that honours the deep functionality of the past while embracing the convenience of the cloud.

If you are currently licensed for Report Design, you automatically have access to Report Builder. It’s time to stop squinting at your desktop and start building in the browser.

The core issue facing both the B.C. government and individual landlords is the fundamental disconnect between digital listing platforms and traditional property management operations. Platforms like Airbnb claim they haven't received official removal requests, while others, such as Booking.com, offer a web form and a reactive, manual solution against a highly agile, automated threat.

This gap is precisely where Proptech consulting becomes essential. Waiting for the government to mandate a foolproof verification mechanism is a luxury that property owners cannot afford. The future of compliance and security relies on integrating proactive, data-driven systems into existing property management infrastructures. For large portfolio holders, this means leveraging the power of Yardi.