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Rights & LegalHow a Saskatchewan landlord keeps part of a security deposit: return the rest, serve the Notice of Landlord's Claim within seven business days, hold the claimed money in trust and be ready to pay it into the ORT.
GeneralWhat BC landlords and tenants need to know when a rented home is sold: showings, the buyer's written request, the Three Month Notice (RTB-32P) and deposits.
Rights & LegalAlberta's Residential Tenancies Act says nothing about pets, so the lease sets the rules. But a refundable pet deposit is a security deposit under the Act, and landlords cannot refuse a tenant with a guide or service dog.
Rights & LegalWhen a Saskatchewan tenant stays past the notice date, the landlord applies to the ORT for possession and lets the sheriff enforce the writ. Here is how, and what losses you can claim.
Rights & LegalA BC manufactured home park conversion needs all permits first, 12 months' notice on RTB-31 and $20,000 to each tenant by the effective date. Tenants have 15 days to dispute.
GeneralPIPA limits what Alberta landlords collect from applicants. A question-by-question table from the privacy commissioner's guidance, plus retention rules.
Screening & ApplicationsThe Alberta Human Rights Act bars landlords from refusing a tenant, or setting different terms, because of 15 protected grounds. Here is what that covers, the narrow adult-only exceptions, service dogs, and the one-year complaint deadline.
GeneralWhen a tenant leaves belongings behind in BC, the landlord must store them safely for 30 days, keep an inventory for 2 years and follow the notice rules before selling. The rules changed in April 2025; here is how they work now.
Rights & LegalNo. Saskatchewan's Residential Tenancies Act bans rental application fees, processing fees, screening fees and fees to accept a tenant. What is allowed, and what to do if you were charged.
Rights & LegalWhat Alberta landlords can and cannot do when a tenant stays after the tenancy ends: the order for recovery of possession, civil enforcement, compensation and conditional orders.
Rent & PaymentsRepeated late payment of rent in BC means at least three late payments. The landlord serves a One Month Notice for Cause (RTB-33); the tenant has 10 days to dispute.
Rights & LegalA BC landlord cannot stop you having guests, restrict them or charge a guest fee; only reasonable rules for common areas are allowed. What changes when a guest moves in and becomes an occupant.
Rights & LegalWhen an Alberta landlord can use the 24-hour notice under RTA section 30, what the notice must say, and the 10-day deadline to apply if the tenant does not leave.
Rights & LegalWhat an Alberta landlord can do with a tenant's abandoned belongings: the $2,000 threshold, 30-day storage, auction or court-approved sale, sale money and the 3-year record.
GeneralA BC landlord can charge up to $25 for late rent or a returned cheque, plus the bank's own NSF fee, but only if the tenancy agreement provides for it. Here is what Regulation s.7 allows and what it does not.
Rights & LegalHow Alberta's Safer Spaces certificate works: who qualifies, how to apply, the 28-day notice and 90-day deadline, what rent is owed, and what landlords must keep confidential.
GeneralA BC landlord who wants to move in, or move in a close family member, now gives 3 months' notice on a Three Month Notice (RTB-32L) generated on the RTB web portal. Who qualifies, the 5-unit rule, the 21-day dispute period and the compensation owed.
Rights & LegalAlberta tenants need written consent to sublet or assign, but a landlord can refuse only on reasonable grounds, cannot charge a fee, and is deemed to agree after 14 days of silence.
News & Policy UpdatesOTTAWA, Nov. 5, 2026: Budget 2026 renews the Canada Housing Benefit for 10 years, opens insured financing for new triplexes, fourplexes and 5- to 50-unit buildings from February 1, 2027, and adds billions for homelessness and non-market housing.
Safety & Scam PreventionRental scams in BC often borrow a real landlord's photos and address. Here is how landlords can make their listings hard to copy, the RTA rules that make a fake stand out, and where to report one.
Rights & LegalAn immediate notice does not let your Saskatchewan landlord put you out. Only a sheriff with an ORT writ can. Here is how to check the notice, what paying does and does not do, and how the hearing and appeal work.
Rent & PaymentsWhen rent is late in Saskatchewan, the landlord can serve an immediate notice once it is unpaid 15 days or more. Count calendar days from the day after the due date and serve on day 16 or later.
Rights & LegalField by field: how Saskatchewan landlords fill in the Immediate Notice to Vacate and Notice of Arrears (formerly Form 7), work out the arrears, serve every tenant and prove service to the ORT.
News & Policy UpdatesEDMONTON, Nov. 4, 2026: After two companies were fined a total of $518,000 over a fatal fall through an Edmonton roof, here is what an Alberta landlord should check before hiring a roofer, and what the OHS Act says owners must do.
Rights & LegalA Saskatchewan landlord needs the tenant's permission or a written Notice of Entry 24 hours to seven days ahead, with a reasonable purpose and a four-hour window between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Here are the exceptions, showing rules and remedies.
News & Policy UpdatesOTTAWA, Nov. 4, 2026: Budget 2026 is tabled November 5. What is already in place for rental housing, and what landlords and tenants should check on the day.
Rights & LegalSaskatchewan's residential law is The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, not The Landlord and Tenant Act. Every main rule for landlords on one page: leases, deposits, rent increases, notices, service, possession hearings and the ORT.
Market TrendsCANADA, Nov. 3, 2026: Yardi's Fall 2026 report says in-place apartment rents rose 1.7% a year to $1,790, the smallest increase since its tracking began in 2020, while new leases slipped 0.2%.
Safety & Scam PreventionHAMILTON, Nov. 3, 2026: A Hamilton fuel worker was fined $22,500 for gas work without TSSA contractor registration. Here is what Ontario law requires and how landlords check a contractor first.
News & Policy UpdatesVANCOUVER, Nov. 3, 2026: BC's Residential Tenancy Branch ordered a Vancouver house's landlords to pay $93,800 after 17 tenants were found in about 21 unpermitted, unsafe rooms.
Moving & SettlingMoving out in Saskatchewan: give written notice, leave the unit reasonably clean, return the keys and a forwarding address, and your landlord has seven business days to return the damage deposit or serve a claim.
Taxes & DeductionsTORONTO, Nov. 2, 2026: Toronto's 2026 Vacant Home Tax declarations are open. Every residential owner, landlords with rented units included, must declare by April 30, 2027 or risk a 3% tax.
Maintenance & RepairsSaskatchewan landlords must keep rentals in good repair and fit for habitation, including heating, plumbing and appliances; tenants keep units clean and fix damage they cause. Here is who fixes what and how the ORT enforces it.
Moving & SettlingSaskatchewan month-to-month tenants give at least one month's written notice, counted from when the landlord receives it and ending the day before rent is due. Here is how to write it, deliver it and leave early when the Act allows.
Rent & PaymentsSaskatchewan landlords need 12 months' written notice to raise rent, and the first increase cannot start until 18 months into the tenancy. There is no cap on the amount.
Rights & LegalEvery Saskatchewan landlord notice to vacate in one table: immediate for rent 15 days overdue, one month for cause, one or two months for the landlord's own use, and the tenant's 15-day dispute window.
GeneralVICTORIA, Oct. 31, 2026: BC's incoming government plans to drop Bill 43's housing targets and change Bill 44's suite and multiplex zoning. No bill has been tabled, so today's rules still apply. Here's what it could mean for landlords, small investors and tenants.
Rights & LegalIn BC, a landlord must offer the tenant two opportunities for the move-out inspection, the second on the RTB-22 Notice of Final Opportunity. Here is how to schedule both, serve the notice in time and protect the deposit claim.
