Ask SQRFT
The renting questions people search most, answered for each province. Short answer first, then the rules where you live.
Rent increases
How much can a landlord increase rent?
How much a landlord can raise rent in 2026 and 2027 in each province: the cap or guideline, how much notice is needed, and how often rent can go up.
Is there rent control in my province?
Which provinces have rent control in 2026 and 2027, the cap or guideline in each, which units are exempt, and the rules where there is no cap.
Can a tenant refuse a rent increase?
When a tenant can refuse a rent increase that breaks the rules, when a valid increase must be paid, and how to dispute an increase in each province.
Can a landlord raise the rent anytime?
No. Rent can usually go up once every 12 months, with written notice and within any provincial limit. Timing, notice and fixed-term rules by province.
How much can a new landlord raise the rent?
When a rental is sold, the buyer takes over your tenancy and rent. How much and how soon a new landlord can raise the rent in each province.
Can a landlord raise rent if another person moves in?
When a partner, roommate or family member moves in, can the landlord charge more? How it works in each province in 2026, including Ontario, BC and Saskatchewan.
Can a landlord raise rent because of repairs?
Repairs are the landlord's duty, and any rent increase still follows the province's cap, notice and timing. When larger increases are possible.
Evictions and notices
How to evict a tenant
The legal steps to evict a tenant in each province: which notice to serve, how long it takes, where to apply, and why only a sheriff or bailiff can remove anyone.
How much notice does a landlord have to give?
How much notice a landlord must give in each province to end a tenancy, for unpaid rent, for cause, and before entering the unit, with the timing rules that make a notice valid.
What can a landlord do if a tenant refuses to move out?
What a landlord can do when a tenant will not leave after a notice or at the end of a lease: where to apply, who enforces the order, and what never to do.
Can I be evicted without a lease?
Renting with no written lease? You are still a tenant. The notice and order a landlord needs in each province, and what to do if you have no lease.
Can a landlord evict you immediately?
No province covered here lets a landlord put you out on the spot. The shortest notices for serious cause, the forms used and why lockouts are illegal.
Can a landlord evict you for a messy house?
An untidy home alone is not a reason to evict. When uncleanliness, damage, pests or hoarding can be, and the steps each province requires first.
Can a tenant be evicted for noise complaints?
Yes, if the noise significantly or unreasonably disturbs others. The legal test, the notice and how to respond in each province.
What reasons can a landlord evict you for?
The legal reasons a landlord can end your tenancy in each province, from unpaid rent and cause to moving in or demolition, and the notice each reason needs.
How do I fight an eviction?
How to dispute an eviction notice in Canada: the deadline to act in each province, who decides, what happens at the hearing and how to appeal.
Can a landlord evict someone not on the lease?
How a landlord removes an occupant, roommate or other person who is not on the lease, and which provinces act through the tenant instead.
Can a landlord evict a disabled person?
A disability is never a valid reason to evict, but it does not stop a lawful eviction. How the duty to accommodate works in each province.
How long does it take to evict a squatter?
There is no set time. A true trespasser falls under trespass law and the police; anyone who may be a tenant needs an order first. Rules by province.
Can I be evicted for renovations?
When a landlord can end a tenancy for renovations or demolition, the notice and approval needed, compensation and your right to return, by province.
How long does it take to evict a tenant?
The steps, notice periods, hearing timing and appeal windows for evicting a tenant in Alberta, BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.
My landlord wants to evict me for no reason. Can they do that?
In most provinces a landlord needs a legal reason to end a tenancy. See where that applies, the notice required, and what to do if you get a notice.
Can a tenant be evicted for drug use?
When drug activity or smoking weed can end a tenancy: the grounds, the notice and the process in each province, and what a landlord should do first.
Can a tenant be evicted for domestic violence?
Being a victim is not an eviction ground we found, and each province covered here lets a tenant leave a lease early. Notice and proof by province.
My landlord wants to move back into the property. Can they make me leave?
