Renting in Canada: the rules

Ontario: most private rentals fall under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), and landlords must use the government's standard lease for new tenancies. If you did not get one, ask in writing; if it has not arrived 21 days later you may withhold one month's rent, and keep it if the lease still has not come 30 days after that. Terms that take away a right under the Act are void, including bans on pets (condo rules aside), guests or roommates. A fixed-term lease, usually a year, does not end by itself: you simply stay on as a monthly tenant on the same terms. A proposal in Bill 60 to end that automatic month-to-month roll-over was withdrawn before the bill passed in November 2025 (ontario.ca, updated September 2026; RTA s. 38).

British Columbia: the Residential Tenancy Act requires a written agreement with the standard terms (form RTB-1 contains them all), and the landlord must give you a copy within 21 days of signing. A tenancy can be month-to-month or a fixed term, usually a year. At the end of a fixed term it becomes month-to-month unless the agreement has a 'vacate clause', which is only allowed for a sublet or when the landlord or a close family member will move in (gov.bc.ca, updated March 2026).

Alberta: most rentals fall under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), which has no standard lease form; an agreement can be written, verbal or implied, and a term that takes away a right under the Act is void. A tenancy is either periodic (usually month to month) or fixed term. Unlike in Ontario and BC, a fixed-term tenancy ends by itself at noon on its last day, with no notice from either side and no right to stay: to stay on, you have to agree a new lease or a periodic tenancy with the landlord, unless your agreement itself turns into a periodic tenancy after the fixed term. Within 7 days of the start the landlord must give you a written notice with a name and address for service. Renting a room in the home of an owner who lives there and shares the kitchen and living room with you is outside the Act (alberta.ca, Starting a tenancy and Ending a tenancy, as of 2026-10; CPLEA, June 2023).

Quebec: renting is governed by the Civil Code of Québec and disputes go to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL, the housing tribunal). According to the TAL, its lease form has been mandatory for every residential lease since 1996, and for a verbal lease the landlord must hand over the 'mandatory writing' form within 10 days. Leases renew automatically: the tenant has a 'droit au maintien dans les lieux' (right to maintain occupancy) and can stay for as long as they keep to the lease. Most Quebec leases end on 30 June, which is why 1 July is the province's moving day; a Université Laval research page puts the share at around 70%, and no official count was found. In Ontario and BC, renting a room where you share the kitchen or bathroom with the owner who lives there falls outside the tenancy acts.

Ontario: the only security deposit allowed is a rent deposit of no more than one month's rent, taken on or before signing. It must be used as the rent for your last month, not held for damage, and the landlord must pay you interest on it every year at the rate of the rent increase guideline (RTA ss. 105 and 106). A refundable key or fob deposit no higher than its replacement cost is also allowed (O. Reg. 516/06). Damage deposits, pet deposits, application fees and similar charges are illegal, and a landlord cannot require post-dated cheques or automatic payments (RTA ss. 108 and 134).

British Columbia: a security (damage) deposit of up to half of one month's rent, plus a pet damage deposit of up to another half month if pets are allowed, so a full month at most. Rental application fees and monthly pet fees are not allowed. The landlord must offer two move-in and move-out inspections and fill in the condition report, or loses the right to claim against the deposit. Once you have given a forwarding address in writing, the landlord has 15 days to return the deposit with interest or apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) to keep part of it; a landlord who does neither can be ordered to pay double (gov.bc.ca, updated March 2026).

Alberta: a security deposit of at most one month's rent, which cannot be raised later even when the rent goes up. The landlord must put it in an interest-bearing trust account in Alberta within two banking days and pay interest at the rate set each year by regulation: 0% for 2026 (0.5% in 2025). Move-in and move-out inspection reports are mandatory, and without them the landlord cannot deduct anything for damage or cleaning. After you move out, the landlord has 10 days to return the deposit with interest, or the balance with a statement of account; where the cost of damage has to be estimated, the final statement follows within 30 days (alberta.ca, as of 2026-10). Application fees, non-refundable if the form says so, and a reasonable non-refundable pet fee on top of the deposit are not banned (CPLEA FAQs, December 2023).