Lease & AgreementsIn BC, a tenant can't sublet a unit or assign a tenancy without the landlord's written consent. With six months or more left on a fixed term the landlord can't unreasonably refuse, can't charge for consenting, and an unauthorized sublet is cause for a One Month Notice.
Safety & Scam PreventionIn BC, smoke alarms are mandatory in every rental unit and the landlord installs, tests and maintains them, while the tenant must not disable them and must report problems. Carbon monoxide alarms are recommended rather than required. Here is who does what.
Taxes & DeductionsAlberta, Oct. 30, 2026: Alberta will set one education property tax rate for every municipality from 2027, $2.65 per $1,000 for residential property, locked for three years. What it means for landlords.
Safety & Scam PreventionAlberta's Minimum Housing and Health Standards require smoke alarms between each sleeping area and the rest of the suite, working at all times. Here is where they go, who keeps them working, and a checklist for landlords and tenants.
Rights & LegalSection 10 of BC's Human Rights Code bars a landlord from refusing a tenant, or setting worse terms, because of 14 personal characteristics, including family status and lawful source of income. Here are the grounds, the narrow exceptions, and how complaints work.
Rent & PaymentsUnder BC's Residential Tenancy Act, a landlord must give a receipt for rent paid in cash. Here is what the law requires, what a good receipt shows, and why both sides should keep records for every other payment too.
Market TrendsCMHC's October 2025 Rental Market Survey, city by city: two-bedroom average rents, the same-unit rent change and vacancy rates across BC, and what the numbers mean for landlords and renters.
Neighbourhood & LocationWhat a Victoria landlord needs on top of BC's Residential Tenancy Act: the City's rental licences, its Rental Property Standards of Maintenance Bylaw and smoke alarm bylaw, the provincial speculation and vacancy tax, and what CMHC's 2025 survey says about rents.
Rights & LegalAn Alberta landlord cannot raise rent during a fixed term lease of a year or more, whatever the lease says. Here is when rent can go up, at renewal and on back-to-back short terms.
Taxes & DeductionsEvery Vancouver home needs an Empty Homes Tax declaration each year. Here is how the 3% tax works for the 2025 reference year, the dates the City has posted, and how a rental qualifies as occupied.
Rights & LegalWhat an Alberta landlord can and cannot take from a security deposit: the lease conditions, the wear-and-tear rule, the inspection report bar on damage deductions and the 10-day return, with a worked example.
Taxes & DeductionsThe five taxes a BC landlord meets: federal income tax on rent, the provincial speculation and vacancy tax, Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax, property transfer tax and the BC home flipping tax, with the 2026 rates and deadlines.
Screening & ApplicationsA BC landlord can ask for photo ID, references, rental history and, with your consent, a credit check. They can't charge an application fee, copy your ID, require your banking details before the tenancy, or refuse you on a Human Rights Code ground.
Rights & LegalGot a 14-day notice from your Alberta landlord? Pay all rent due before the termination date, or object in writing to a non-rent reason, and the notice has no effect. Here are your options and what happens next.
Safety & Scam PreventionA BC rental scam usually asks for money before you have seen the unit or signed a tenancy agreement. Here are the warning signs the RCMP and the Competition Bureau list, the BC rules a real landlord follows, and where to report.
Safety & Scam PreventionHealth Canada posted two heating recalls on Oct. 29, 2026: DREO DR-HSH015 space heaters and NTI/HTP gas boilers. Here is how landlords check, fix and tell tenants.
Maintenance & RepairsOntario's Pesticides Act requires an exterminator licence to treat and an operator licence to run a pest control business. What each means, the insurance operators carry, and why a landlord cannot use the Class D exemption in a tenant's unit.
Maintenance & RepairsCockroaches move between units, so treatment in an Ontario apartment building usually has to cover more than one unit. The landlord's duty, the entry notice for every unit, unit-by-unit preparation, and the Toronto and Mississauga by-law rules.
Maintenance & RepairsRodents in an Ontario rental are usually the landlord's to treat and seal out. Raccoons and squirrels add provincial wildlife rules: who can remove them, release within 24 hours nearby, and why bats need extra care.
Maintenance & RepairsWhen a tenant refuses pest control entry in Ontario, the landlord's options run through the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB): a valid notice, accommodation, an N5 for substantial interference, and an L2 claim for wasted visits.
Maintenance & RepairsBefore a pest treatment, an Ontario landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice with the reason, day and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Sample wording, delivery rules and preparation sheets.
Maintenance & RepairsWhen there are bed bugs in an Ontario rental, the landlord arranges and pays for treatment in most cases. Here is when a tenant can be charged, what tenants must do, and the routes when nothing happens.
Maintenance & RepairsWhen an Ontario landlord ignores a leak, tenants have three real tools: a written record, the municipality's property standards office, and a T6 application at the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Maintenance & RepairsKeeping drains clear is part of an Ontario landlord's repair duty. A tenant pays only when a blockage came from their own wilful or negligent conduct, and the landlord has to prove it.
News & Policy UpdatesWHITEHORSE, Oct. 29, 2026: Yukon's Bill 8 removes the rent cap from December 1. Rent increases will need six months' notice, and landlords can end a tenancy without a reason on six months' notice.
GeneralAlberta has no rent cap and no special increase for upgrades. New windows do not let a landlord raise rent sooner, more often or mid-term; the 365-day and notice rules apply as usual.
Maintenance & RepairsA burst pipe lets an Ontario landlord enter without notice. A dripping tap does not, even if the tenant asked for the repair. Here is how the entry rules apply to plumbing.
Maintenance & RepairsOntario's maintenance standards require plumbing to be protected from freezing, and that duty sits with the landlord. Here is when a tenant can be charged, what Toronto's by-laws add and how to prevent a burst.
News & Policy UpdatesHAMILTON, Oct. 28, 2026: Keanin Loomis leads Hamilton's unofficial mayoral results with 41.77% of the vote. The City's rental by-laws and Ontario's rent rules do not change because of the vote.
News & Policy UpdatesCALGARY, Oct. 28, 2026: Calgary's Housing Accelerator Fund agreement ended on October 27, months after Council repealed citywide rezoning. What changed on residential lots, the federal conditions on the final payment, and what stays the same for landlords.
Maintenance & RepairsWho pays for heat in an Ontario rental is set in section 6 of the standard lease. What heat-included means for the landlord, what changes when the tenant pays, and how the arrangement can be switched.
GeneralUnder Alberta's Condominium Property Act, windows in a unit's exterior walls are common property unless the plan says otherwise. Here is who repairs them, who pays, and what a condo landlord still owes the tenant.
Maintenance & RepairsIn a rent-controlled Ontario unit, a furnace or heat-pump replacement can support an above-guideline increase through the LTB, capped at 3% a year. What qualifies, how it is calculated, and the limits.
Maintenance & RepairsAlberta rentals must have a bedroom escape window that opens without tools, while the building code limits many low windows to a 100 mm opening. Here is how a provincial variance reconciles them and what landlords should do.
Maintenance & RepairsServicing, repairing or replacing heating equipment in an Ontario rental needs 24 hours' written notice, except in an emergency or with the tenant's consent at the time. How the rules apply to heating work.
GeneralMeasuring or replacing windows in a tenanted Alberta unit needs 24 hours' written, signed notice, entry between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and not on a holiday. Here is how section 23 applies, with a sample notice.