A landlord moving in is a valid reason to end a tenancy in most provinces, but only with the right notice and process. See the rules province by province.
Can a tenant be evicted for complaining too much?
Frequent complaining is not a listed reason to evict in the Acts we reviewed, and several provinces ban retaliation. See the rules province by province.
Can a landlord evict for one month late rent?
One month of unpaid rent can lead to an eviction notice in every province covered here. How soon notice can be served, how to cancel it, and what happens next.
Can a tenant appeal an eviction?
Yes, but the route, deadline and grounds differ by province. See where to ask for a review or appeal, the deadlines, and whether the order is put on hold.
Can a tenant be evicted for lying on their application?
Is lying on a rental application grounds for eviction? What we found by province, what to do about a fake paystub, and which screening rules still apply.
What happens if a landlord accepts a partial payment?
Does a landlord give up an eviction notice by taking part of the rent? What the rules say in each province, and how to protect yourself in writing.
What happens if a landlord loses an eviction case?
If the landlord loses, no eviction order is made and the tenant stays. See how a landlord can appeal and the penalties for illegal evictions.
Leases
How to get out of a lease agreement
The legal ways to get out of a lease in each province: agreeing with the landlord, assigning or subletting, the special exits for violence and health, and what you owe if you just leave.
How to write a lease agreement?
What a residential lease must contain in each province, which provinces require a set form, terms that are void, and when the tenant must get a copy.
Can a landlord change a lease agreement?
Whether a landlord can change lease terms, add house rules or cut services mid-tenancy in each province, and what happens to your terms at renewal.
What happens if a tenant refuses to sign a lease?
What happens when a new tenant won't sign before moving in, or a current tenant refuses a new or renewal lease, in each province covered here.
What if my landlord refuses to give me a copy of the lease?
When your landlord must give you a copy of the lease, what to do if they refuse, and when you can hold back rent until you get it, by province.
Can you rent without a contract?
Whether you need a written lease in each province covered here, what happens without one, and what to do if a landlord will not sign or give you a copy.
Is renting and leasing the same thing?
Renting and leasing a home are the same thing in law: both are a tenancy. See how written, oral and fixed-term agreements work in each province.
What happens when a tenancy expires?
What happens when a fixed-term lease expires: does it roll over, end, or need a new lease? See the rules by province and what to do if no new lease arrives.
Can a lease say the landlord is not liable for injury?
We found no rule on a no-liability-for-injury clause in the tenancy Acts we reviewed. What a lease cannot waive, insurance rules and fire or flood, by province.
What should I do if my tenant violates the lease?
What a landlord can do when a tenant breaks the lease: warnings, notices to fix or end the tenancy, and how a tenant can dispute, province by province.
Renting vs buying
Is it better to rent or buy a house?
Rent or buy in Canada: the upfront and monthly costs of owning, land transfer tax and first-time buyer relief by province, and how to compare with rent.
What can I do if my landlord wants me to buy the house I rent?
You do not have to buy the house you rent. What a landlord can and cannot do if they want to sell to you, and what a sale does to your tenancy, by province.
Ending a tenancy
How many days' notice do you need to give your landlord?
How much notice a tenant must give to move out in each province: the notice period, when to serve it, which form to use, and what to do at the end of a lease.
How do you sublet an apartment?
How to sublet an apartment in Canada: asking for written consent, when a landlord can refuse, the fee in each province, and the risk of subletting without it.
Can a landlord refuse to renew a lease?
Whether a landlord can decline to renew a fixed-term lease in each province, how much notice is needed, and what happens to the tenant when the term ends.
What to do if your landlord is selling the house?
What happens to your tenancy when the landlord sells: whether you have to move, how much notice a buyer needs, compensation and showings, by province.
What do I do if my landlord wants me to move out?
What to do when your landlord asks you to leave: how to check the notice, when you can stay, how to dispute it and who can make you go, by province.
What happens if a tenant dies?
