The Ontario standard lease, and what it actually means for you

If you have rented in Ontario before 2021, you may remember leases that varied wildly between landlords. That changed. Most private residential tenancies that start on or after 1 March 2021 have to use the province’s own form, the Ontario Standard Lease, also called Form 2229E. We use it for every tenancy we sign.

It matters for a plain reason: you can read the whole thing before you commit, and so can we. The form is public, the wording is fixed, and the parts that are negotiable are clearly the parts that are filled in.

What the form pins down

The standard lease sets out who the landlord and tenant are, the address, the rent and when it is due, what is included in the rent and what is not, and the rules that both sides are agreeing to. Utilities, parking, appliances and services all get named rather than assumed, which is where most disputes used to start.

What it does not do

It does not override the Residential Tenancies Act. Anything written into a lease that conflicts with the Act is unenforceable, whoever wrote it. That protection runs in both directions and it does not depend on anybody noticing at signing.

It also does not cover every kind of housing. Some situations, including certain care homes, co-operatives and social housing, use different rules.

Deposits, in Ontario specifically

This one surprises people moving from other provinces. Ontario does not allow a damage or security deposit. What can be collected is first and last month’s rent, and a rent deposit has to be applied to the last month of the tenancy rather than held against damage.

Rent increases

Ontario publishes a rent increase guideline each year, and for most tenancies an increase above it needs approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board. Any increase we pass on to our tenants follows the percentage the province allows for that year, with the notice period the Act requires.

Read it before you need it

Both documents are on our tenant resources page: the blank Form 2229E, and the province’s plain-language guide explaining each section. Ontario’s own guide to the standard lease is the authority if you want to check anything here.

If something in a lease we have offered you does not read the way you expected, ask us before you sign it. That is a much easier conversation than the one after.