Maintenance & RepairsThe landlord pays for heating repairs caused by age and normal use; the tenant pays only for undue damage caused wilfully or negligently. Where the line falls, and how a landlord recovers the cost.
Maintenance & RepairsCondensation and mould on rental windows split along a simple line in Alberta: the landlord answers for the building, the tenant for how the unit is lived in. Here is what the standards and Alberta Health Services say.
News & Policy UpdatesREGINA, Oct. 28, 2026: A Regina eviction dispute is in the news. Here is how Saskatchewan evictions work, from notice and dispute to the ORT hearing and the sheriff.
Maintenance & RepairsOntario law sets no fixed number of days to fix a furnace, but heat is a vital service in winter. How urgent the repair is, what to do in the first 24 hours, and what happens if it drags on.
Maintenance & RepairsRaccoons, squirrels, birds and bats get into rentals through gaps in the building. In BC the landlord usually handles it, but the Wildlife Act limits how.
Maintenance & RepairsNo heat in your Ontario rental? Heat is a vital service from September 1 to June 15. Here is what to do today, when to call the city, and how the LTB can order the repair.
Maintenance & RepairsAlberta law puts weathertight, crack-free rental windows on the landlord. Here is what the minimum housing standards require, who pays when a window breaks, and what tenants can do when repairs are ignored.
GeneralAn Ontario landlord can seek an above-guideline rent increase for new windows when the work is an eligible capital expenditure, finished in time and fully paid. The 3% cap, useful lives, rebates and what tenants can raise.
News & Policy UpdatesOTTAWA, Oct. 27, 2026: Mark Sutcliffe leads Ottawa's unofficial mayoral results with 44.65%. City rental by-laws and Ontario's rent rules don't change with the vote; here is what to watch.
Moving & SettlingHow to give your landlord notice in Alberta: the notice period for weekly, monthly, yearly and fixed-term tenancies, what the notice must say, how to serve it and what happens if it is late.
Maintenance & RepairsIn Ontario, landlords must fit window safety devices on upper-floor windows when a tenant asks, and Toronto requires window protection in larger apartment buildings. The opening limits, lock rules and federal blind cord limits.
Maintenance & RepairsWith proper written notice, a BC landlord may enter for pest control even if the tenant objects. If a tenant blocks entry or will not prepare, here are the lawful options.
Maintenance & RepairsIn an Ontario rental, condensation on windows is the landlord's problem when a seal, frame or fan has failed, and the tenant's to manage when it comes from indoor humidity. How to tell which, and what each side should do.
Maintenance & RepairsWhether a BC landlord must deal with mice or rats depends on the repair duty in the Residential Tenancy Act and your city's standards of maintenance bylaw. Here is how the pieces fit.
News & Policy UpdatesTORONTO, Oct. 27, 2026: Olivia Chow leads Toronto's unofficial mayoral count with 54.16% and all polls reporting. City rental bylaws and Ontario's rent rules do not change with the vote.
Maintenance & RepairsCockroaches move between units, so treating one apartment rarely works. Here is how a BC landlord organizes building-wide treatment, notices and unit preparation.
Maintenance & RepairsIn Ontario, a notice to enter for window replacement must be written and given 24 hours ahead with the reason, day and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. How to serve it, and the separate 60-day project notice.
Maintenance & RepairsIn British Columbia the landlord is generally responsible for treating bed bugs. Here is who pays, when a tenant can be charged, and how notice to enter works.
Maintenance & RepairsIn Ontario, a landlord must fix drafty windows in a rental unit under RTA s.20; the tenant pays only for damage they caused. What the standards say, what to do first and what the LTB can order.
Maintenance & RepairsTwo separate notices usually apply before a pest treatment in a BC rental: the landlord's 24-hour entry notice and the licensed applicator's 72-hour treatment notice.
Maintenance & RepairsIn BC, a business that applies pesticides for a fee needs a pesticide licence under the Integrated Pest Management Act, with a certified applicator doing the work. Here is what it means for landlords.
Rights & LegalAn Alberta landlord must give 3 tenancy months' written notice for a monthly tenancy, 12 tenancy weeks for weekly, and 90 days for others. Here is how to count it and spot a void notice.
Rights & LegalIn Alberta, landlords and tenants can take most tenancy disputes to the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) or to court, and the first filing binds both sides. Here is how the two compare on cost, limits, remedies and appeals.
Maintenance & RepairsAlberta landlords must keep rentals free of insect and rodent infestations. Tenants must allow access and prepare. Here are the notice rules, operator registration and tenant options.
Maintenance & RepairsA pre-winter checklist for Alberta rentals tied to the Minimum Housing and Health Standards: 22 °C heat, storm windows, plumbing, hot water, smoke alarms and entry notice.
Rent & PaymentsAlberta sets no maximum for late rent fees or NSF charges. A fee must be in the tenancy agreement, and one that goes beyond the landlord's real loss can be waived by RTDRS or a court.
Rights & LegalCalgary owners must register secondary and backyard suites, and an unregistered suite cannot be advertised for rent. The amnesty that waives fees ends Dec. 31, 2026.
Rights & LegalAn Alberta landlord can end a month-to-month tenancy only for a reason the law lists, with 3 tenancy months' notice (365 days for major renovations). Here is each reason, what does not qualify, and how to count the notice.
Maintenance & RepairsWhich BC window and door rebates rental owners can use (checked October 22, 2026), where landlords hit eligibility limits, and how rebates affect rent increases.
Rights & LegalIn Alberta, a landlord has 10 days after you give up possession to return your security deposit, or the balance with a statement of account. Here is how the deadline works and what to do if it passes.
Rights & LegalEdmonton tenancies follow Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act. The City adds permit rules for secondary suites and a business licence for short-term rentals of 30 days or less.
Maintenance & RepairsWhat the BC Building Code 2024 says about window guards, 100 mm limiters and bedroom escape windows, and what landlords and tenants should do in a rental.
Safety & Scam PreventionSmoke and CO alarm duties under Ontario's Fire Code, and what happens after a fire: repairs, frustration, rent, moving back, entry, tenant-caused damage and insurance.
News & Policy UpdatesCANADA, Oct. 25, 2026: Ottawa's new National Heat Pump Rebate pays $2,000, or up to $10,000 below the median income, from early 2027. Here is what the federal text says, and does not say, about rentals.
Lease & AgreementsIn BC, the tenancy agreement decides who pays for utilities. Once a utility is included in the rent, a landlord can't take it away or charge extra without following section 27 of the Residential Tenancy Act, and shared bills need a written split.
Rights & LegalCalgary tenancies follow Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act, plus city rules for secondary suites and short-term rentals. The suite amnesty is set to end December 31, 2026.
Maintenance & RepairsA boil water advisory in Alberta raises fast questions for landlords and tenants: who issues it, who is responsible for safe water, what to tell tenants, how to flush the building when it lifts, and whether rent can be reduced.
Neighbourhood & LocationWhat a Vancouver landlord needs beyond the Residential Tenancy Act: the City's long-term rental business licence, the Empty Homes Tax and provincial speculation tax declarations, the 2026 cooling rule, and what CMHC's 2025 survey says about rents.
Maintenance & RepairsCondensation and mould on rental windows: what tenants must clean, what landlords must repair, and how BC's Residential Tenancy Branch sorts out the cause.
Rights & LegalAlberta requires a move-in and a move-out inspection report with prescribed statements and signatures. Without them, a landlord cannot deduct for damage from the deposit.
Lease & AgreementsAlberta has no official lease form, but a written lease must carry one statement in larger print, and landlords owe tenants a signed copy, a notice of landlord and an inspection report on set deadlines.