What happens to a rental when a tenant dies: whether the tenancy ends, how the estate gives notice, rent, belongings and the deposit, by province.
What if my landlord says I can't break my lease?
What you can do when a landlord refuses to let you out of a lease: the legal exits, assigning or subletting, and what you owe if you leave, by province.
How do I tell my landlord I am not renewing my lease?
How to tell your landlord you are not renewing your lease: a sample letter, what to include and the notice each province expects, with fixed-term rules.
What should I do if a tenant has abandoned property?
What a landlord must do when a tenant leaves belongings behind: how long to store them, when they can be sold or thrown out, and what the tenant can get back.
Can I break my lease due to noisy neighbours?
Noisy neighbours are not an automatic way out of a lease. See what a tenant can do in each province, how to complain, and what a landlord must do about noise.
Can I break my lease due to job relocation?
We found no rule that ends a fixed-term lease early for a job move or job loss. See your options by province, including military orders, notice and subletting.
Can I break my lease for medical reasons?
Some provinces let a tenant end a lease early for health reasons, with a medical certificate. See which ones, the notice, and what to do where there is no rule.
Can I break my lease before I move in?
Signed a lease but have not moved in? We found no cooling-off period in the provinces covered. See holding deposits, written leases and your options.
What happens if a tenant leaves early?
Leaving a fixed-term lease early usually means owing rent until the landlord re-rents. The few legal ways out, and the landlord's duty to cut its loss.
Can a tenant withdraw their notice to vacate?
Changed your mind after giving notice? What the tenancy rules we reviewed say about taking a notice back in each province, and what to do if you want to stay.
Rent payments
What to do if a tenant doesn't pay rent?
What to do when a tenant doesn't pay rent: the notice to serve in each province, how the tenant can cancel it, where to apply and what it costs.
Can I withhold rent from my landlord?
No province lets tenants simply stop paying rent. The legal routes by province: repair orders, rent paid to the tenancy office and the few lawful deductions.
When is rent due legally?
Rent is due on the day your lease sets. What each province says about due dates, receipts, postdated cheques and when late rent can lead to a notice.
Can a landlord charge late fees?
Late rent fee rules by province: the Ontario ban, the caps in BC, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, and NSF charges for bounced cheques.
What to do if your landlord refuses to give rent receipts?
Which provinces require rent receipts, what to do if your landlord refuses to give one, and how to keep proof of every rent payment you make.
Can a landlord refuse to accept rent?
What to do when a landlord refuses your rent or will not cash your cheque, what payment methods count, and taking rent after a notice, by province.
Can a landlord make me pay rent in cash?
Whether a landlord can demand cash rent or change how you pay, by province, plus the receipt rules for cash and what to do if your landlord only wants cash.
What happens if a tenant doesn't pay utilities?
What a landlord can do when a tenant won't pay utilities, by province: unpaid-rent notices, deposit claims, applications, and why shutoffs are not allowed.
What to do if a tenant pays rent late?
What a landlord can do when rent is late: when a notice is allowed, which late fees are permitted, repeated lateness, and the first steps, by province.
How much is rent assistance?
What rent assistance pays in each province: Saskatchewan's monthly amounts, how other provinces work out the benefit, who is eligible and where to apply.
When can a landlord send you to collections?
A landlord needs a real debt first, usually unpaid rent or a tenancy office order. How collection works in 9 provinces, and what we found on credit reports.
What day is rent considered late?
When rent counts as late, what time it is due, and how soon a landlord can serve an unpaid rent notice or charge a late fee, in each province.
Can a landlord take rent in advance?
What a landlord can ask for up front: first month's rent, last month's rent and deposits, and where rent in advance is limited or banned, by province.
I can't pay my rent this month, what should I do?
Can't pay rent this month? See what a landlord must do first, how to cancel an unpaid-rent notice, and where to find rent help in each province.
How does rent work in Canada?
How rent works in Canada by province: when it is due, how much it can go up, deposit limits, late fees, receipts, and help paying it. Updated for 2026.