Quebec: no deposit of any kind. A landlord may ask for the first month's rent in advance and nothing else: no security deposit, no key deposit and no compulsory post-dated cheques, and a lease clause that says otherwise is invalid (TAL). A guarantor (someone who promises to pay if you cannot) can be asked for everywhere, and is the usual answer for newcomers and students without a Canadian credit history. In Ontario a landlord who asks for a guarantor must ask it of every applicant, not only newcomers or people on social assistance (Ontario Human Rights Commission).

In all four provinces the landlord sets the starting rent freely between one tenancy and the next, so rent control protects sitting tenants, not new ones. Ontario: rent can rise once every 12 months, with 90 days' written notice on the board's form, and by no more than the yearly guideline unless the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) approves an above-guideline increase. The guideline is 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027, and is capped at 2.5%. It does not cover units in buildings, additions or most basement apartments first occupied for residential use after 15 November 2018: there the 12-month rule and 90-day notice apply, but there is no limit on the amount. You can dispute an unlawful increase at the LTB within 12 months of first paying it (ontario.ca, as of 2026-09).

British Columbia: rent can rise once every 12 months, with three full months' notice on form RTB-7, by no more than the yearly limit: 2.3% for 2026 and 2.2% for 2027 (from 1 January 2027). There is no exemption for new buildings. Unused increases from earlier years cannot be carried forward, and you can agree in writing to more but never have to. If you paid too much you can deduct it from future rent (gov.bc.ca, updated August 2026).

Alberta has no limit on the amount of an increase. Rent can rise only once every 365 days from the start of the tenancy or the last increase, never during a fixed term, and in a monthly tenancy only with signed written notice of three full tenancy months (12 full weeks for a weekly tenancy). When a fixed-term lease ends, the landlord can offer a new one at any rent, or none (alberta.ca, During a tenancy, as of 2026-10). The tribunal and the courts have struck down increases used to push out a single tenant, such as a doubling with no basis in the market, but the Act gives no guidance on this (ABlawg, 25 May 2026). The Alberta Law Reform Institute is reviewing the Act (Issues Paper 7, January 2026; Issues Paper 8, May 2026); as of 2026-10 no bill had been tabled.

Quebec has no fixed cap. At renewal the landlord sends a notice of modification (3 to 6 months before the end of a 12-month lease), and you have one month to accept, refuse the increase and stay, or leave; silence counts as acceptance. If you refuse, the landlord must ask the TAL to fix the rent within a month. Since 1 January 2026 the TAL uses a new method: a base of 3.1% for 2026 (the three-year average of Quebec inflation; the 2027 base is due in January 2027), plus extra for rises in municipal and school taxes and insurance above that, and 5% a year of the cost of major work. Refusal does not protect you in a building less than five years old or a co-op, if section F of the lease says so. New tenants should read section G: the landlord must state the lowest rent paid in the previous 12 months, and you can ask the TAL to fix your rent within 10 days of signing, or within two months if section G was left blank or false (TAL guidance pages, as of 2026-10; the TAL notes its English renewal pages are still being updated for the 2026 rules).

Ontario: a monthly tenant gives 60 days' written notice to the end of a rental period. A landlord can only end a tenancy on a ground in the Act, using an LTB form, and only an LTB order enforced by the Sheriff can remove you. For own use by the landlord, a close family member or a caregiver (form N12) the notice is 60 days, the move must be for at least a year, and you get one month's rent. From 21 September 2026 that payment is not owed if the landlord gives at least 120 days' notice. The person must normally move in within 60 days, or bad faith is presumed. Demolition, conversion or a renovation needing a building permit and vacant possession (N13) takes 120 days; for demolition or conversion you get three months' rent in buildings of five or more units (one month in smaller ones), and after a renovation you have the right to move back at the old rent. For unpaid rent (N4) the notice dropped from 14 to 7 days for notices given from 21 September 2026, and paying in full cancels it. A landlord found to have acted in bad faith can be ordered to pay up to 12 months' rent plus your moving costs (RTA; Tribunals Ontario, 21 September 2026).

British Columbia: a month-to-month tenant gives one month's notice before the day rent is due. A landlord can evict for unpaid rent (10 days; you have 5 days to pay or dispute), for cause (one month; 10 days to dispute), or for landlord's or purchaser's use. Since July 2024 own-use and purchaser notices must be generated on the RTB web portal; they need three months' notice and you have 21 days to dispute. You get one month's rent, and if the unit is not used for that purpose for at least 12 months the landlord owes 12 months' rent on top. Renovictions need an RTB order and permits first. Breaking a fixed term can cost you the landlord's lost rent (gov.bc.ca, updated April 2026; RTA s. 51).

