Can my tenant run a business from home?

Usually the Act does not say, so the lease decides. In the provinces covered here, the tenancy Acts we reviewed do not ban a lawful home business. Manitoba's standard lease and Newfoundland and Labrador's standard form require the landlord's written consent for a trade or business, and New Brunswick's standard lease limits the premises to residential use. Municipal zoning and licence rules apply on top.

Only if the lease or the law gives the landlord a basis. If the lease requires consent for a trade or business, or limits the unit to residential use, a landlord can point to that term. If the business is illegal, or causes damage or serious disturbance, the grounds for notice in your province may apply. Where the lease is silent and the business is lawful, we found no rule that lets a landlord simply ban it, so check with the tenancy office first.

The Acts we reviewed say nothing about working from home for an employer. The standard forms in Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador speak of carrying on a trade or business, and New Brunswick's form speaks of residential use only. A quiet remote job is different from customers and deliveries arriving all day, but SQRFT advice, not law: if your lease has a business clause, ask in writing and keep the reply.

We found no tenancy Act rule that sets limits on visitors for a lawful business. The practical limits are the lease, the municipality's zoning and licence rules, and the tenant's duty not to disturb others (for example, Alberta bars significant interference with the landlord or other tenants, and New Brunswick requires tenants not to cause a disturbance or nuisance). In Alberta, a home business with employees who do not live there also makes that part of the home a workplace where smoking and vaping are banned.

Not just for being in business. A landlord can end a tenancy for an illegal business or illegal activity under the grounds in the table above, or for breach of a lease term such as a consent requirement, but each province has its own notice and process. In Ontario the notice is 10 or 20 days depending on the activity, in British Columbia and Saskatchewan it is a one-month notice for cause, and in Alberta it is a 14-day substantial breach notice. See how to evict a tenant for the full steps, and take care to follow your province's process rather than acting on your own.

An illegal business or illegal activity in the unit is a ground for notice or an application in most of the provinces covered here. Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta all name it. New Brunswick's government lists illegal activity on site among the reasons to apply to end a lease early (check how it applies to your unit), and in Newfoundland and Labrador it falls under the standard form's terms. Keep records, do not confront the tenant alone, and contact the tenancy office and, for crimes, the police.

Yes, but they come from the municipality, not the tenancy Acts, and we did not research them. A tenant running a business may need a licence or permit, and zoning may limit what is allowed at the address. A landlord who knows a business is operating may want the tenant to confirm in writing that the required permits are in place. Ask the city or town for the rules at the address.

Changing a lease after it has started is covered on a separate page; see can a landlord change a lease agreement. We did not find a rule on adding a business ban mid-tenancy, so check with your province's tenancy office before you try.

We did not find government guidance on how a policy treats a home business, so we cannot say. SQRFT advice, not law: both the tenant and the landlord should ask their insurers before a business starts, and read the policy wording. See is tenant insurance mandatory and can a landlord require tenant insurance.

SQRFT advice, not law: give consent in writing, describe what is and is not allowed (clients on site, signs, storage, deliveries, employees), require the tenant to hold any permits and insurance, and say that the consent can be reviewed if there are complaints. If the tenant's business means more wear on the unit, remember that rent changes follow your province's rules, as set out in how much a landlord can increase rent. A free SQRFT rent estimate helps you price the unit.

SQRFT advice, not law: start by reading the use clause in your lease and finding out what the tenant is actually doing, since a quiet one-person service is very different from customers coming and going. If the lease requires your written consent for a trade or business (as Manitoba's standard lease and Newfoundland and Labrador's standard form do) and the tenant has not asked, put your concern in writing. If the business is illegal, or causes damage or a serious disturbance, the notice grounds in your province may apply, and the tenancy office can tell you which notice to use. Do not enter or change the locks to check on the business, because entry rules still apply.

Look at your lease first. The tenancy Acts we reviewed do not ban working from home, so the limit would have to come from a lease term, such as a consent requirement for a trade or business in Manitoba's or Newfoundland and Labrador's standard form, or a residential-use-only clause in New Brunswick's. SQRFT's reading, not a rule: a quiet remote job for an employer may not be a business in that sense, but the lease wording decides, so ask your landlord what exactly the clause covers and get the answer in writing. If you are still told no, your province's tenancy office can tell you how it reads the clause.