Is it better to rent furnished or unfurnished?

Alberta caps the security deposit at one month's rent, measured when the tenancy starts. Every refundable deposit counts toward that total whatever the lease calls it, so a refundable "furniture deposit" cannot push the total past one month's rent.

Move-in and move-out inspections are required, each within one week before or after the move, and the landlord gives you a written report. Without both reports, the landlord cannot deduct damage from the deposit. The owner must keep any furnishings it provides clean and sanitary, and you must keep the unit and anything rented with it reasonably clean.

British Columbia caps the security deposit at half a month's rent. If the landlord allows a pet, it can also take a pet damage deposit of up to half a month's rent. The Act's deposit rules provide for only those two deposits, furnished or not.

The move-in and move-out condition inspections are required, on the approved form RTB-27, and a landlord who does not offer them or complete the report loses the right to claim against the deposit for damage. For appliances that come with the unit, the Residential Tenancy Branch's useful-life guideline gives a fridge or range 15 years and a washer or dryer 12, and an award for damage to an older item is reduced for its age.

Manitoba caps the security deposit at half the first month's rent. If the landlord allows a pet, it can also take a pet damage deposit of up to one month's rent. The Act bars any payment it does not permit, and a furnished unit does not change these limits.

A condition report is required if either you or the landlord asks for one, and the Residential Tenancies Branch recommends doing one every time, so ask for it and list the furniture on it. Check what your tenancy agreement says about furniture. If you damage an older item, the Branch awards the landlord its lost value, not the cost of a new one.

Saskatchewan allows one security deposit per tenancy, up to one month's rent. You pay at most half when you sign and the rest within 2 months after you move in. If a landlord takes more than the cap, you can deduct the excess from rent or otherwise recover it.

The law does not require an inspection, but the Office of Residential Tenancies publishes a Condition of Premises Checklist for move-in and move-out, and both sides should keep a signed copy. In a furnished unit, add the furniture to it.

Ontario landlords can take only a rent deposit (often called last month's rent), up to one month's rent, plus a refundable key deposit no larger than the cost of replacing the keys. No other deposit or fee is allowed, so renting furnished does not change what a landlord can collect up front.

Ontario does not require move-in or move-out inspection reports, so make your own dated list and photos of the furniture and ask the landlord to sign it. The LTB's guidance is that tenants are not responsible for damage caused by normal use.

New Brunswick caps the security deposit at one month's rent (one week's for a week-to-week tenancy). The Act says money given as security for cleaning or repairing furniture or other items the landlord supplies is a security deposit, so it falls under the same cap.

The landlord must hand over those items in good repair and keep them that way. You are responsible for keeping them ordinarily clean and for repairing damage that you, or people you let in, cause wilfully or negligently. An inspection report is optional, but the province recommends one at move-in and move-out and publishes an Accommodation Inspection Report form.

Nova Scotia caps the security deposit at half a month's rent, and any money a landlord takes on top of rent counts as part of that deposit, so a furniture deposit cannot be added. A separate pet deposit is not allowed either.

An inspection report is not required, but the standard lease recommends one, signed by both sides, within 7 days after the tenancy starts and within 7 days after it ends. Once prepared, it forms part of the lease. The province publishes a Rental Unit Condition Report Form, and a furnished unit's inventory belongs on it.

PEI allows one security deposit, up to one month's rent (one week's if rent is paid weekly), and the Act bars any other kind of deposit, so a landlord cannot take a separate deposit for furniture. The deposit can be required only when the tenancy agreement is made.

For tenancies that started on or after April 8, 2023, move-in and move-out inspections are required on Form 5, the Landlord Condition Inspection Report. The landlord must offer at least two reasonable times, both sides sign, and you get a copy. List each piece of furniture and its condition on it.

Newfoundland and Labrador caps the security deposit at three-quarters of a month's rent, and any money a landlord takes beyond rent counts as part of it. The province's guide says the Act does not allow separate deposits for items such as pets.

Condition reports are not required by law, but the Residential Tenancies Office says they should be used at the start and end of every tenancy, and if the landlord will not do one, you can fill one out with a witness who signs it. The Office also says the landlord is responsible for insuring the rental unit and the landlord's own property, and that it is generally not unreasonable for a landlord to require you to insure your own belongings.