Alberta: a monthly tenant gives one full tenancy month's written notice. A landlord gives three full tenancy months, and only for a reason the regulation lists: the landlord or a relative moving in, a completed sale where the buyer or a relative will move in (for a house or a single condo unit, any completed sale), demolition, or a change to non-residential use. Major renovations that need the home empty, or a condo conversion, need a year's notice. A fixed term simply ends on its date, with no reason needed. For a substantial breach, including unpaid rent, the landlord can give 14 days' notice, which paying all the rent owed by the termination date cancels, or apply to the RTDRS or a court; for assault, threats or significant damage, 24 hours. If you disagree with a 14-day notice, object in writing before it runs out; the landlord then needs an order from the RTDRS or a court (alberta.ca, Ending a tenancy, as of 2026-10). A landlord's old power to seize and sell a tenant's goods for unpaid rent (distress) has not been abolished; the Alberta Law Reform Institute recommended abolishing it in March 2026 (Final Report 122), and as of 2026-10 no bill had followed.

Quebec: you cannot simply give notice during a lease. It can only be cut short for a few reasons (low-rental housing allocated, disability, seniors moving into care, domestic or sexual violence). Otherwise you assign it or sublet. To leave at the end, send a notice of non-renewal. A landlord can only take back the home to live in themselves or for a close relative, with notice at least six months before the end of a lease longer than six months. If you refuse or say nothing within a month, the landlord must convince the TAL. Since 6 June 2024 evictions to subdivide, enlarge or change the use of a home are banned for three years, until June 2027. Whether the ban is extended is pending: tenant groups (RCLALQ) asked for an extension in June 2026, none had been decided as of 2026-10, and Quebec holds a general election on 5 October 2026. Outside the ban the indemnity is a month's rent per year of tenancy (3 to 24 months) plus moving costs. Tenants aged 65 or over with 10 years in the home and low income are protected from both (TAL guidance pages, as of 2026-10; Éducaloi).

In all four provinces the landlord must keep the home in a good state of repair and fit to live in, and the tenant must keep it clean, report problems and pay for damage they or their guests cause beyond normal wear and tear. Report repairs in writing and keep copies: in a dispute, your written record is your evidence. Landlords need to give 24 hours' written notice to enter, except in emergencies (BC RTA s. 29; Ontario RTA s. 27); in Alberta only between 8 am and 8 pm and not on a holiday or your day of worship (alberta.ca). In Alberta a tenant cannot withhold rent to force repairs, but can apply to the RTDRS or a court for a rent reduction, damages or the cost of the work, or complain to Alberta Environmental Public Health; a sub-meter can be introduced only with a monthly tenant's consent or at the end of a fixed term, and any rise in what you pay the landlord for utilities counts as a rent increase (alberta.ca, During a tenancy, as of 2026-10). In Ontario, from 1 July 2026 a tenant may install a window or portable air conditioner after telling the landlord in writing, and if electricity is in the rent the landlord may add a seasonal charge (RTA s. 36.1). In Quebec a lessee must allow urgent and necessary repairs and visits with notice, and must not change the locks (Civil Code, as summarised by the TAL).

What the rent includes is written in the lease: heat, hot water, electricity, water, parking and storage are each either included or paid by the tenant. Electricity and gas are usually in the tenant's name when the unit has its own meter; property tax is always the owner's. In BC a landlord cannot raise utility charges or fees agreed in writing without your agreement, parking and storage fees cannot rise by more than the yearly rent limit, and a late-rent fee is capped at C$25 (gov.bc.ca).

Canada has no ban on agency fees as such, but in Ontario a landlord or agent cannot charge a tenant any fee, premium or commission to rent, and in BC a landlord cannot charge for processing an application; Alberta does not ban application fees (CPLEA). Tenant insurance is not required by law, but an Ontario lease may require liability insurance and the tenant must show proof if asked (Ontario standard lease guide); contents insurance is your choice and your landlord's insurance does not cover your belongings.

