Ontario Lease Essentials: What Every Landlord Should Get Right

The Standard Form Is the Floor, Not the Ceiling

Since 2018, Ontario landlords have been required to use the Standard Form of Lease for most residential tenancies. Failure to provide it on request gives the tenant the right to withhold rent.

But the standard form is the starting point, not the full agreement. The schedules, additional terms, and the conversations you have before signing are where most disputes are actually won or lost.

What the Standard Form Covers

• Names of all tenants and the landlord
• Rental unit address and a description of what's included
• Term, rent amount, and rent due date
• Services and utilities included in the rent
• Rules around rent deposit (last month's rent only, no security deposit is permitted in Ontario)

What It Doesn't Cover Well

The standard form deliberately leaves many practical details to a schedule of additional terms. Common items to include:

• Parking, assigned spot, conditions of use, restrictions on guest parking
• Storage, included locker, access rules
• Utility setup, which utilities are in the tenant's name, account transfer process
• Insurance, requirement to carry tenant insurance with a specific minimum liability coverage
• Smoking, Ontario allows no smoking clauses for new leases
• Pets, Ontario does not enforce no-pet clauses, but you can require disclosure
• Renovation and alteration, what tenants may and may not do without written permission
• Move-in/move-out inspection, joint inspection with photos

Conversations That Prevent Disputes

1. Walk the unit together at move in. Note every flaw, take dated photos, both parties sign.
2. Set the maintenance request channel. Email is best, it timestamps everything.
3. Confirm last-month's-rent treatment. It cannot be used as a security or damage deposit.
4. Explain rent increase rules. Annual increases require 90 days' written notice and are capped by the provincial guideline.

When to Get Help

Lease drafting is one of the highest-leverage decisions you'll make as a landlord. The hour you spend getting it right prevents months of LTB proceedings later. Kali Properties handles lease execution end-to-end, compliant, clear, and ready to sign.