How to Become a Landlord in Ontario

A search of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 found no landlord licence or registration requirement. The only licensing-type reference is to registered real estate brokers and salespeople who show units for you. The Act does apply to most rentals, so you are bound by it from day one.

City rules are separate. In Toronto, apartment buildings with three or more storeys and ten or more units fall under RentSafeTO, and owners must register and renew each year. A multi-tenant house, often called a rooming house, needs a City licence. Other cities were not checked here, so ask your municipality what applies.

Also confirm that the Act covers your arrangement. It does not apply to, among others, vacation or seasonal accommodation in places like hotels, cottages, or bed and breakfasts, or to a unit where the occupant must share a bathroom or kitchen with the owner or the owner's spouse, child or parent who lives in the building. For related questions, see the Ask pages how to become a landlord and is it legal to rent a room in your house.

Since April 30, 2018, most private residential tenancies must use the province's standard lease, form 2229E. Agreements signed on or after March 1, 2021 must use the version dated 2020/12. The ontario.ca guide to the standard lease explains each section. The form does not cover care homes, mobile home and land lease sites, most social and supportive housing, certain special tenancies and co-operative housing.

1. Fill in the standard lease. Both sides sign it on or before the day the tenant may move in.
2. Add extra terms only if they do not conflict with the form's mandatory terms. Conflicting terms are void.
3. Give the tenant a copy signed by both of you within 21 days after they sign it and return it to you.
4. For an oral agreement, give written notice of your legal name and address for notices within 21 days after the tenancy starts.

The deadline matters. Until you give the tenant the copy, the tenant's duty to pay rent is paused and you cannot require rent. You can collect the withheld rent after you comply. If you never provide the standard lease within 21 days of a written demand, the tenant can withhold up to one month's rent. A lease that skips the form is still valid.

Some terms are void whatever the lease says, including bans on pets, guests or roommates, and damage or pet deposits. Once signed, changes need written agreement from both sides, apart from rent increases the Act allows.

Details on deposits are in the Ontario rent deposit guide, and applicant checks are in how to screen tenants legally in Ontario. The rental housing offences page lists what can bring a fine.

You can raise rent only after 12 months have passed since the last increase or since the tenancy began. You must give at least 90 days' written notice on the proper LTB form: N1 for the standard case, N2 for a partially exempt unit, and N3 for care services and meals.

The annual guideline is 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027. It does not apply to some units, including those first occupied for residential use after November 15, 2018, and the landlord has to be able to prove an exemption if the tenant disputes it. To charge more than the guideline, apply to the LTB on form L5 or sign an N10 agreement with the tenant, which allows up to 3% above the guideline. Check the guideline page each year.

The rent increase tenant-side rules are in Ontario rent increase rules.

• Repairs. Keep the unit and building in good repair, fit to live in and compliant with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards. This applies even if the tenant knew about a problem when signing.
• Vital services. Never withhold hot or cold water, fuel, electricity, gas or heat, even if rent is overdue. Where you supply heat, keep rooms at least 20 degrees Celsius from September 1 to June 15. Cities may set stricter rules.
• Entry. Give 24 hours' written notice, stating the reason, the day and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., except in the cases the Act exempts. See what to do when a tenant refuses entry.
• Quiet enjoyment. Do not harass, obstruct, coerce or threaten the tenant, or substantially interfere with their reasonable enjoyment.
• Locks. Do not change the locks without giving the tenant new keys.
• Insurance. No Ontario law requires tenants to carry insurance. You and the tenant may agree in the lease that the tenant carries liability insurance, and the tenant must show proof when asked.

Fines for offences under the Act go up to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation.

A tenancy can end only as the Act allows. For unpaid rent you serve an N4, which for notices given on or after September 21, 2026 gives the tenant at least 7 days. If the tenant pays all arrears before you apply to the LTB, the notice is void. No-fault notices, such as N12 for your own use, have longer periods and compensation rules.

If the tenant stays after a notice, you apply to the LTB, and only the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff) can enforce an eviction order. Do not lock a tenant out or throw out belongings. A fixed-term lease rolls into a month-to-month tenancy on the same terms when it ends, unless it is ended another way allowed by the Act. Step-by-step help is in how to evict a tenant in Ontario.

• The LTB forms page lists notice and application forms, including N1, N4, N12, L1, L2, L5 and L10, with fees.
• The plain-language guide to the standard lease is on ontario.ca.
• The full text of the Act is on Ontario e-Laws.
• The LTB Guide to the Residential Tenancies Act gives a landlord-friendly overview.

Start with a short checklist: confirm the Act and city rules apply, prepare the standard lease, set a rent deposit within the limit, and keep copies of every notice and payment. This guide explains the rules in general terms; for a specific case, ask the tribunal or a licensed legal professional.