Canada has no address registration like Spain's padrón or Sweden's folkbokföring. To rent, what you need is ID, proof that you can pay and, ideally, references. You do not have to give a landlord your Social Insurance Number (SIN): the federal code of practice says it is not needed to rent, apply or sign a lease (Employment and Social Development Canada, March 2026). In Quebec the privacy commission's rules are stricter still: a landlord may see an ID document but not copy or photograph it or note its number, may ask for previous landlords' contact details and, with your consent, run a credit check with your name, address and date of birth, but does not need your job, salary, employer, bank details, a void cheque or your car's make or licence plate, and may not refuse you because you will not give ID numbers such as your health insurance or driving licence number (TAL page on leases and personal information, as of 2026-10).

Discrimination in renting is illegal under each province's human-rights law. In Ontario a landlord may ask for rental history, credit references, a credit check and income information, but must look at them together; a lack of credit history should not count against you, and a fixed rent-to-income cut-off such as '30% of income' is illegal (Ontario Human Rights Commission, Regulation 290/98). In Alberta the Human Rights Act bans discrimination in tenancy on grounds that include place of origin, family status, age and source of income, so being on social assistance or a disability pension is no reason to refuse you, though a landlord may still check credit, rental history and references and ask what you earn (Alberta Human Rights Commission, October 2018). Complaints go to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the Alberta Human Rights Commission or Quebec's Commission des droits de la personne.

The practical problem for newcomers is credit: Canadian landlords and agents rely on Equifax and TransUnion reports, which you will not have yet. A job letter, bank statements, a reference from a previous landlord abroad and a Canadian guarantor are the usual substitutes. Offering months of rent upfront is common, but the law limits what can be demanded: in Ontario only the last month's deposit, in Quebec only the first month, in BC half a month (plus a pet deposit) and in Alberta one month's deposit.

Ontario: you can sublet (move out temporarily and come back) or assign (hand over the lease for good) only with the landlord's consent, which cannot be refused arbitrarily or unreasonably for a sublet. The landlord can charge only reasonable out-of-pocket costs. If the landlord refuses a request to assign, or does not answer within seven days, you can end your tenancy instead. A tenant who sublets cannot charge the subtenant more than the lawful rent (RTA ss. 95, 97 and 134).

British Columbia: you need the landlord's written consent to sublet or assign. The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse when six months or more remain in a fixed term, may run credit and reference checks on the newcomer, and cannot charge for considering the request. Subletting without written consent is a ground for a one-month eviction notice (gov.bc.ca, updated March 2026).

Alberta: you can sublet or assign only with the landlord's written consent, which cannot be refused without reasonable grounds; the landlord must give reasons in writing within 14 days, and no answer within 14 days counts as consent. No fee may be charged for consent, and you may stay liable for the rest of the lease. The Act does not deal with disputes between co-tenants or roommates (alberta.ca, Starting a tenancy, as of 2026-10; CPLEA, June 2023).

Quebec: you must give the landlord written notice with the name and address of the person; the landlord has 15 days to answer, and silence counts as consent. A sublet can only be refused for a serious reason (for example, the person cannot pay). Since 21 February 2024 (Bill 31), a landlord may refuse an assignment without a serious reason, but the lease then ends on the date in your notice, so you can still leave. An assignment must be free: charging 'key money' is subject to a fine, and a sublessor cannot charge more than the rent they pay, apart from services and reasonable costs for furniture (TAL). The subtenant has no right to stay on when the sublet ends.

Watch for 'sublets' that are really someone renting out a flat they do not control. Ask to see the head lease and the landlord's written consent before you pay anything.

No province requires a general landlord licence, but there are rules to follow. Ontario: use the standard lease, keep to the guideline and the N-form procedures, and remember the fines for offences such as illegal eviction or harassment doubled on 1 July 2026 to up to C$100,000 for an individual and C$500,000 for a corporation. BC: use an agreement with the standard terms, do the move-in condition inspection, and use the RTB web portal for own-use and purchaser notices. Quebec: use the TAL lease form, complete section G with the previous rent, and give notices of modification on time. Alberta: anyone who manages a rental for an owner (signs leases, collects rent or holds deposits) must be licensed by the Real Estate Council of Alberta (RECA), and a condo owner who lets the unit must tell the condo corporation within 20 days and may have to pay it a deposit, which cannot be passed on to the tenant (recaprotects.ca; alberta.ca, as of 2026-10). Cities add their own rules on top: Toronto has required a City Rental Renovation Licence since 31 July 2025 before a landlord starts work that needs tenants to move out under an N13 notice (City of Toronto), and Ottawa's council approved a similar by-law on 15 July 2026, in force from 1 January 2027: the landlord must get the building permit before serving an N13, give the tenant a City guide and apply for the licence within seven days (Engage Ottawa, July 2026). Those rules are on our city pages. From 21 September 2026 the LTB uses new forms, and it stops accepting the old ones after 30 November 2026 (Tribunals Ontario).

