Frequently asked questions for renting properties

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Frequently Asked Rental Questions

1. How common is a one year lease?
A year lease is only common in properties where the landlord is leasing the whole property as a oppose to a room rental. If you do not like the one year lease, I highly encourage you to rent a room. By being careful and making sure the other people you are living with are decent, you will be saving a lot of money!

2. Are pets allowed?
If the landlord says no, then they are not. However, in accordance to the Ontario Residency Act., a landlord cannot evict tenant for having a pet unless if the pet is a danger to others. If you do have a pet and you lie that you don't in order to get the room rental, your landlord cannot evict you for having the pet, but your landlord can evict you for lying.

3. How do I get out of my lease early?
The most common way is to subsidize it to someone else. Your landlord is only interested in the rent. If you find a good landlord, he should allow you to get out of rent as long as you provide another tenant to cover it.

4. What is the landlord's position in repairing and maintaining the rental property?
The landlord is obligated to maintain the rental premisis in livable conditions. There is, however, no standard as to what livable means. You must include in your contract the conditions for repairing and maintaining the rental property.

5. What about heat? What happens if my apartment is too cold?
In an apartment, Ontario has guidelines as to when and how high the room temperature must be, which varies from city to city.

6. Can the landlord ask for my Social Insurance Number?
You are not obligated to give them your Social Insurance Number. In fact, you should NEVER give your social insurance number to anyone! A landlord cannot turn you down for not providing your SIN. However, your landlord can ask for driver's license or some form of identification. This is used in case your landlord needs your identify for legal reasons.

7. Can the landlord reject me if I am a smoker?
Yes.

8. How common are litigations in these matters?
Not common at all. Litigations are time consuming and costly. Both parties will lose.

9. What is the standard for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide dectectors?
The house needs to be fire safe. Smoke detectors is essential part of ensuring the house is fire safe. Every floor and outside sleeping area must have an operateable smoke detector. For more information, refer to Fire Safety Counsel.