News & Policy UpdatesVICTORIA, Oct. 25, 2026: Preliminary results show the BC Conservatives leading in 64 of 93 districts. Nothing in BC rental law changes yet; final count is planned for Nov. 6 to 10.
Lease & AgreementsIn BC, a tenancy agreement can ban pets or limit their size, kind and number, and a landlord can take one pet damage deposit. Guide and service dogs are not pets: a landlord cannot refuse them or charge a pet deposit for them.
GeneralWhen new windows can support an additional rent increase in BC: the Residential Tenancy Regulation tests, what is excluded, the 3% cap and what tenants can do.
Rights & LegalFound a clause in your BC lease that breaks the rules? How to confirm it, raise it with your landlord in writing, get money back, keep your tenancy safe and take it to the RTB.
Rights & LegalA BC landlord cannot evict for renovations with a notice alone. How to tell what you received, what you are owed, and what to do before the hearing.
Rights & LegalIn BC, a landlord who skips a condition inspection or never gives the tenant the report loses the right to claim against the deposit for damage. What you keep, and how to avoid paying double.
GeneralAlberta notice periods depend on the tenancy type and who is ending it. A tenant gives one tenancy month; a landlord needs three months and a prescribed reason, or 365 days for major renovations.
Rights & LegalVancouver limits short-term rentals to the unit the host lives in, and the Province's registry sits on top. What long-term landlords need to know when a tenant asks to host.
GeneralAlberta caps all deposits at one month's rent, requires a trust account within 2 banking days, and gives landlords 10 days to return the deposit. No inspection report means no damage deductions.
GeneralForm K is the BC strata form every landlord must give a tenant before renting, with a signed copy to the strata within two weeks. Here is how to fill it in and what happens if you miss it.
News & Policy UpdatesEDMONTON and CALGARY, Oct. 24, 2026: Alberta's City Land Use Bylaw Direction Regulation (A.R. 255/2026) orders both cities to rewrite infill zoning. What it says about suites, parking and timing.
Maintenance & RepairsMISSISSAUGA, Ont., Oct. 21, 2026: An Ontario electrical contractor and its owner were fined $122,000 for pulling ESA permits for unlicensed work. What it means for landlords hiring an electrician.
Maintenance & RepairsUnder section 33 of BC's Residential Tenancy Act, a tenant can arrange an emergency repair and be reimbursed, or deduct it from rent. Here are the conditions, the paperwork and when a landlord can refuse.
Rights & LegalBreaking a BC lease does not automatically cost the rest of the term. Here is what a landlord can claim, the landlord's duty to re-rent, and the lawful ways to leave early.
Rights & LegalA BC landlord may enter a rental unit only in six situations, most often with 24 hours' written notice. Here is what the notice must say, how to time it, and what each side can do when rules are broken.
Rights & LegalGot a One Month Notice for Cause in BC? You have 10 days to dispute it. How to find your exact deadline, file, pay or waive the fee, serve your landlord and prepare.
Rights & LegalOntario's 2027 guideline is 1.9%; BC's limit is 2.2%. Rent increases, deposits, entry and unpaid-rent notices compared side by side for owners with rentals in both provinces.
GeneralThe Landlord and Tenant Board will not accept previous versions of the N5, N6, N8, N12, N13, L1, L2, L9, L10 and T5 as of November 30, 2026. Here is what changed and what to do.
Rights & LegalA step-by-step walkthrough of a BC Residential Tenancy Branch hearing for landlords and tenants: what to prepare, who speaks first, conduct on the call, and what happens after the decision.
Rights & LegalIf your BC landlord will not fix a problem, you do not have to withhold rent or do it yourself. Here is the path from a written request to an RTB order for repairs, a rent reduction and compensation.
GeneralEvery core rule for Alberta landlords on one page: leases, the one-month deposit cap, inspection reports, rent increases, entry, repairs, notices, the RTDRS and deposit returns.
Safety & Scam PreventionTSSA published a carbon monoxide backgrounder ahead of CO Awareness Week (Nov. 1–7). Here is what the Fire Code requires of landlords for Ontario carbon monoxide alarms before winter.
Rights & LegalBC tenants must give written notice that reaches the landlord a full rental month before they leave. Here is how to count it, what to include, and what to do before move-out.
Maintenance & RepairsSection 32 of BC's Residential Tenancy Act puts most repairs on the landlord. Here is what the duty covers, the tenant's share, how requests should work, and what the RTB can order.
GeneralBC stratas can no longer ban long-term rentals, but strata landlords still owe the tenant the bylaws and a Form K, and owe the strata a signed copy within two weeks.
Rights & LegalEntry without notice, guest fees, lockouts, cut-off services and other things a BC landlord cannot do under the Residential Tenancy Act, and what you can do about them.
GeneralWhat a BC tenancy agreement must contain, how the RTB-1 standard terms work, what really happens at the end of a fixed term, and how to keep leases consistent across units.
Rights & LegalIf your BC landlord does not return your deposit, get your written agreement or apply to the RTB within 15 days, you may be owed double. Here is how it works.
GeneralBC landlords have 15 days to return a deposit, get written agreement or file with the RTB. Here is when the clock starts, worked dates and what missing it costs.
GeneralBC caps security and pet damage deposits at half of the first month's rent each. Here are the numbers, the exemptions and what happens if you collect too much.
GeneralHow much you can collect, when inspections protect your claim, and how to beat the 15-day return deadline and the double-deposit penalty in British Columbia.
GeneralAfter a BC 10 Day Notice, the tenant has 5 days to pay in full or dispute. Here is how the days are counted and what each outcome means for landlords and tenants.
GeneralB.C.'s 2027 rent increase limit is 2.2%. Here is how to calculate it, when to serve the RTB-7, and the rules on the 12-month gap, tenant agreements and additional increases.
GeneralAsking rents are down 9.2% from their 2024 peak. The guideline still lets you raise rent, but on a market moving down, the most expensive number on your books is an empty month.
