Click here for the Guide to Ontario's Standard Lease Agreement
Who needs to Use the Lease Agreement
Most residential tenancies in Ontario will need to use the standard lease, including but not limited to:
- single houses
- semi-detached houses
- secondary units (basement apartments)
- apartment buildings
- condominiums
A standard lease is not required for tenancies that have special rules or partial exemptions under the RTA. Some of the exempted tenancies included are:
- care homes (retirement homes, etc)
- mobile home parks
- land lease communities
- social and supportive housing exempt from the rent rules under the RTA (for example, housing subject to operating agreements under certain programs or where the tenant receives publically funded rent-geared-to-income assistance)
What is in the Lease Agreement
1. Mandatory fields that must be completed and cannot be altered or removed. These fields include basic information that is included in every lease, including:
- the names of the landlord and renter
- the tenancy term, rent amount and services included
- other terms which landlords and renters can agree to, such as rent deposits, key deposits, smoking rules, and renter's insurance
2. Optional additional terms, allowing landlords and renters to agree to terms or responsibilities unique to the rental unit. Additional terms are considered void and unenforceable if they not consistent with a mandatory term of the lease or the RTA.
3. General information for landlord and renter rights, responsibilities, and unenforceable conditions, including:
- ending a tenancy
- subletting
- illegal charges
- pets and guests
- landlord entry