Pets
Can a landlord refuse pets?
Whether a landlord can say no pets in each province, which pet deposits are allowed, and how service animals and emotional support animals are treated.
Can a landlord say no to an ESA?
Whether a landlord can refuse an emotional support animal in each province, how an ESA differs from a service dog, and what proof a landlord can ask for.
Can a landlord refuse a service dog?
Service dog and guide dog laws for renters in each province, why a no-pets rule does not apply, what proof a landlord can ask for, and extra fees.
Can a landlord charge more for pets?
Pet deposits, pet fees and changing the pet rules mid-tenancy: what a landlord can charge for pets in each province covered here, and where the law is silent.
Repairs and maintenance
What to do if your landlord refuses repairs?
Landlord won't fix things? Ask in writing, then apply to your tenancy office. Emergency repairs, heat rules and where to file in each province.
When does a landlord have to turn on the heat?
Heat dates and minimum temperatures for rentals in each province, where city bylaws decide, and what to do when the landlord won't turn the heat on.
Do landlords have to clean between tenants?
Whether a landlord must clean, paint or replace carpet before a new tenant moves in, what each province's rules say, and who pays for move-out cleaning.
Can I break my lease if my apartment has mold?
Whether mold, roaches or mice let you end a lease early in each province, what notice or order you need first, and what to do about rent.
Are landlords responsible for bed bugs?
Who pays for bed bug and pest control in each province: the landlord's duty, what a tenant must do, and when a tenant can be charged for treatment.
How long can a tenant go without hot water?
No province sets a number of days. What each province requires for hot water, when a landlord cannot shut it off, and how to get it fixed or report it.
My landlord won't get rid of roaches. What can I do?
What to do when a landlord ignores roaches, mice or other pests: who must pay, what a tenant must allow, and where to complain in each province.
Do landlords have to replace appliances?
Who fixes or replaces a fridge, stove, washer or dishwasher in a rental: the landlord's repair duty, what the tenant pays for, and where to complain.
Can a tenant paint without permission?
Can a tenant paint the walls of a rental? What the law says, what your lease decides, and what a landlord can do if a tenant paints without asking.
Does a landlord have to fix water damage?
Water damage in a rental: when the landlord must fix it, how fast, emergency repairs, paying rent, moving out, and where to complain in each province.
How to break a lease due to uninhabitable conditions?
Can you leave a lease or sue a landlord when a rental is unfit to live in? How each province handles it, from short-notice exits to tribunal orders.
What are tenants' rights regarding mold?
What tenants can do about mold in a rental: who must fix it, who to report it to, how long a landlord has, and whether you can sue, in each province.
My landlord is trying to charge me for repairs. Can they?
What a landlord can charge you for repairs, painting and carpets, what counts as wear and tear, and how to dispute a charge in each province covered here.
Insurance
Is tenant insurance mandatory?
No province's law requires tenant insurance, but in most a landlord can make it a lease term. The rule in each province, and what a policy covers.
Can a landlord require tenant insurance?
In most provinces a landlord can make tenant insurance a lease term. How the requirement works in each province, proof of coverage, and cancelling a policy.
Do tenants need building insurance?
We found no law making tenants insure the building, but a landlord may ask for tenant insurance. What each province says and what a lease can require.
Deposits
What to do when your landlord won't return your deposit?
What to do when a landlord won't return your security deposit: the deadline in each province, where to apply, the fees, and when the landlord has to pay double.
When can a landlord keep a security deposit?
When a landlord can keep all or part of a security deposit in each province: what it can cover, wear and tear, the deadline, and the steps a landlord must take.
Do you get your deposit back when renting?
Yes, a rental deposit comes back when you move out, minus only what the law allows. Return deadlines, 2026 interest and how to get it back in each province.
Can a landlord charge for cleaning?
A landlord can charge for cleaning only when a unit is left dirtier than the law allows, never for wear and tear. Rules and inspection reports by province.