Rights & LegalAn N13 renoviction runs on paper, and from September 21, 2026 there's more of it: Bill 97 amends the RTA's right-of-first-refusal rules, adding written-notification duties for landlords once a tenant has preserved the right — including keeping the tenant updated when the completion date slips, which it usually does. Th
Rights & LegalSince July 1, 2026, the clock to challenge a Landlord and Tenant Board order has run half as long: a Request to Review must be filed within 15 days of the order's issue date — down from 30 — under new s.209(3) of the RTA, with orders issued before that date keeping the old deadline. Two months in, the mistakes have a p
Rights & LegalSince July 24, 2026, the Landlord and Tenant Board's final orders have been publishing to Ontario's Open Data Catalogue — free, no login, monthly updates, with history filling back to December 2021 in phases. It's the biggest transparency shift the rental market has seen in years, and the most misused tool of the fall:
Rights & LegalFrom September 1, 2026, serving an N13 in Mississauga starts a second clock the province doesn't run: within seven days, the landlord must apply to the City for a Rental Repairs and Renovations Licence — and no work starts, and no tenant leaves, until both the building permit and the licence are in hand. Here's the mun
GeneralOne landlord writing one listing is a craft problem. Fifty listings a year across a dozen buildings is a systems problem, and the two have almost nothing in common. This is the operator's guide to listing at scale: the template architecture that keeps every ad Human Rights Code-compliant without a lawyer reviewing each
GeneralA single landlord loses a fortnight and feels it. A property manager running eighty units loses a fortnight per turnover and calls it normal — because nobody has ever put a portfolio number on it. This is the operator's guide to vacancy days: where they actually accumulate across a portfolio (rarely where owners think)
Market TrendsEvery stalled listing has a specific broken stage, and almost no Ontario landlord knows which one theirs is. Views without enquiries is a pricing or photography problem. Enquiries without showings is a reply problem. Showings without applications means the unit or the listing is overselling. Applications without a sign
Market TrendsDays-on-market is the number every Ontario landlord guesses at and almost nobody measures — and the guess usually runs in the expensive direction. This piece puts a real figure on it: what current listing data says about how long a unit actually sits in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, and the smaller Ontario markets, why th
Tools & EvaluationsThe listing process is full of jobs a free tool does better than willpower — pricing sanity checks, photo prep, description drafting, deposit math, scam checks, and the paperwork around a signed lease. Here's the honest toolkit for Ontario landlords: the free tools worth bookmarking for each job in the listing workflow
Rental Pricing & ROIFree rental listing sites are genuinely good now — the question is which ones earn a spot in your posting routine, because "free" varies: some sites are free forever, some are free tiers with paid upsells, and some are free in one city and paid in another. Here's the honest ranking for Canadian landlords: the sites wor
Finances & BudgetingEvery landlord knows vacancy costs money; almost none has done the arithmetic — which is why units sit unlisted for "just another week" of painting, and why underpriced-versus-vacant decisions get made on instinct. Here's the per-day math done properly: what an empty unit costs in rent alone, what it costs fully loaded
Rights & LegalRental ad discrimination rarely looks like discrimination — it looks like friendliness: "perfect for young professionals," "ideal for a quiet couple," "great family neighbourhood." Under Ontario's Human Rights Code, the ad is where compliance starts, and warmly-phrased tenant preferences are the same violation as blunt
Safety & Scam PreventionRental scams run in both directions, and most guides only warn one side. Tenants get burned by cloned listings, phantom units, and deposit-wire pressure; landlords get burned by their own photos scamming their own applicants, fake pay stubs, and overpayment cheques. Here's the two-sided defence: the scam patterns by na
Screening & ApplicationsThe reference call is screening's cheapest instrument and its most badly run: most landlords either skip it, ask questions that invite rehearsed answers, or drift into territory the Human Rights Code governs even on a phone call. Here's the call done properly — why previous landlords beat current ones, the twelve quest
Screening & ApplicationsThe tenant credit check is the most misunderstood step in Ontario screening — landlords fear it's complicated, applicants fear it hurts their score, and both fears are out of date. Here's the whole process: the written consent that must come first, where to actually run the check (and what each route costs), why rental
Tools & EvaluationsFive ready-to-use rental listing templates — basement suite, condo one-bedroom, family house, student unit, and executive rental — each built on the six-part method: a factual headline, a lede that proves you've met the unit, the complete facts block, specifics instead of adjectives, a response promise, and Ontario's l
Rights & LegalOntario pet law does something almost nobody expects, and both sides routinely get it backwards: at the application stage, a landlord may generally choose not to rent to someone because they have a pet — but once the tenancy exists, a "no pets" lease clause is void, and a tenant who gets a pet after moving in usually c
Rights & LegalYes — and almost everything attached to that yes is where landlords get into trouble and tenants overpay. First month's rent is just rent; last month's is Ontario's only legal deposit, capped at one rental period, earning interest every year at that year's guideline rate. Damage, security, cleaning, and pet deposits ar
Tools & EvaluationsNine places Ontario landlords actually list rentals — Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Rentals.ca, Zumper, PadMapper, ViewIt.ca, RentSeeker, and the agent-gated Realtor.ca — compared honestly on cost, audience, posting friction, scam exposure, and where each one earns its place. Dated cells, no pay-to-play, an
Rent & PaymentsOntario's 2027 rent increase guideline is 1.9% — and the first day a landlord can serve an N1 for a January 1, 2027 increase is October 3, 2026, exactly 90 days out. This is the timing piece: the serve-date math for any 2027 effective date, the 12-month rule check, what the effective date controls (including which year
Screening & ApplicationsLTB orders became public data on July 24, 2026, and the screening question became live the same day: can a landlord look up a prospective tenant's Board history — and act on it? The honest answer has two halves: no law forbids reading a public order, and the Human Rights Code governs every rental decision exactly as it
Rights & LegalThree Ontario cities now license renovation evictions, and a pattern has emerged: all three give landlords seven days from the N13 to apply, and almost everything else differs — Hamilton charges $715 per unit with annual renewals, Toronto $700 with compensation proven before approval, and Ottawa (from January 1, 2027)
Rights & LegalOttawa city council passed its Rental Renovation Licence bylaw 21–5 on July 15, 2026, and it takes effect January 1, 2027: a municipal licence within 7 days of issuing an N13, a building permit secured before the notice goes out, and a city-produced tenant rights guide served alongside it. Here's what the bylaw actuall
Rights & LegalAs of July 24, 2026, the LTB's final orders are public data: every non-confidential order from January through May 2026 is live on Ontario's Open Data Catalogue, with orders back to 2021 following in phases and new ones publishing monthly — on a disclosed 2-to-3-month lag. This guide covers what's in the release and wh
Tools & EvaluationsThis is the last comparison in our series, and it's about a kinship: both of these tools care about single-family rentals — the scattered houses, duplexes, and townhomes that make up most Canadian landlords' portfolios. Propertyware has spent almost twenty years serving that segment at company scale: it's built, in its
Tools & EvaluationsYardi Breeze is the friendliest door into one of the oldest names in property software — per-unit pricing, no onboarding fees, and a product line that runs from Breeze through Premier to Voyager, the enterprise platform that costs more per year than most small portfolios gross. That's the honest frame for this comparis
Tools & EvaluationsHere's a comparison between twins of a different kind: both of these tools give a 1-to-3-unit landlord a genuinely free plan — not a trial, a product. Landlord Studio pairs its free tier with the deepest DIY bookkeeping stack at this end of the market: live bank feeds, receipt scanning, smart rules that sort your trans
Tools & EvaluationsHere's the strangest comparison in our series: these two tools chose almost the same shape. Rentec Direct's entry plans run $45–$55 USD a month covering up to 25 units; Tenon10's Pro runs $49 CAD for the same twenty-five. Both price flat. Both publish their numbers. Neither requires a contract. Both get praised by revi
Tools & EvaluationsThis is the closest price matchup in our comparison series: TenantCloud's entry plan runs $15–$17 USD a month, unlimited units on every tier, with a genuinely devoted small-landlord following — and Tenon10's Essentials runs $9.99 CAD for up to ten. No sales floors, no enterprise minimums, no assembled-bill shock: two s
Tools & EvaluationsFor the first time in this series, the comparison isn't decided before it starts. liv.rent is Canadian — Vancouver-built, CAD-priced, genuinely liked — so the two arguments that carried our Buildium, AppFolio, and DoorLoop pages simply don't apply. What's left is a better question than "which is cheaper in whose curren
Tools & EvaluationsThis is the first comparison in our series without an easy answer built in. DoorLoop names Canada in its own positioning, starts at a price a small landlord can say out loud, offers a real free trial, and earns reviews in the 4.5-to-5-star range. So this page does the two jobs a genuine comparison requires: it assemble
Tools & EvaluationsHere's the shortest honest comparison on the internet: AppFolio doesn't sell to portfolios under 50 units — so if you're a Canadian landlord with a duplex, a fourplex, or anything under two dozen doors, one of these platforms won't take you as a customer, and the other was built for you. This page covers the rest prope
Tools & EvaluationsBuildium is excellent software — for a US property management company running 50 to 1,000 doors. If that's you, close this tab and go demo it. But if you're a Canadian landlord with a basement suite, a triplex, or a growing portfolio under 25 units, you'd be paying US-company prices in US dollars for US workflows — and
Rights & LegalEvery complaint a tenant brings you is two things at once: a problem to fix and a test of whether your word means anything. Ontario landlords who handle complaints well run a system — acknowledgment inside a day, categories that route urgent from routine, one written record per issue, and a close-the-loop message when
Rights & LegalA housing co-op looks like a rental building and runs like a small democracy: members instead of tenants, occupancy charges instead of rent, by-laws instead of a lease, and a board — not a landlord — in charge. For property managers, that changes the client, the money, and the eviction machinery entirely: the Co-operat
Rights & LegalEvery rental file is a privacy file: applications, credit checks, IDs, camera footage, smart-entry logs. Under PIPEDA, landlords and property managers are data custodians with real obligations — consent, purpose limits, safeguards, 30-day access requests, and mandatory breach reporting with fines up to $100,000. Here's
Market TrendsEvery answer to this question has an expiry date, and most of the internet quotes numbers three years past theirs. Here is the honest 2026 version: the LTB's real wait times, the investor math that stopped working, what changed with rates and rents — and the date on which every figure in this article stops being true.
