As director of the University of New Brunswick's legal clinic, Jeannette Savoie says some of the most common legal questions she's asked are about how the province's rent cap works.

Among the questions: Is the cap mandatory? What if a landlord raises rent more than three per cent?

"A lot of time, when we answer questions for people, it's like, 'Huh, I didn't know I could do that.'"

Savoie said she has seen even the most experienced renters taken advantage of by landlords, or paying unnecessary fee…