Can a landlord keep a holding deposit?
No province covered here has its own holding deposit rules. How money paid to hold a rental is treated, when it comes back, and what to get in writing.
What is considered normal wear and tear in a rental?
What counts as normal wear and tear in a rental, how it differs from damage, the carpet and paint rules, and why a deposit cannot pay for it, by province.
What if my landlord didn't do an inventory or move-in inspection?
In Canada an inventory is usually called a condition inspection report. What happens if a landlord skips it, province by province, and what a tenant can do now.
How much can a landlord ask for as a deposit?
The most a landlord can ask for as a security, pet or key deposit in each province covered here, plus rules on last month's rent, interest and return deadlines.
Can a tenant use the security deposit as rent?
Whether a tenant can treat the security deposit as last month's rent, when a landlord can agree, and how to get a deposit back, in each province.
Can a landlord charge for nail holes?
Nail holes, repainting, worn walls and broken blinds: what a landlord can charge a tenant in each province, and where normal wear and tear ends.
Entry and privacy
Are landlords allowed to enter the property?
When a landlord can enter a rental in each province: the written notice needed, the allowed hours, when no notice is needed, and what to do about illegal entry.
Can a landlord change the locks?
When a landlord or tenant can change the locks in each province, why a lockout without an order is illegal, and what to do if your landlord locks you out.
Can a tenant refuse entry to a landlord?
Whether you can refuse your landlord entry in each province: when you must let them in, when you can say no, showing rules and what happens if you refuse.
Can a tenant refuse viewings?
When you have to let your landlord show your rental to buyers or new tenants, the notice and hours in each province, and when you can say no.
Is a landlord allowed to have a key?
Whether your landlord can keep a key to your rental, why a key is not permission to enter, and what landlords can charge for keys in each province.
Can a tenant change the locks?
When a tenant can change or add locks in each province, whose consent or which order you need, and what happens if you change them without permission.
Are landlords allowed to inspect your apartment?
Yes, with proper written notice for an allowed reason. Inspection notice and hours by province, plus the rules for move-in and move-out inspection reports.
Is a landlord allowed to have cameras?
Where a landlord can put cameras, whether they can record inside your unit and when they can photograph your rental, with the privacy rules by province.
Tenant and landlord rights
What are my rights as a tenant?
A tenant's main rights in each province: deposit limits, notice before entry, repairs, rent increase limits, notice to end, no lockouts and your deposit back.
What can't a landlord do?
What a landlord is not allowed to do in each province: entering without notice, lockouts, cutting heat, illegal rent hikes, extra deposits and fees, and evictions.
What rights do landlords have?
A landlord's main rights in each province: rent on time, a capped deposit, entry with notice, rent increases, ending a tenancy and claims for rent or damage.
How long can a tenant have a guest stay?
No province covered here sets a day limit on guests. See which provinces ban guest fees, when a guest becomes an occupant, and what a lease can say.
Can a landlord ask about your criminal record?
Whether a landlord can ask about a criminal record or run a background check, what consent it needs, and what privacy and human rights law say in each province.
What can landlords legally ask for?
What a landlord can ask for on a rental application in each province covered here: ID, income, references, credit checks, deposits, and what is off limits.
What does a landlord need to provide a tenant?
What a landlord must give a tenant by law in each province SQRFT covers: a home in good repair, heat, hot water, a copy of the lease and contact details.
What happens if your landlord dies?
Your lease survives your landlord's death. Who you pay rent to, who returns your deposit, and what happens if your landlord goes to jail, by province.
Can a landlord charge for water?
When a landlord can bill you for water, whether it can start charging mid-tenancy or shut the water off, in each province SQRFT covers.
Can a landlord refuse children?
Whether a landlord can turn down renters with kids in each province, adults-only and 55+ buildings, charging more for children, and where to complain.
What can a landlord charge for?
What a landlord can charge a tenant for in each province: deposit limits, application, late, NSF and key fees, pet charges, damage and utilities.