Rights & LegalNobody asked whether you wanted to be a landlord. A parent died, or a move happened, and now there's a tenancy with your name on it — a rent you didn't set, terms you didn't write, a deposit you never took. The lease is attached to the property, not the person. You stepped into the shoes, and the Act doesn't care that
Rights & LegalYour lease is not where the rules live. A condo tenant is bound by a declaration they never signed — and when they breach it, the corporation doesn't chase them. It charges you, and the charge attaches to your unit ahead of your mortgage. Here's the second rulebook, and the deadline most owners miss by three weeks.
Rights & LegalMoving away doesn't change your obligations under the RTA — but crossing the tax-residency line changes who your tenant owes money to. A Tax Court case put six years of your tax bill on a tenant who had no idea. Here's what actually changes when you leave, and what to set up before you go.
Rights & LegalMost Ontario landlords screen on income first — three times the rent, or a 30% cut-off. The Human Rights Commission says that rule is illegal, and the regulation makes income the one tool you can't use on its own. Credit and rental history can stand alone. Income can't. Here's what you may actually ask.
Market TrendsYour lot decides which rulebook you get: touch a public laneway and it's a laneway suite, don't and it's a garden suite. You get one, never both. But the two things most likely to kill the project — emergency access and a protected tree — aren't in the zoning bylaw at all.
Market TrendsOntario made basement apartments legal almost everywhere — and that's the half-truth that costs landlords the most. Bill 23 fixed the zoning. It didn't touch the Building Code or the Fire Code. A suite is legal only when all three line up, and the numbers you'll google disagree with each other.
Market TrendsThere's no province-wide landlord licence in Ontario — licensing is municipal, patchwork, and changing fast. Some cities license small rentals of 1–4 units; others only register large apartment buildings; many require nothing. This tracker sorts the two regimes city by city, with a hard verify-lesson: the fee you read
Market TrendsOntario's rental market just loosened for the first time in years — Toronto's purpose-built vacancy rate hit 3.0% in the latest CMHC survey, a level it hadn't seen since before the pandemic. But a vacancy rate is the most misread number in a landlord's toolkit. A rising rate doesn't mean "avoid this city," and a very l
Market TrendsStudent rentals are their own asset class — different tenant, different lease, different rules — and in 2026 they're at an inflection point. Ottawa cut Ontario's study-permit allocation 42% this year, and the pullback is reshaping every university town: landlords who once had September bidding wars are now offering one
Platform & ProductLandlording is a mobile job that most software treats as a desk job — showings, move-in photos, the furnace invoice in your hand, the e-Transfer that arrives while you're in line for coffee. Tenon10's iOS and Android apps are officially coming soon, and this guide is honest about exactly that: what the platform publicl
Platform & ProductEvery property platform now claims an AI. The honest questions are: what can it actually see, what can it actually do, and what happens when it's wrong? This deep-dive walks through Keya, Tenon10's AI copilot, the way a landlord meets it — plain-English answers drawn from your own ledger ("What's my collection rate thi
Platform & ProductMost landlords don't have an accounting problem in April — they have a records problem all year that becomes visible in April. This deep-dive walks through Tenon10's accounting module the way a landlord actually meets it: the ledger that builds itself as rent comes in (card, bank, e-Transfer, even cash — one ledger), t
Neighbourhood & LocationToronto isn't one rental market — it's dozens stitched together, and the neighbourhood decides the business you're buying. This landlord's guide maps the city the way an underwriter would: the value zones (Scarborough, Etobicoke, York–East York) where secondary suites and multiplexes cash-flow, the transit corridors (C
Rights & LegalEvery message to a tenant carries a legal weight — and most landlords can't tell the three tiers apart. Some things must be LTB forms, and no friendly letter can substitute. Some must be written with exact contents the RTA prescribes: the 24-hour entry notice's reason, date, and time; the email-service consent that mak
Rights & LegalAutomation has become standard practice in rental management — rent collection that reconciles itself, maintenance portals that never sleep, AI that reads a stack of applications in minutes. But the listicles skip the part that matters in Ontario: the RTA and the Human Rights Code draw hard lines around what can run on
Finances & BudgetingA homeowner policy does not cover a rental — most Ontario landlords learn that one the expensive way. This guide covers what standard landlord insurance actually includes (structure, liability, lost rental income), what the common endorsements add (sewer backup, overland flood, legal expenses), what a typical policy co
Rights & LegalNot every tenancy has to end at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Ontario law gives landlords and tenants several legal ways to part company without an eviction hearing — the N11 mutual agreement and cash-for-keys deal, the tenant's own N9 notice, assignment, and negotiated moves — each faster than the queue when done rig
Rights & LegalEvery LTB journey follows the same road: a notice, an application on the Tribunals Ontario Portal, a queue, a fork at mediation, a hearing, an order — and sometimes the Sheriff. This pillar guide maps the entire process end to end for landlords, tenants, and property managers: which notice starts which application, wha
Rights & LegalAn LTB eviction order is not possession — only the Sheriff can enforce it, and the Sheriff has a queue of their own. This guide covers the whole after-the-order world for landlords and tenants: the filing package and the six-month deadline, the fees and the regional wait, the Notice to Vacate, what actually happens on
Rights & LegalAt the Landlord and Tenant Board, paralegals and lawyers hold the same regulator, the same insurance, and the same right to appear — so the hiring decision isn't about prestige. It's about scope (only lawyers appear at Divisional Court), specialization (LTB-focused paralegals live in that tribunal), and fee structure (
Rights & LegalMost tenants at the LTB appear without a lawyer — and unlike landlords, tenants get free help: Duty Counsel on hearing day, community legal clinics before it. But the help only works if you claim it, the s. 82 counter-issue lane now sits behind a half-the-arrears payment (since September 21, 2026), and a missed hearing
Rights & LegalMost parties at the LTB appear without a lawyer — the Board is built for it. But it dismisses landlord applications every day on technicalities, not merits: a miscalculated termination date, an arrears figure that doesn't match the ledger, service that can't be proven. This guide covers what self-representation actuall
Rights & LegalIt's the ground for more LTB disputes than almost any other phrase: "substantial interference with reasonable enjoyment." The noise complaint, the smoke drifting between units, the landlord who won't stop dropping by — all of it lives here. But the standard cuts every direction: it's the landlord's eviction ground, the
Rights & LegalThe landlord said they needed the unit for family. You moved out. A week later it was on the market at $500 more. Ontario law presumes what that looks like: an own-use eviction followed by re-listing within 12 months is presumed bad faith — and suddenly the landlord must prove innocence. Here's the T5 application from
Rights & LegalThe parking that vanished. The laundry room that became storage. The pool that never reopened. In Ontario, rent buys a package — and when the landlord shrinks the package, the law shrinks the rent. The T3 is the application that resets your rent permanently, not just once. It runs on a 12-month window, precise valuatio
Rights & LegalKey deposits. Pet fees. An unreturned last month's rent. Interest nobody ever paid. N12 compensation that never arrived. Ontario law makes all of it recoverable — through one application with eight grounds and a filing fee under $60. But the T1 runs on a strict one-year lookback, and unchallenged rent increases become
