renting in Ontario

Ontario’s 2026 Rent Increase Guideline: The 2.1% Cap, the 12-Month Rule, N1 Notice, and Above-Guideline Increases

A GTA guide to Ontario's 2026 rent increase guideline: the 2.1% cap, the once-every-12-months rule, the 90-day N1 notice, the exemption for units first occupied after Nov 15 2018, Above-Guideline Increases (AGI) through the LTB, and tenant rights. Source: Government of Ontario (ontario.ca) / LTB.

Ontario’s Mandatory Standard Lease (Form 2229E): What Every GTA Tenant and Landlord Should Know

Since April 30, 2018, most Ontario private residential tenancies must use the Standard Lease (Form 2229E). Who it covers, exemptions and the withhold-rent rule.

The N13 Notice in Ontario: When a Renoviction Is Legal, and Every Right a Tenant Has

When can an Ontario landlord legally use Form N13 for demolition, conversion, or major renovation? Get the 120-day notice rule, compensation by building size, the tenant right of first refusal, bad-faith penalties up to 12 months rent, and Toronto's new licence bylaw.

Why Your Leasing Agent Asks for Documents Before Booking a Showing in the GTA

In the GTA, why does a leasing agent ask for your credit report, employment letter, and ID before a showing? Learn the OREA Form 410 package, what landlords legally can and cannot ask under Ontario's Human Rights Code, and how to build a winning application.

Bad-Faith N12 in Ontario: The One-Year Rule and Up to 12 Months’ Rent

When an Ontario landlord serves an N12 for own use (landlord, family or purchaser) but then rents or sells the unit instead, is it bad faith? A guide to the RTA's good-faith and one-year occupancy requirement, the affidavit an L2 needs, and the tenant's T5 claim worth up to 12 months' rent.

Living With Your Landlord: Does Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act Protect You?

Share a kitchen or bathroom with your Ontario landlord? RTA section 5(i) can remove LTB protection and eviction rules. What you lose, keep, and check first.

Ontario Form N11: Who Does It Really Favour? Read Before You Sign

Does Ontario's Form N11 (Agreement to End the Tenancy) favour the landlord or the tenant? How N11 differs from N12/N13, your right to refuse, and the compensation you may give up by signing.

Do You Need Tenant Insurance in Ontario? Can a Landlord Require It?

In Ontario, tenant insurance isn't legally required, but a landlord can require you to carry insurance with liability coverage in the lease — though a landlord cannot require contents coverage. Tenant insurance usually has three parts: personal property, personal liability, and additional living expenses. The landlord's insurance does not cover your belongings or your liability.