Landlord Resource Centre

Confirm that the unit is a legal unit under local zoning and the Ontario Building Code, and that any licence or registration your municipality requires is in place. Rules differ between cities: Toronto licenses multi-tenant houses, Hamilton, London and Oshawa license certain rental housing, and several municipalities license short-term rentals.

• Install working smoke alarms on every storey and outside sleeping areas, and carbon monoxide alarms where the Fire Code requires them.
• Tell your insurer the property is rented; a homeowner policy may not cover a tenanted property.
• If the unit is a condominium, check the declaration and rules for leasing restrictions, and file the lease details with the corporation as it requires.

You may ask for rental history, references, credit information and income information, but you must consider income together with those other factors. You cannot refuse an applicant, or offer different terms, because of a ground protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Collect only the personal information you need, keep it secure, and dispose of it when it is no longer needed.

Most residential tenancies must use Ontario's standard form of lease. Additional terms may be added, but any term that conflicts with the Residential Tenancies Act is void.

• Rent deposit: no more than one month's rent, applied to the last month, with interest paid annually at the guideline rate.
• Key deposit: refundable, and limited to the replacement cost.
• No damage or security deposits, and no requirement for post-dated cheques.

Rent can generally be increased once every 12 months, with at least 90 days' written notice on the correct form. For most units the increase cannot exceed the provincial guideline: 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027.

Units first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 are exempt from the guideline, but the 12-month rule and 90-day notice still apply. An increase above the guideline for a covered unit requires an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Outside an emergency, a landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice of entry, stating the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Entry is permitted only for the reasons the Act allows, such as repairs, inspections or showing the unit to a prospective buyer or tenant in the circumstances set out in the Act.

Landlords must keep the property in a good state of repair and fit for habitation, comply with health, safety and maintenance standards, and must not withhold or interfere with vital services such as heat, hydro, water and fuel.

A tenancy continues until it is ended in a way the Act permits: by agreement, by the tenant's proper notice, or by an order of the Landlord and Tenant Board following a landlord's notice and application. A landlord cannot change the locks or remove a tenant's belongings without an order enforced by the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff).

• N4: notice for non-payment of rent, followed by an L1 application if unpaid.
• N12: notice where the landlord, a purchaser or close family member requires the unit for their own residential use, with compensation of one month's rent.
• N13: notice for demolition, conversion or extensive repairs, with tenant rights to compensation and, for repairs, to return.

Forms change from time to time; always download the current version from the Board.

Keep the lease, receipts, notices, inspection notes and correspondence for each tenancy. Rental income must be reported to the Canada Revenue Agency, and eligible expenses may be deducted. An accountant can advise on your situation.