Is renting and leasing the same thing?

For a home, there is no legal difference. People say "lease" for a written fixed-term agreement and "rent" for a month-to-month one, but both are tenancies under the same provincial Act with the same protections.

A fixed term gives a stable rent and a set end date, which suits tenants who plan to stay. Month-to-month is more flexible, but the landlord can raise rent with notice and the tenant can leave with one notice period. Our advice: pick the term that matches how long you expect to stay.

Yes. Both mean the same tenancy under your province's residential tenancy law. The only difference is whether the agreement has a fixed end date.

No. A house is covered by the same Act as an apartment, unless it falls under an exclusion such as sharing a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, which some provinces exclude (see the province sections above).

Yes. In each of the nine provinces covered here, the Act's definition of a tenancy agreement includes oral or implied agreements, so a verbal rental is still a tenancy with the Act's protections. BC, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI also require a written agreement, with New Brunswick and Nova Scotia treating an unsigned one as on the standard form, and Saskatchewan requires writing for a fixed term of three months or longer. Our advice, not law: get the terms in writing either way.

It depends on the province. In Ontario and PEI it rolls into month-to-month on its own. In Nova Scotia it becomes month-to-month if the tenant stays with the landlord's consent. In New Brunswick a fixed term ends automatically. See can a landlord refuse to renew a lease.

Yes, but only with the proper notice and process. Having no written lease does not remove your rights. See can I be evicted without a lease.

A car or appliance lease is a financing or consumer contract, not a tenancy. It is not covered by the residential tenancy Acts, so the payment terms, the end-of-lease charges and the buyout are set by the contract and consumer protection law. Read the total cost before signing.

The landlord is the lessor and the tenant is the lessee, though the Acts use landlord and tenant. A landlord who leases a home needs to follow the same rules as one who rents it. See how to become a landlord.

Yes. In everyday and real estate language, the landlord is the lessor (the party granting the right to occupy) and the tenant is the lessee. The provincial residential tenancy Acts use the words landlord and tenant instead. Nova Scotia's Act says a landlord includes a lessor, an owner and the person giving or permitting the occupation of the premises.

A lease is an agreement that gives someone the right to occupy a property for a set time in return for rent, while the owner keeps ownership. For a home, that agreement is a tenancy and the provincial Act sets the minimum rights. In every province covered here, the Act applies to written, oral and implied agreements alike, whatever the paper is called, unless the housing is excluded. See how to write a lease agreement.

The lease length is the term of the agreement: a fixed term has an end date, often 12 months (a "lease year" is simply that 12-month stretch counted from the start date), and a month-to-month agreement has no end date. Some provinces add rules for longer terms: in Saskatchewan, for example, a fixed term of three months or longer must be in writing. Our advice: check the start date, end date and what happens at the end before you sign.

A leasehold means you hold the right to occupy a property for a long term under a lease without owning the land or building outright. Some residential tenancy Acts exclude very long leases: British Columbia excludes tenancy agreements with a term longer than 20 years, and Saskatchewan excludes life leases and leases for a fixed period of 20 years or more. A lease of that kind is not covered by the Act, so it is governed by its own contract and other law. Our advice is to read it closely and get legal advice before signing.

Yes. "Letting" means a landlord rents a property out, as on a "to let" sign. In Canada people usually say renting or leasing, and the provincial Acts use the words landlord and tenant. A landlord who lets a home is renting it out, and the tenant who takes it is renting it. Which rules apply then depends on your province's tenancy Act. See how to write a lease agreement.