What can a landlord charge for?

An Alberta landlord can take a security deposit of up to one month's rent, set at the start of the tenancy, and cannot raise it later even when the rent goes up. Every refundable charge, such as a pet or key deposit, counts toward that one-month total. A non-refundable pet fee is allowed and is treated as rent. Application fees are not banned or capped; the government's handbook says you can simply choose not to apply. A late fee is allowed if it is in the lease, but it must reflect the landlord's actual loss.

At move-out the landlord can deduct unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and other amounts the lease covers, but cleaning only if the tenant agreed to cleaning charges. The handbook says a landlord cannot charge for full replacement of a worn-out carpet just because the tenant happened to leave when it was due to be replaced.

A BC landlord can take a security deposit of up to half a month's rent and, if it allows a pet, one pet damage deposit of up to half a month, no matter how many pets. Monthly pet fees and application or processing fees are not allowed. A late fee of up to $25 is allowed only if the agreement provides for it, and a bounced payment can cost the bank's fee plus up to $25. A refundable key or fob fee can be charged up to the direct cost of replacing it, but not for the tenant's only means of access, and not for new keys after the landlord changed the locks.

For damage, the Residential Tenancy Branch's Policy Guideline 40 gives useful lives (interior paint 6 years, carpet 12 years) and lets an arbitrator reduce compensation for an item's age.

A Manitoba landlord can take a security deposit of up to half the first month's rent, and cannot require it before the tenancy agreement is made. If the landlord allows a pet, it can add a pet damage deposit of up to one month's rent, but none for a service animal. Application fees are banned, and the only pet charge allowed is the pet damage deposit. A late fee needs written notice first and is limited to $10 plus $2 a day, up to $100; a bounced cheque can cost up to $60.

For damage, the Residential Tenancies Branch awards the landlord the loss of value, not the cost of a new item, looking at its age, condition and useful life. A tenant has to shampoo a carpet only if they stained it.

A Saskatchewan landlord can take only one security deposit, of up to one month's rent, when the agreement is made. You pay at most half at signing and the rest within 2 months after moving in. If the landlord takes more, you can deduct the extra from rent or recover it. Application and processing fees are banned, and so is collecting future rent in advance. We found no rule on late fees or NSF charges in the Act or regulations.

A landlord cannot add a charge for something that was free, or raise a charge, unless you agree or the Office of Residential Tenancies orders it. A lease cannot let the landlord keep the deposit automatically or impose an automatic cleaning charge.

Ontario landlords cannot take a security deposit except a last month's rent deposit and a refundable key deposit. The rent deposit can be no more than one month's rent (or one rent period, if shorter), and the landlord can ask you to top it up when the rent goes up. The key deposit can be no more than the expected cost of replacement keys or cards. Pet deposits, application fees, late fees and other fees are not allowed. A bounced cheque can cost the bank's NSF charges plus an administration charge of up to $20.

If you paid anything more, you can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to get it back. A carpet worn out by years of normal use is wear and tear, not something a tenant pays for.

A New Brunswick landlord can take a security deposit of up to one month's rent, or one week's rent for a weekly tenancy, and the province holds it. The landlord cannot take a prepayment of the last month's rent or require a single rent payment larger than the regular ones. Apart from rent and the deposit, a landlord can require only a reasonable amount for a service tied to the tenancy, and an agreement to pay anything else is void. SQRFT found no rule that names application fees; ask the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office if you are asked for one.

No regulation sets a flat late fee; the only late payment fee the regulation sets is the bank's actual NSF charge for a bounced cheque, if the lease allows it. A lease can also make you repay heat, water, electricity or natural gas that the rent does not include.

A Nova Scotia landlord can take a security deposit of up to half a month's rent. Any money or value it takes on top of rent counts as part of that deposit, including money taken before the lease is signed. Pet deposits are not allowed, and application fees are banned. A late fee is allowed only if the lease includes it, up to 1% of the monthly rent per month.

The standard lease has a box for lock-out and key charges up to an amount filled in. To deal with a sublet or assignment, the landlord can charge up to $75 for its actual expenses.

A PEI landlord can take one security deposit of up to one month's rent (one week's rent if rent is paid weekly), only when the tenancy agreement is made. No other kind of deposit is allowed, so there are no separate pet, key or holding deposits. If you paid more than the limit, you can deduct the extra from rent or apply to the Director. Application fees are banned.

The landlord can charge the actual cost of replacement keys, or of extra keys you ask for, but nothing for new keys when the landlord changed the locks. A late fee is not among the fees the Act allows; a bounced payment can cost the bank's fee plus up to $25.

A Newfoundland and Labrador landlord can take a security deposit of up to three quarters of one month's rent, or two weeks' rent for a weekly tenancy. A separate pet deposit is not allowed, and any money above the rent counts as deposit; if you paid more than the limit, you can put the extra toward rent. A holding deposit paid before any rental agreement exists is outside the Act. We found no rule in the Act that bans or limits an application fee.

A late fee is limited to $5 plus $2 a day, up to $75, and a bounced cheque costs the amount the bank charged the landlord. The landlord is expected to repaint and replace flooring from time to time at its own cost.