Renting Out Your Home in Ottawa: A Guide for Ontario Landlords

Most residential rentals in Ottawa are governed by Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, with disputes decided by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). The City of Ottawa adds its own requirements for landlords. This guide covers the points owners ask us about most often.

Before you list the property

• Insurance. Tell your insurer the home will be rented. A homeowner's policy usually does not cover a rented home; you will need a landlord or rental policy.
• Mortgage. Check whether your mortgage allows you to rent the property.
• Condo rules. If the home is a condo, read the declaration, by-laws and rules. You must notify the corporation and give it a copy of the lease within 10 days of signing.
• Legal units. A basement or secondary unit can be rented separately only if it meets the Building Code, the Fire Code and the City's zoning rules.
• Safety. Working smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide alarms where there is a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, are the landlord's responsibility.

Screening tenants

Ontario's Human Rights Code applies to renting. A landlord cannot refuse an applicant because of a protected ground, for example because they have children, receive public assistance, or because of their age, disability or place of origin.

A regulation under the Code allows landlords to ask for income information, credit references, rental history and credit checks, and to ask for a guarantor. Income information may be used only together with the other information, not on its own. Rent-to-income ratios and minimum income cut-offs have been found to breach the Code.

The lease

Most private residential tenancies in Ontario must use the province's standard lease form. Terms that conflict with the Residential Tenancies Act are void, even if both parties sign them. Use the form's additional terms section for matters such as snow clearing, lawn care and appliances.

Deposits and payments

• Rent deposit. A landlord may collect a deposit of up to one month's rent, which can be used only for the last month of the tenancy. The landlord must pay interest on it every year at the rent increase guideline rate.
• Key deposit. A refundable deposit for keys or access cards is allowed, up to their replacement cost.
• No damage deposits. Security or damage deposits are not allowed in Ontario.
• Payment method. A landlord cannot require post-dated cheques or automatic payments as a condition of renting.

Rent increases

Rent can be increased once every 12 months, with at least 90 days' written notice on the LTB's form. For most units, the increase cannot exceed the provincial guideline:

• 2.1% for increases in 2026;
• 1.9% for increases in 2027.

Units first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 are not subject to the guideline, but the 12-month and 90-day rules still apply. When a tenant leaves, the landlord and a new tenant can agree on a new rent.

Entering the unit

Apart from emergencies, a landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice before entering, stating the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Allowed reasons include repairs, inspections and showing the unit to a prospective buyer.

Once a notice to end the tenancy has been given, the unit can also be shown to prospective tenants between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. without written notice, after a reasonable effort to inform the tenant.

Maintenance and the City of Ottawa's rules

Landlords must keep the property in good repair and meet health, safety and housing standards. In Ottawa, several by-laws add specific duties:

• Rental Housing Property Management By-law. Give tenants contact details, including an electronic option, and an information document when the lease is signed. Answer urgent service requests within 24 hours and other requests within 7 days, and keep a record of each one. Keep a pest management plan, and, for buildings of 3 or more storeys or 10 or more units, a capital maintenance plan.
• Heat By-law. Where the landlord supplies heat, the unit must be kept at 20°C or more from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and 16.67°C or more overnight.
• Water billing. A tenant can be billed directly for water only after both the landlord and the tenant complete the City's online forms.

Ending a tenancy

In Ontario, a tenancy does not end simply because the lease term ends. At the end of a fixed term it continues month to month unless the tenant gives notice or both parties agree in writing to end it. A landlord can end a tenancy only on the grounds set out in the Residential Tenancies Act, by giving the correct notice form and, if the tenant does not leave, by applying to the LTB.

Several of these rules changed in 2026. For example, for notices given on or after September 21, 2026, the notice period for unpaid rent is 7 days, and a landlord who needs the unit for their own use and gives at least 120 days' notice no longer owes the tenant one month's rent as compensation. Check the LTB's website for the current forms before you serve any notice.

Taxes

• Income tax. Rental income and expenses are reported on your tax return. Keep receipts for repairs, insurance, property tax, interest and management fees.
• Vacant Unit Tax. Every residential owner in Ottawa must make a declaration each year, even if the home is rented or is their principal residence. A home vacant for more than 184 days in a year is taxed at 1% of its assessed value, rising by 1% for each consecutive vacant year to a maximum of 5%.
• Living abroad. If you are not a resident of Canada, other rules apply; see Renting Out Your Ottawa Home While You Live Abroad.

Official sources

• Ontario: guide to the standard lease
• Ontario: residential rent increases
• Landlord and Tenant Board
• Ontario Human Rights Commission: income criteria in rental housing
• City of Ottawa: landlords' roles and responsibilities
• City of Ottawa: Heat By-law
• City of Ottawa: Vacant Unit Tax
• Condominium Authority of Ontario: leasing a condo