Tax: rental profit is taxable income. Residents report income and expenses on form T776 and deduct current expenses each year and the building's cost over time through capital cost allowance (CRA guide T4036). Non-resident owners have 25% of the gross rent withheld by the tenant or agent, unless they and a Canadian agent file form NR6 to have the 25% taken from net rent instead; they then file a section 216 return within two years after the year (CRA, January 2026). Non-Canadians are barred from buying most homes in cities until 1 January 2027 under the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act; as of 2026-10 the government had not said what replaces it. In BC's taxable regions, which include Metro Vancouver, owners of homes that are not a principal residence or let to a tenant for long enough pay the speculation and vacancy tax: 1% of assessed value for Canadian citizens and permanent residents and 3% for foreign owners and untaxed worldwide earners for 2026, with the foreign rate rising to 4% from 1 January 2027 (gov.bc.ca, updated July 2026). The federal Blueprint for a Renters' Bill of Rights (September 2024) only calls on the provinces to act; it creates no rights a tenant can enforce.

Short-term letting: since 2024 the federal government denies income-tax deductions for short-term rentals that break provincial or city rules (CRA). BC limits short-term rentals to the host's principal residence (plus one secondary suite) in towns of 10,000 people or more, and every host must register with the provincial registry. In Quebec any rental of 31 days or less needs a tourist accommodation registration number, which must appear in all ads since 9 April 2026; principal-residence hosts need two proofs of residence from 1 September 2026. Ontario and Alberta have no provincial scheme, so city rules apply: Toronto's by-law, or Calgary's business licence, which since 1 April 2025 covers any stay of up to 180 consecutive days booked through a platform (City of Calgary).

Ontario: the Landlord and Tenant Board decides evictions, rent, repairs and deposit disputes. Most tenant applications cost C$53 (C$48 online). A landlord's application to evict for unpaid rent (form L1) costs C$201 (C$186 online), the same as forms L2, L3, L9 and L10 (LTB fee table, as of 2026-10). Waiting times are uncertain: the LTB's scheduling page, last updated in November 2024, said arrears cases were being scheduled about three months after filing and most others five to seven months, and no newer figure is published there. Since 1 July 2026 you have only 15 days to ask for a review of an order. For arrears cases filed from 21 September 2026, a tenant who wants to raise repairs or other issues at the hearing must first pay the landlord half the arrears claimed. Free advice comes from community legal clinics (through Legal Aid Ontario), Steps to Justice and the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario; the province's Rental Housing Enforcement Unit handles offences such as illegal lockouts.

British Columbia: the Residential Tenancy Branch gives information and runs dispute resolution for claims up to C$35,000 (higher for the 12-month own-use penalty). Urgent cases are heard within about 12 days; regular wait times vary. Disputes between roommates go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal. The Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre (TRAC) gives free legal information and, for eligible tenants, representation.

Alberta: the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) decides most disputes (ending a tenancy, unpaid rent, deposits, damages, repairs) by telephone hearing, for claims under C$100,000 brought within two years. Since 1 April 2026 filing costs C$75 for claims of C$7,500 or less and C$150 above that, with fee waivers available; no waiting time is published. Either side can go to court instead. Free information comes from the province's Consumer Contact Centre (1-877-427-4088) and the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (alberta.ca, RTDRS, as of 2026-10).

Quebec: the TAL decides rent fixing, repossession, eviction, repairs and arrears, and offers free conciliation once an application is filed. Fees run from C$59 to C$92 depending on rent (from April 2026). In 2024–2025 the average wait for a first hearing was 3.9 months overall, 8.6 months for general civil cases and 9.2 months for rent fixing (TAL annual report). Local housing committees (comités logement) and tenant associations, coordinated by the RCLALQ, help tenants one to one. Rentlet can never guarantee that an agency, listing or landlord is genuine: never pay before you have seen the home and checked who owns it.