What should I do if my landlord isn't registered?
We found no landlord registry in any province SQRFT covers. What to check instead, which rules do require registration, and where to report a problem.
Can my landlord turn off my water?
When a landlord can and cannot shut off water, electricity or heat in each province covered here, the penalties, and what to do if your utilities are cut.
Can my tenant run a business from home?
Can a tenant run a business from a rental home? What each province's tenancy law and standard lease say, and what a landlord can do about it.
What is the Residential Tenancies Act?
What the Residential Tenancies Act is, who it covers, who decides disputes and what it leaves out, for each province. Plain-language guide.
Is it illegal to smoke in a rented house?
In the provinces covered here no provincial law bans smoking inside a rented home, but common areas are smoke-free and a lease can ban it. Rules by province.
Can a landlord decline a tenant?
When a landlord can turn down an applicant and when it is discrimination: the protected grounds, shared-home exceptions and where to complain in each province.
What does a landlord pay for?
What a landlord has to pay for in each province: repairs, the building's systems and the utilities rent includes, and what tenants usually cover.
Can my roommate move someone else in?
Who decides when a roommate wants to move another person in, what your landlord can do, and what you can do about locks, privacy and rent, by province for 2026.
Can a landlord take away a parking space?
If your lease includes parking, laundry or a garage, can a landlord remove it mid-tenancy? What each province's law says in 2026, and what to do if it happens.
What happens if a tenant burns the house down?
Who pays when a tenant causes a fire, what happens to the lease and rent, and how landlords claim the loss, in each province, plus where tenant insurance fits.
My landlord is retaliating against me. What can I do?
Landlord punishing you for a complaint or repair request? See which provinces ban retaliation, what counts, and how to challenge a notice.
Is it illegal for landlords to discriminate?
Landlords cannot discriminate on protected grounds in any province covered here. See the grounds by province, immigration status, and where to report.
Can my landlord fine me?
We found no rule letting a landlord fine you. Which fees each province allows, such as capped late fees, and what to do if you are charged a fine.
Do landlords have to supply air conditioning?
Must a landlord provide or turn on air conditioning? What we found in each province, Ontario's 2026 window AC rule, and the heat minimums that do exist.
What can I do if my landlord is not honouring the lease?
If your landlord breaks the lease, ask in writing, then apply to your tenancy office. Steps, remedies and when you can leave, by province.
What can landlords be fined for?
What landlords can be fined for under each province's tenancy law, from illegal lockouts to deposit and entry breaches, and the maximum fine in each province.
My landlord threw away all my belongings, what can I do?
If your landlord threw out or kept your belongings, see when that is allowed, what the law says in each province, and how to claim compensation.
Can a landlord ask your age?
Age is a protected ground in rental housing in the nine provinces covered here. What a landlord can ask, when age limits are allowed and what to do if refused.
Being a landlord
How do you rent out your house?
How to rent out your house in 2026: set the rent, check your mortgage and insurance, screen tenants, sign the right lease, take a legal deposit and inspect.
How do you become a landlord?
What it takes to become a landlord in 2026: the legal duties you take on, taxes and records, insurance, your province's rules, and whether to self-manage.
Should I rent my house or sell it?
Renting first changes when and how you can sell. What a tenancy means for a later sale, the notice a buyer needs, and the trade-offs, by province.
What to do if a tenant damages property?
Steps for a landlord when a tenant damages a rental: record it, ask for repairs, claim the deposit, give notice for cause and claim the rest, by province.
Can my tenant move someone in?
When a tenant needs your consent to add a partner, roommate or relative, whether rent can go up, and how far you can limit occupants, by province.
How to find a good tenant?
How landlords can find a reliable tenant without breaking the law: what you may ask, what is banned, fees and deposit limits, and records to keep, by province.
Is renting houses a good investment?
Renting out a house can pay, but provincial rent caps, licences and lease rules shape the return. What each province covered here allows landlords to do.
