How to Find Good Tenants in Ontario: 2026 Landlord Guide
As a property owner in Ontario, one of your most important jobs is finding good tenants — people who pay rent on time, take care of your property, and respect the rules. But tenant screening in 2026 comes with legal guardrails: Ontario’s Human Rights Code limits what you can ask applicants, and how you assess them. Get the process wrong and you risk a human-rights complaint; get it right and you get a great tenant and a quiet tenancy. Here is the 2026 way to find good tenants, step by step.
1. Advertise Where Tenants Actually Look in 2026
Your first step is advertising your rental where tenants actually search. In 2026, that means online rental platforms — Facebook Marketplace, Zumper, Rentals.ca, and liv.rent — not the local newspaper. Write a clear, complete ad: monthly rent, lease term, bedrooms and bathrooms, key amenities, and any specific requirements (for example, non-smoking). Include bright, honest photos of every room. Listings with good photos get far more inquiries, and accurate photos mean the applicants who show up already like the place.
Put your must-have criteria in the ad itself — for example, “credit check required with application.” You will get fewer, better applicants.
2. Use a Standard Written Application — for Everyone
Once inquiries come in, have every candidate complete the same written rental application. Consistency is your legal shield: applying the same process to every applicant is the simplest way to show your decisions were based on qualifications, not on a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
A solid application collects legal name and contact information, current address and landlord, rental history, employer name and position, monthly income, references, and — crucially — a signed consent clause authorizing you to run credit and reference checks. Ontario landlords commonly use forms like SingleKey’s Ontario rental application as a template.
3. Run a Credit Check — With Written Consent
Credit history is one of the strongest predictors of on-time rent payment. But you need the applicant’s written consent before running a check: federal privacy law (PIPEDA) requires it, so build a signed authorization into your application form.
You can pull reports directly from Equifax or TransUnion, or use a landlord-focused screening service such as SingleKey, Naborly, or FrontLobby, which bundle the credit report with employment, income, and rental-history verification. Look for red flags: late payments, accounts in collections, judgments, or a pattern of maxed-out credit.
Do not ask applicants for their Social Insurance Number. Service Canada specifically discourages landlords from collecting SINs — credit checks can be run without one, and collecting it creates an identity-theft risk for your applicants.
4. Know What You Can and Cannot Ask in Ontario
This is the part that has changed most since 2023. Under Ontario’s Human Rights Code and its rental-housing regulation (O. Reg. 290/98), a landlord may consider:
- Rental history, credit references, and credit checks.
- Income information — but only together with the credit and rental history above, or on its own when no other information is available.
- A rent guarantor — but only if you require one from every tenant, not selectively.
Questions you must avoid touch protected grounds in housing: race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, marital status, family status, disability — and receipt of public assistance, which is protected in housing. You may not refuse an applicant because their income comes from OW, ODSP, or another assistance program.
Two things many self-managing landlords still get wrong: rigid minimum-income rules (like “rent must be 30% of income”) can be discriminatory when applied mechanically — the Ontario Human Rights Commission has flagged this practice specifically. And a criminal record check is not a listed permitted screening tool under the regulation, while “record of offences” is itself a protected ground, so criminal-history screening is a human-rights minefield best avoided.
5. Verify Employment and Check References
Paperwork lies; a phone call rarely does. Verify the applicant’s employment using the employer’s publicly listed phone number — not the number the applicant gives you — and confirm position, length of employment, and income. Ask for two recent pay stubs or an employment letter as backup.
Then call at least two previous landlords and ask three questions: did the tenant pay rent on time, did they take care of the property, and would you rent to them again? For first-time renters with no rental history, employer and character references fill the gap — and a lack of rental history alone should not count against an applicant.
6. Meet the Applicant and Set Clear Expectations
If the paper screening looks good, meet the applicant — in person at the showing or by video call. You are confirming communication style and expectations, and that the person matches the application.
Before signing a lease, put every expectation in writing: rent amount and due date, maintenance responsibilities, and house rules. In Ontario that means the province’s Standard Lease (Form 2229E) — mandatory for most tenancies — and lawful deposits only: last month’s rent (capped at one month) plus a key deposit limited to the replacement cost. No security deposits, pet deposits, or cleaning deposits — they are illegal in Ontario. Keep rent increases inside the rules too: the 2026 guideline is 2.1%, with at least 90 days’ written notice on Form N1 and no more than one increase every 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Ontario landlord ask about a tenant’s criminal history?
Criminal record checks are not listed as a permitted screening practice under Ontario’s rental-housing regulation (O. Reg. 290/98), and “record of offences” is a protected ground under the Human Rights Code. Asking about criminal history invites a human-rights complaint. Stick to the permitted tools: credit checks, rental history, credit references, and income information.
What questions are Ontario landlords not allowed to ask on a rental application?
You cannot ask about race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or receipt of public assistance. Keep every question tied to the ability to pay rent and be a responsible tenant.
Do I need a tenant’s consent to run a credit check in Ontario?
Yes. Federal privacy law (PIPEDA) requires the applicant’s consent before you collect their credit information, so include a signed authorization on your rental application. You can then pull reports from Equifax or TransUnion, or use services like SingleKey, Naborly, or FrontLobby.
Can an Ontario landlord require a minimum income?
Income information may be considered together with rental history, credit references, and credit checks — or on its own only when no other information is available (O. Reg. 290/98). Use income to confirm the applicant can afford the rent, apply the same standard to everyone, and avoid rigid income-ratio cutoffs, which the Ontario Human Rights Commission has flagged as potentially discriminatory.
Can an Ontario landlord charge a security deposit in 2026?
No. Ontario landlords may not collect security, damage, pet, or cleaning deposits. The only lawful deposit is last month’s rent — capped at one month’s rent — plus a key or fob deposit limited to the actual replacement cost.
Where should I advertise a rental in Ontario in 2026?
Facebook Marketplace, Zumper, Rentals.ca, and liv.rent are where Ontario tenants search in 2026. Write a complete ad with rent, lease term, amenities, and your key requirements, and include bright photos of every room.
Finding good tenants is a process, not a gamble: advertise where renters actually look, screen every applicant the same way, verify what matters, and stay inside Ontario’s rules. If you would rather hand the whole process to someone who does it every day, Home Again Property Management helps Ontario owners find and place quality long-term tenants — from advertising and showings to applications, credit checks, and lease paperwork. Reach out through the website to talk about your property.