Landlord guide · The law
Landlord rights and responsibilities in Ontario: a plain guide for 2026
Short answer
Ontario landlords can collect rent, raise it once a year within the rules, enter with 24 hours' written notice, and end a tenancy only for reasons the Residential Tenancies Act allows, through the Landlord and Tenant Board. They must keep the unit in good repair, keep vital services on, and never change the locks to force a tenant out.
The law that applies
Most residential tenancies in Ontario are covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, and disputes go to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), not to court. A lease term that conflicts with the Act can't be enforced, even if the tenant signed it. Most new leases must use Ontario's standard lease, and the landlord gives the tenant a signed copy within 21 days.
A few living arrangements fall outside the Act. The most common one: a tenant who must share a kitchen or bathroom with the landlord isn't covered. If you're not sure the Act applies, the LTB's own guide is the place to start.
The rights below are easiest to use when the tenancy starts well: the right tenant, checked properly, on a clear lease. That's what our tenant placement service sets up.
Choosing a tenant, deposits and receipts
- Applications. You can choose among applicants, but not for a reason the Human Rights Code prohibits, such as race, religion, family status, disability or receiving public assistance. Our rental application guide covers what you can ask.
- Deposits. You can take a rent deposit of up to one month's rent, used only for the last month of the tenancy, plus a refundable key deposit. Damage deposits aren't allowed, and you pay the tenant interest on the rent deposit each year at the guideline rate. See our rent deposit guide.
- Payment. You can agree on post-dated cheques or automatic payments, but you can't require them, and an agreed method changes only if you both agree.
- Receipts. If the tenant asks, you give a free receipt for rent, the deposit or any other charge, up to 12 months after the tenancy ends.
Entering the unit
A tenant has the right to reasonable privacy, and the Act sets out when a landlord can come in.
| Situation | Notice needed |
|---|---|
| An emergency, or the tenant agrees at the time | None |
| Cleaning, if the rental agreement includes it | None, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. |
| Showing the unit to a prospective tenant, after a notice to end the tenancy or an agreement to end it | No written notice, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., but the landlord must try to tell the tenant first |
| Repairs or work, a reasonable inspection, or showing the unit to a buyer, insurer or lender | 24 hours' written notice giving the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. |
With proper notice, the landlord can enter even if the tenant isn't home.
Repairs, maintenance and vital services
The landlord must keep the property in a good state of repair and meet health, safety, housing and maintenance standards, even if the tenant knew about a problem when they moved in. That includes the Fire Code: working smoke alarms on every storey, and carbon monoxide alarms where they're needed (see our smoke and carbon monoxide alarm guide).
The tenant keeps the unit reasonably clean and repairs, or pays for, damage caused by them, their guests or other occupants, beyond normal wear and tear.
A landlord can't shut off or interfere with vital services: heat from September 1 to June 15, electricity, fuel such as natural gas or oil, and hot and cold water. Many cities also set minimum indoor temperatures through their own by-laws.
Raising the rent
- Once every 12 months, counted from the start of the tenancy or the last increase.
- At least 90 days' written notice, on the LTB's form.
- Within the guideline for most units: 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027. A larger increase needs the LTB's approval, or the tenant's written agreement in specific cases.
- Newer units are exempt from the cap: a unit not occupied for residential purposes on or before November 15, 2018 has no limit on the amount, but the 12-month and 90-day rules still apply.
Our rent control guide explains the details, including which units are exempt.
Ending a tenancy
A landlord can end a tenancy only for a reason the Act allows, starting with the right notice. A notice doesn't make the tenant leave: if they stay, the landlord applies to the LTB, which holds a hearing and decides. Only the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff) can enforce an eviction order.
| Notice | Reason | Notice period |
|---|---|---|
| N4 | Rent not paid in full | 7 days. The tenant can cancel it by paying everything owed before the landlord applies to the LTB. |
| N5 | Damage, interfering with others, too many occupants | 20 days for a first notice, which the tenant can correct within 7 days |
| N8 | Persistently late rent: received more than 7 days late at least three times within six months | 60 days, ending on the last day of a rental period or the term |
| N12 | The landlord, a family member or a caregiver will move in, or a buyer will | 60 days, ending on the last day of a rental period or the term |
| N13 | Demolition, conversion or repairs that need the unit empty | 120 days |
Our guide to LTB forms for landlords matches every notice to the application that follows it, with deadlines and fees.
Most no-fault notices, such as the N12 and N13, also come with compensation for the tenant, which depends on the reason and the size of the building. In Toronto and Hamilton, ending a tenancy for renovations with an N13 also needs a City licence.
Changing the locks without giving the tenant a key is illegal, except when the Sheriff enforces an eviction or the unit has truly been abandoned. On conviction, a landlord can be fined up to $100,000, or $500,000 for a corporation.
What changed on September 21, 2026
Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act took effect at the LTB on September 21, 2026:
- N4 notices given on or after that date give the tenant 7 days to pay, down from 14.
- N12 compensation: for the landlord's own use (not a buyer's), a landlord who gives at least 120 days' notice no longer pays the month's compensation or offers another unit. With less notice, the old compensation rules apply. The landlord or family member normally has to move in within 60 days of the N12's termination date, or bad faith is presumed if the tenant applies.
- Arrears hearings: for rent applications filed on or after that date, a tenant who wants to raise other issues, such as repairs, must pay the landlord half of the arrears claimed at least 7 days before the hearing.
- Persistent late payment now means rent received more than 7 days late at least three times within six months.
- Renovations: when a tenant has said they want to move back in after an N13, the landlord must give written estimates of the completion date and 60 days' notice to move back in once the work is done.
- Forms: the LTB updated the N4, N5, N6, N8, N12, N13, L1, L2, L9, L10 and T5 forms, and refuses the old versions as of November 30, 2026.
Subletting, assignments and guests
A tenant needs the landlord's consent to assign the lease or sublet, and the landlord needs a good reason to refuse. Tenants are responsible for damage their guests cause, and a guest's or occupant's conduct, or too many people living in the unit, can be grounds for a notice.
Getting help
The LTB publishes plain-language brochures and its own guide to the Act, and its forms come with instructions. For a dispute, an application or anything unusual, talk to a lawyer or a paralegal; this guide explains the rules in general terms and isn't legal advice for your situation.
Sources
- Landlord and Tenant Board, How a Landlord Can End a Tenancy (updated for September 21, 2026)
- Tribunals Ontario, LTB operational update: legislative changes effective September 21, 2026
- Landlord and Tenant Board, A Guide to the Residential Tenancies Act
- Government of Ontario, Residential rent increases
- Government of Ontario, Guide to Ontario's standard lease
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