Rights & LegalYour landlord's duty to repair is absolute — but it enforces itself exactly never. The T6 is the application that turns ignored repair requests into orders: rent abatements, deadlines, reimbursements, even a freeze on rent increases until the work is done. It costs $48, runs on a one-year clock, and lives or dies on da
Rights & LegalIn Ontario, a lease that ends doesn't end anything — it converts. So "renewal" is really a strategy question: stay month-to-month or sign a new fixed term? The answer is different for landlords (retention economics, flexibility), tenants (no-fault eviction protection, leverage you didn't know you had), and property man
Rights & LegalOntario's rent guideline isn't always the ceiling. Through an Above-Guideline Increase, landlords can recover extraordinary tax hikes, major capital work, and security costs — but only on three statutory grounds, under strict caps, with a hearing at the end and an expiry date built in. Here's the full process: grounds,
Rights & LegalOntario's renoviction rules now run on paperwork: a qualified professional's report, building permits, written timeline estimates, update obligations, a completion notice, and a 60-day window for the tenant to come back. Here's the full document trail — what landlords must produce, what tenants can demand, and where mu
Rights & LegalBill 60 gives Ontario landlords a new choice on own-use evictions: serve the N12 the fast way and pay a month's compensation, or give at least 120 days' notice and pay nothing. On a $3,000 unit, that timing choice is worth $3,000. This guide breaks down exactly how the new 120-day path works under RTA s.48.1(2), when i
Rights & LegalAs of July 1, 2026, the maximum fine for an RTA offence is $100,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations — double the old caps. Here's which offences carry that exposure, why directors and officers can be personally liable, and the compliance file that keeps the new numbers theoretical.
Rights & LegalTenant insurance isn't required by Ontario law — but your lease can require liability coverage, and skipping it can put your tenancy at risk. Here's what landlords can and can't demand under the standard lease, what coverage actually protects you, and how to get insured for less than a dollar a day.
Screening & ApplicationsA credit check is just one piece of tenant screening — and the moment you go beyond it, the legal lines get sharp. Criminal record checks, references, employment and income verification, eviction history, even a social-media search: each is governed by the Human Rights Code, Ontario's screening regulation, and privacy
Rights & LegalWhen a landlord won't fix a serious problem, tenants have a route many don't know about: the municipal property standards officer. These bylaw inspectors can order repairs, set deadlines, and even bill the landlord for work the city does itself — and their orders are powerful evidence at the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Taxes & DeductionsTax time is painful only when you leave everything to April. This year-end checklist turns filing your rental return into a four-step routine: gather your income and receipts, sort every cost into current vs capital, make the calls that matter (like whether to claim CCA), and file on time. It walks the documents to col
Taxes & DeductionsThe expense section is where a T776 is won or lost — it's the largest part of the form and where landlords both overpay (by missing deductions) and get audited (by claiming the wrong ones). This deep-dive walks every T776 expense line, the one distinction that governs all of them — current vs. capital — and the traps t
Taxes & DeductionsCapital Cost Allowance lets Canadian landlords deduct a slice of their building's cost each year — but it's the most misunderstood line on a rental tax return. It's optional, it can't create a loss, and every dollar you claim can come back to bite you as fully taxed "recapture" when you sell. This guide explains how CC
Maintenance & RepairsThere's no single "Ontario heating law" — the minimum temperature your landlord must maintain, the dates it applies, and the fines all come from your city's bylaw. Toronto requires 21°C (Oct 1–May 15); Ottawa requires 20°C by day and 16.67°C overnight; Hamilton requires 20°C (Sept 15–May 15). This guide lays out the ex
Maintenance & RepairsBed bugs, cockroaches, mice — in Ontario, dealing with them is almost always the landlord's job, and paying for it is too. There's an actual regulation that says a rental must be kept "reasonably free of rodents, vermin and insects," a landlord can't pass the exterminator's bill to a tenant without proving the tenant c
Maintenance & RepairsThere's no "mold law" in Ontario — but there doesn't need to be. Mold caused by a building problem (a leak, bad ventilation, water getting in) is the landlord's to fix under the same duty to keep a unit in a good state of repair. This guide draws the responsibility line clearly: what the landlord must remediate (and pa
Maintenance & RepairsIn Ontario, keeping a rental in good repair isn't optional or negotiable — it's a legal duty that a landlord can't sign away, and that applies even if the tenant knew about the problem before moving in. This is the complete guide to maintenance standards under the RTA: what "good state of repair and fit for habitation"
Maintenance & RepairsHeat, water, electricity, gas — these are "vital services" in Ontario, and a landlord can't withhold or deliberately interfere with them, ever. Not for unpaid rent, not for a damaged unit, not until an eviction is actually enforced. There's a minimum heat standard (and stricter city bylaws), a rule that makes the landl
Rights & LegalYour landlord can't just show up. In Ontario, entering your rental almost always takes 24 hours' written notice, stating the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. — and the LTB enforces that to the minute. But there are narrow exceptions (a real emergency, your consent at the door), a fixed list of valid reasons,
Lease & AgreementsCan your Ontario landlord make you get tenant insurance? There's no law that requires it — but a landlord can make it a condition of your lease, and once it's in a signed lease, it's enforceable. Here's what tenant insurance actually covers (your stuff and your liability, not the building), what a landlord can and can'
Lease & Agreements"Subletting" and "assigning" get used interchangeably — but in Ontario they're legally different, and mixing them up can cost you. A sublet means you're coming back; an assignment means you're gone for good. The rules on landlord consent differ too: a landlord can refuse a general assignment outright, but can't unreaso
Lease & AgreementsHere's the twist that surprises people: a "no smoking" clause in an Ontario lease IS enforceable — unlike a "no pets" clause, which is void. But the rule has limits. A landlord can't add a smoking ban mid-tenancy, a clause that names tobacco doesn't automatically cover cannabis or vaping, and even a grandfathered smoke
Lease & AgreementsThat "no pets" line in your Ontario lease? It's void — section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act makes no-pet clauses unenforceable once you're a tenant. But the rule has real limits: a landlord can refuse a pet owner before you sign, a condo declaration can still ban pets, and behaviour like damage, danger, or aller
Rent & PaymentsOntario's 2027 rent increase guideline is 1.9% — the maximum most landlords can raise rent without going to the LTB. This complete guide covers the 1.9% cap, the exact N1 notice rules, the 90-day timing (you can serve as early as October 2026 for a January 2027 increase), who's exempt, and the mistakes that quietly voi
Moving & SettlingOntario doesn't legally require a move-in or move-out inspection — but skipping one is how landlords lose damage claims and tenants lose deposits. Because Ontario bans damage deposits, an inspection report isn't a deduction tool; it's your evidence at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Here's how to document a rental prope
News & Policy UpdatesAs of July 1, 2026, a rent-arrears repayment agreement filed with the Landlord and Tenant Board must use the Board's official form — no more handwritten deals on the back of an envelope. Here's how the new s.206 rule works: what the mandatory form covers, the section 78 clause that lets a landlord skip a new eviction n
