Can a landlord refuse children?

No. Alberta's Human Rights Act bars a landlord from refusing to rent a self-contained unit, or setting different terms, because of family status, and the Alberta Human Rights Commission says family status includes childcare and other family responsibilities. Gender includes pregnancy. The Commission gives raising the rent to make a tenant move because they are pregnant or have small children as an example of discrimination, and the protection covers rental ads too.

The exception is seniors housing where every unit is reserved for households with at least one person 55 or older. Condo, co-op and mobile home site age limits are allowed only if they existed before January 1, 2018, and those properties must convert to all-ages or seniors-only housing by January 1, 2033. A new condo cannot set age limits. Complaints go to the Commission within one year.

No. BC's Human Rights Code bars a landlord from refusing to rent, or setting different terms, because of family status. The only family status exception is a building where every unit is reserved for people 55 or older, or for households where at least one person is 55 or older. The Code does not apply where the landlord shares a bathroom, kitchen or sleeping space with the renter.

BC's Human Rights Commissioner gives an eviction notice because a new baby makes the family "too big" for the unit as an example of discrimination, and waiving a two-person limit on a one-bedroom for a couple with a new baby as an example of accommodation. If a lease lets rent vary with the number of occupants, the landlord still cannot raise it for adding an occupant who is a minor. Complaints go to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, not the Residential Tenancy Branch.

No. Manitoba's Human Rights Code protects marital or family status in renting, unless there is bona fide and reasonable cause, and sex includes pregnancy. The Manitoba Human Rights Commission says refusing families because children are "too noisy" is likely discrimination, and that limiting families with children to certain floors, including basement apartments, may be too. There is no general adults-only exception: a seniors complex may justify an age limit by offering services for older adults, and a building marketed as 55+ or adults-only will be challenged to justify it.

If you marry, have a child or adopt during the tenancy, the Residential Tenancies Branch treats it as a natural increase in your family, and the landlord cannot give you notice or raise the rent because of it unless it breaks other terms of the agreement. The Code does not cover a boarder or roomer chosen by the person living in a private home, or a duplex where the owner lives in the other unit.

No. Saskatchewan's Human Rights Code bars denying housing, or setting different terms, because of family status, which means a parent and child relationship. Discrimination because of pregnancy counts as sex discrimination. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission says a rental ad cannot say "no children" or "adults only".

The exception is housing rented only to people 55 or older, which the Code allows. A unit in a building where the owner or the owner's family lives is not covered if you must share a bathroom or kitchen with them. Complaints go to the Commission.

No. Ontario's Human Rights Code protects family status, meaning a parent and child relationship, and sex includes pregnancy. The Ontario Human Rights Commission says refusing to rent to families with children under 18 is not allowed, and that adults-only buildings and preferring married couples over single parents are discrimination. There is no adults-only exception. Special programs, such as housing designed for older people, are allowed, and preferential treatment for people 65 or older is permitted.

The Residential Tenancies Act also says the Landlord and Tenant Board must refuse an eviction if the reason for it is that children live in the unit and this is not overcrowding. The Code does not cover a unit where you share a bathroom or kitchen with the owner or the owner's family living there.

No. New Brunswick's Human Rights Act bars denying a dwelling unit, or setting different terms, because of family status, and the province says that includes evicting someone. A landlord cannot refuse families with children or advertise a preference for tenants without them, and the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission says "adults only building" wording in an ad shuts out families with children.

We found no adults-only or seniors exception in the Act. The Commission gives seniors housing as an example of a special program it can approve. The Commission also says questions about occupants' ages should wait until after the unit is rented, and that setting minimum bedroom conditions based on family size, or unfair person-per-bedroom rules, have a discriminatory effect.

No. Nova Scotia's Human Rights Act protects family status, meaning a parent and child relationship, in renting. The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission gives an ad saying a home is not available to people with children as an example of discrimination, and says making a tenant pay rent in advance or a bigger deposit because of a protected characteristic is also illegal.

No exception for adults-only or seniors buildings was found in the Act, and the Commission lists a 55+ building with no clear evidence of age-specific services as an example of discrimination. The exception the Act writes for housing is a single room in a house where the landlord or their family lives, if the room is not advertised. Complaints must be made within 12 months.

No. PEI's Human Rights Act bars denying rental housing, or setting different terms, because of family status, which the PEI Human Rights Commission describes as a parent and child relationship, by birth or adoption. The Commission says landlords should not ask about your family or marital status, but may ask how many people will live in the unit.

We found no exception in the Act for adults-only or seniors buildings, or for a unit shared with the owner. If the Commission orders that your landlord discriminated against you, PEI's tenancy law lets you end the tenancy on one month's notice. Complaints go to the Commission within one year.

No. Newfoundland and Labrador's Human Rights Act protects family status, which includes step and adoptive relationships, and sex includes pregnancy. The Human Rights Commission says an "adult only" building could discriminate on family status.

The Act allows buildings where every unit is reserved for people 55 or older, or households with someone 55 or older, but the Commission says even then a landlord cannot refuse a person who is 55 or older because they also have a child. The Commission says the Act does not apply when you rent a bedroom in the landlord's own home and share eating and common areas, but does apply to a separate unit inside the home.