Is it legal to rent a room in your house?
Whether renting a room in your own home puts you under tenancy law, what each province excludes, and what to put in writing. Rules by province for 2026.
My tenant has disappeared: what can I do?
What to do when a tenant disappears: when a unit counts as abandoned, entering it, belongings left behind and unpaid rent, province by province.
Disputes and complaints
When can a tenant sue a landlord?
When a tenant can take a landlord to the tenancy tribunal or court, what you can claim for, and where to file and the fee in each province.
Can a landlord sue for unpaid rent?
How a landlord claims unpaid rent in each province: where to apply, the fee, the deadline after the tenant leaves and how the order is enforced.
How to report a landlord?
Where to report a landlord in each province: the tenancy office for breaches of the Act, city or health inspectors, police and human rights bodies.
Can a landlord sue a tenant for damages?
Where a landlord files a damage claim against a tenant in each province, the most it can award, the deadline, and the evidence that proves the claim.
What should I do if my landlord is harassing me?
What counts as landlord harassment, how to document it, where to complain and what each province's tenancy law can order in 2026.
What to do if your landlord won't respond?
Landlord ignoring your calls, emails or repair requests? The steps to take, where to go, and the fees and timelines in each province SQRFT covers.
What is the RTDRS?
The RTDRS is Alberta's tenancy dispute service. What it decides and costs, plus each province's landlord and tenant board, its fee and how to apply.
How do you deal with landlord and tenant issues?
How to settle a landlord and tenant problem step by step: raise it in writing, check the Act, call the tenancy office, apply to the tribunal, enforce the order.
Can a landlord garnish your wages?
A landlord cannot garnish wages on their own. They need a tribunal or court order first, then court enforcement. Steps for each province.
Can a tenant file a complaint against another tenant?
How to complain about a noisy or disruptive neighbour, or about your landlord, in each province. Where complaints go, and what you can ask for.
When can a tenant deposit rent in court?
See when a court, tribunal or officer can order rent paid into court or in trust, and why not to withhold rent.
What happens at a landlord-tenant hearing?
How a rental hearing works in each province: notice, phone format, mediation, evidence, what happens if you miss it, and when the decision comes.
Finding a rental
How do you find a rental property?
How to find a rental in 2026: budget, search, viewings, scams, what a landlord can charge up front in each province, the lease and the move-in inspection.
Can a landlord ask for bank statements?
We found no rule banning bank statement requests in any province covered here, but privacy and human rights rules limit their use. What to share instead.
How do you rent an apartment at 18?
Can you rent at 18? The age of majority and lease rules in each province, what to bring, co-signers, deposit limits and when a landlord can say no.
How do you rent an apartment with bad credit?
How to rent with bad or no credit: what to offer instead, guarantors and co-signers, deposit limits, and the screening rules landlords follow in each province.
Can a landlord do a credit check?
Yes, with your consent. What a landlord needs to run a credit check, whether it can charge you, and what to offer with no credit history, by province.
What to do if you have no landlord reference?
No landlord reference? What to offer instead, what a landlord may ask for in each province, and what to do if your old landlord won't verify your history.
Can a landlord refuse a tenant on benefits?
Whether a landlord can turn you down for being on social assistance, disability benefits or a rent subsidy in each province, and what they can ask instead.
Is it better to rent furnished or unfurnished?
Furnished or unfurnished? How to choose, plus how deposit caps, the move-in inspection and wear and tear apply to furniture in each province.
Is it normal for a landlord to ask for a SIN number?
Can a landlord ask for your SIN, photo ID or other documents? What Canadian privacy and human rights rules say about a rental application, by province.
What can a previous landlord disclose?
What a previous landlord can say about you to a new landlord, what privacy law says about references and bad tenant lists, and how rental history is used.
Can a landlord ask for an application fee?
Application fees are banned in BC, MB, SK, ON, NS and PEI. See what AB, NB and NL say, and what a landlord can ask for on a rental application instead.