News & Policy UpdatesAs of July 1, 2026, Ontario tenants have an explicit right to install a window or portable air conditioner — even when the landlord doesn't provide cooling. But the right comes with conditions: written notice first, a safe install, and a seasonal electricity charge the landlord can add in a way that breaks all the usua
Rights & LegalYou moved out because your landlord "needed the unit" — then it went back on the market at a higher rent. That's a bad-faith eviction, and the T5 is how you fight back. This complete guide covers what counts as bad faith, the deadlines that split by reason (one year for an N12, up to two for an N13 renovation), the evi
Rights & LegalWhen a landlord enters without notice, harasses, changes the locks, or shuts off a vital service, the T2 is how an Ontario tenant fights back. This guide covers exactly what the T2 covers, the strict one-year deadline, the remedies you can ask for — rent abatement, compensation, an order to stop — and the mistakes that
Rent & PaymentsThe last month's rent deposit is the most common — and most misunderstood — deposit in Ontario. It can only be used for the last month's rent, never for damage, and you owe your tenant interest on it every year. This guide shows landlords exactly what you can collect, how the annual interest and top-up work, and why al
Taxes & DeductionsGood bookkeeping is the difference between a rental that runs like a business and one that costs you at tax time. This complete guide shows Ontario landlords what records to keep, how to track income and expenses, which costs are deductible, how long the CRA expects you to keep everything, and how clean books flow stra
Lease & AgreementsA guarantor can turn a borderline applicant into a safe one — but only if the agreement is set up properly and offered fairly. This guide shows Ontario landlords what a guarantor actually does, how to put a guarantee in place that holds up, how to screen and verify one, and the human-rights line you can't cross by dema
Screening & ApplicationsNo pay stub doesn't mean no proof. Self-employed applicants — freelancers, contractors, gig workers, small-business owners — are a fast-growing share of Ontario renters, and screening them out for lacking a T4 is both bad business and a legal risk. This guide shows landlords which documents actually verify self-employe
Screening & ApplicationsA reference call is only as good as the questions you ask — and most landlords ask the wrong ones. This guide gives Ontario landlords the specific previous-landlord and employer questions that reveal real risk, the ones that catch coached or fake references, and how to ask them without straying into Human Rights Code t
Screening & ApplicationsA credit check is one of the few screening tools Ontario law actually permits — but only if you do it right. This guide shows landlords how to get consent, run the check, read the report, and use it lawfully under the Human Rights Code, including the 2026 rules that make rental credit checks a no-score-impact soft inqu
Screening & ApplicationsA clean-looking application can still hide trouble. This guide walks Ontario landlords through the real red flags on a rental application — refusal to consent, inconsistent details, references that don't check out, gaps in rental history — and, just as importantly, how to act on them lawfully without crossing into Huma
Screening & ApplicationsScreening the right tenant is the single best way to avoid problems later — but in Ontario you have to do it within strict Human Rights Code limits. This complete guide walks landlords and property managers through a legal, effective screening process: applications, credit and reference checks, income verification, wha
Rights & LegalThe N13 is the notice an Ontario landlord uses to end a tenancy to demolish, convert, or do major repairs that need the unit empty. This guide walks through the three grounds, the 120-day notice rules, the compensation and right-to-return, and exactly how the process works — for both landlords serving one and tenants w
Rights & Legal"Renoviction" is when a landlord uses renovations to end a tenancy — sometimes legitimately, sometimes not. This complete guide explains how the N13 process actually works, the compensation and right-to-return rules, the new licensing crackdown under Bill 60/97, and how both landlords and tenants can stay on the right
Rights & LegalWhen a tenant moves out still owing you money, the L10 lets you take them to the LTB to collect — rent arrears, NSF charges, and utility costs. Here's who can use it, the one-year deadline that catches landlords out, what you can claim, and how to file and actually get paid.
Rights & LegalThe L9 lets an Ontario landlord ask the LTB for an order that a current tenant pay the rent they owe — without ending the tenancy. Here's when to use the L9 instead of an L1, how to file it, what the LTB can order, and how to actually collect once you win.
Rights & LegalThe N7 is Ontario's notice for ending a tenancy when a tenant causes serious problems — safety threats, wilful damage, or dangerous misuse. Here's when landlords can use it, the strict 10-day timeline, why it can't be voided, and the mistakes that get applications thrown out at the LTB.
Rights & LegalOntario landlords face the biggest rental law changes in years. Bill 60's N4 and landlord's-own-use N12 changes are in force for notices given on or after September 21, 2026 — a 7-day N4, and no compensation on a landlord's-own-use N12 (never a purchaser's) served with at least 120 days' notice; the 15-day LTB review r
Rights & LegalThe N5 is Ontario's most-used notice for tenancy issues that aren't about money — interference, damage, or overcrowding. This 2026 guide explains the unique two-N5 rule, what tenants can do to void the notice, and what landlords must document to make an N5 stand up at the LTB.
Rights & LegalConfused about whether to file an L1 or L2 at the Ontario LTB? This 2026 guide breaks down when each application applies, what notices they follow, how hearings differ, and what documentation landlords need to win.
Rights & LegalThinking about renting out your property in Ontario? A complete 2026 guide to becoming a landlord — from your first legal obligations under the RTA to setting rent, screening tenants, collecting rent, and avoiding the mistakes that catch first-timers off guard.
Rights & LegalA complete 2026 guide to Ontario N12 notices. Understand when own-use ends a tenancy, the compensation rules under Bill 60, the good faith requirement, and how the process works for landlords, property managers, and tenants receiving an N12.
Rights & LegalA complete 2026 guide to rent increases in Ontario. Understand the 2.1% provincial guideline, the 90-day N1 notice requirement, when rent increases apply, what voids them, and how the process works for landlords, property managers, and tenants alike.
Lease & AgreementsThink your tenant's lease "expires" when the term ends? Think again. In Ontario, fixed-term leases automatically convert to month-to-month tenancies—and landlords can't force tenants to leave or sign a new lease. Learn how this works and what your options really are.
Rights & LegalMiss this critical 60-day window and your unauthorized occupant becomes a legal tenant—with full RTA protections and rent control intact. Learn how section 104(4) of the Residential Tenancies Act creates "deemed assignments" and what every Ontario landlord must do to protect their property.
Lease & AgreementsThink your Ontario lease is solid? Many landlords discover too late that their lease contains errors that get thrown out at the LTB. Learn how to audit your existing lease, identify red flags, and fix problems before they cost you thousands.
Lease & AgreementsEverything Ontario landlords need to know about the Standard Lease in 2026. Learn what's required, what you can add, common mistakes to avoid, and how to create a legally compliant lease under the new Bill 60 rules.
Rights & LegalReceived an N4 Notice from your landlord? Don't panic — you have options. Learn the exact steps to take, critical deadlines to know, and mistakes that could cost you your home. This guide walks Ontario tenants through everything from voiding the notice to preparing for an LTB hearing.
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