Ontario Tenant Rights: What Every Renter Should Know (2026)

In Ontario, most renters are protected by the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA): your landlord can only collect a limited rent deposit, can raise rent once every 12 months with 90 days' written notice, must keep your home in good repair, and generally needs 24 hours' written notice to enter. Only the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) can order an eviction. On top of that, Ontario's Human Rights Code protects you from discrimination when you look for and live in a rental.

Below is a practical walkthrough of the rights that matter most in 2026, with checklists you can use before signing and while you live in your place.

Key takeaways

• The RTA covers most rentals in Ontario, including apartments, condos, houses, basement units and rooming houses, but usually not a room where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner who lives there.
• Deposits are capped: last month's rent (max one month) and a refundable key deposit. No damage deposits.
• Rent increases: once every 12 months, 90 days' written notice on an LTB form, and no more than the yearly guideline for most units (2.1% for 2026, 1.9% for 2027).
• Entry: usually 24 hours' written notice, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• Repairs: your landlord's job, even if the problem existed when you moved in.
• Evictions: only through the LTB, and only the Sheriff can carry out an eviction order.
• Discrimination based on grounds like race, citizenship, family status, disability or receiving public assistance is against the law.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic (you can find one through Legal Aid Ontario or Steps to Justice).

Does the Residential Tenancies Act cover you?

The RTA applies to most residential rentals in Ontario, whether you have a written lease, a verbal agreement or you're paying month to month. It covers condos, houses, apartments, basement units and rooming houses.

The big exception renters often miss: if you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner (or the owner's spouse, child, parent, or spouse's child or parent) and that person lives in the building, the RTA generally doesn't apply. Many international students rent this way. It isn't automatically a bad deal, but you'll rely on your written agreement instead of the Act. We go deeper on this in living with your landlord in Ontario.

Other exceptions include some student residences, emergency shelters and member units in housing co-ops.

Before you sign: what a landlord can and can't ask

Ontario's Human Rights Code and its rental-housing regulation set the rules for screening.

What a landlord can usually ask for

• Rental history and references
• Credit references or a credit check (with your permission)
• Income information, considered together with your rental history and credit, not on its own

What a landlord can't do

• Refuse you, or treat you differently, because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, family status, disability or receipt of public assistance
• Ask questions aimed at those grounds, such as "Are you planning to have kids?" or "What's your religion?"
• Demand a co-signer or extra money only because you're a newcomer, a student or a single parent

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has also said landlords should not rely on rigid rent-to-income ratios to screen people out. If you're new to Canada and don't have a Canadian credit file, references, proof of funds or a guarantor you choose to offer can help fill the gap.

Tip: You can say no to sharing your SIN with a landlord. Ask whether a credit check can be run with other identifying information.

Your lease: the Ontario Standard Lease

For most private rentals signed on or after April 30, 2018, the landlord must use Ontario's Standard Lease form. Extra terms can be added, but any term that conflicts with the RTA is void, even if you signed it. A "no pets" clause, for example, is generally unenforceable in a regular rental (condo rules can still apply).

If your landlord didn't give you the Standard Lease, you can ask for it in writing. We break down every section, and your options if the landlord refuses, in the Ontario Standard Lease explained.

Money rules: deposits, rent and receipts

For details on getting interest paid and getting your key deposit back, read our guide to last month's rent and key deposit rules.

Rent increases

For most tenants, rent can go up:

• Once every 12 months, counted from your move-in or your last increase
• With at least 90 days' written notice on the proper LTB form (usually Form N1)
• By no more than the guideline without LTB approval. The guideline is 2.1% for increases in 2026 and 1.9% for 2027. By law it can't exceed 2.5% in any year.

The main exception: units first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 aren't covered by the guideline. The landlord still has to give 90 days' notice and wait 12 months, but there's no cap on the amount. We cover the calculation step by step in a separate guide to the 2026 guideline.

Repairs and maintenance

Your landlord must keep the unit and building in a good state of repair, fit to live in, and up to health, safety and housing standards. This applies even if you knew about the problem before you moved in.

You're responsible for ordinary cleanliness and for repairing damage that you or your guests cause beyond normal wear and tear.

If repairs aren't getting done

1. Report it in writing (email or text works) with photos and dates.
2. Follow up in writing if nothing happens within a reasonable time.
3. Contact your city. In Toronto, call 311 about property standards issues. Toronto's indoor temperature rules require landlords who supply heat to keep units at least 21°C from October 1 to May 15.
4. Apply to the LTB using Form T6 (maintenance). The Board can order repairs, rent abatements and more.

Don't stop paying rent on your own. The LTB warns that withholding rent without its approval can lead to eviction proceedings for non-payment.

Landlords also can't cut off vital services like heat, electricity, fuel or water, even if rent is late.

When your landlord can enter

In most situations, your landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice stating:

• why they're coming in,
• the date, and
• a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Valid reasons include repairs, inspections, and showing the unit to a potential buyer, insurer or lender.

A landlord can enter without written notice in an emergency, if you agree at the time, or (between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., after making a reasonable effort to tell you) to show the unit to prospective tenants once a notice to end your tenancy has been given or agreed.

Your side of the deal: you can't block a properly noticed entry, and you can't change the locks without your landlord's consent.

Evictions only happen through the LTB

This is the right newcomers most often don't realize they have. A landlord in Ontario can't simply tell you to leave. The legal process is:

1. The landlord serves a proper notice on an official form (for example, N4 for unpaid rent or N12 for the landlord's own use).
2. If you don't leave or fix the issue, the landlord applies to the LTB.
3. You get a hearing where you can respond.
4. Only if the LTB issues an eviction order can the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) enforce it.

Lock changes, removing your belongings, or shutting off utilities to force you out are illegal. You can report them to the province's Rental Housing Enforcement Unit and apply to the LTB.

What changed in 2026

Amendments to the RTA (through Bill 60 and Bill 97) took effect in stages on July 1 and September 21, 2026. One example confirmed by the LTB: the notice period on an N4 for non-payment of rent is now 7 days (down from 14) for notices given on or after September 21, 2026. Several LTB forms and procedures were also updated, so always download the current version of any form from the LTB website.

A quick tenant-rights checklist

• My lease is on the Ontario Standard Lease form
• I paid no more than one month's rent as a deposit, plus a refundable key deposit at most
• Every rent payment has a receipt or an e-transfer record
• Repair requests are in writing, with photos
• Any rent increase came on an LTB form with 90 days' notice
• I know the LTB, my city's 311 line and a local legal clinic are there if something goes wrong

Renting with roommates? Know who's on the lease

If you share a place, your rights can depend on whether you signed the lease with the landlord or are renting a room from another tenant. Sort this out on day one, and put house rules in writing too. A simple roommate agreement prevents most disputes.

ColivEase is built around this kind of clarity: teams of roommates can apply together, and our AI lease check flags clauses that look out of line with Ontario rules before you sign. Listings also go through landlord or agent verification and AI scam checks.

Find your place with confidence

Knowing your rights is half the battle; the other half is finding people and a home that fit. On ColivEase, AI roommate matching looks at habits, budget and schedule, and the "My Community" language filter helps you meet people who share your languages. Start matching on ColivEase and rent your next place knowing exactly where you stand.