What is it?
The Ontario standard lease is the lease form written by the Ontario government for home rentals. Its official name is the “Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease)”, and most people call it the standard lease.
Most private home rentals signed on or after April 30, 2018 (houses, apartments, condos, basement apartments and so on) must use this form. The rule comes from section 12.1 of the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).
The form is written in plain language. Once filled in, it is the contract between landlord and tenant. An appendix at the back explains the rights and responsibilities of both sides.
Who must use it?
From individual landlords to property management companies, most private residential landlords must use this form for every new lease. According to the government guide, it does not apply to:
- care homes (such as retirement homes)
- sites in mobile home parks and land lease communities
- most social and supportive housing
- certain other special tenancies and co-operative housing
- tenancies entered into before April 30, 2018, even if they were renewed or continued month to month after that date (s. 12.1 (3)).
A lease is still valid even if the standard form was not used (s. 12.1 (11)). Your rights do not change, and you can demand the form as explained below.
What is in the 17 sections?
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Parties | Names of the landlord(s) and tenant(s) |
| 2. Rental unit | Address, parking spaces. If it is a condo, that is marked and the tenant agrees to follow the condo declaration, by-laws and rules |
| 3. Contact information | The landlord’s address for notices, and whether notices may be sent by e-mail |
| 4. Term | Move-in date and length (fixed term, monthly, and so on). When the term ends the tenant may stay month to month |
| 5. Rent | Base rent plus separate charges such as parking or a locker = total (lawful) rent. When, to whom and how it is paid, and any NSF cheque charge |
| 6. Services and utilities | What is included, and who pays electricity, heat and water |
| 7. Rent discounts | Any discount. When it ends, the tenant pays the total rent in section 5 |
| 8. Rent deposit | Whether one is required and how much. It cannot be used as a damage deposit |
| 9. Key deposit | Whether one is required and how much. The law limits the amount and how it is handled |
| 10. Smoking | Rules for smoking inside the unit. Indoor common areas are smoke-free under provincial law |
| 11. Tenant’s insurance | Whether liability insurance is required. If asked, the tenant must show proof |
| 12. Changes to the unit | Tenant may hang pictures or window coverings; other changes need permission. Cannot be changed |
| 13. Maintenance and repairs | Landlord repairs; tenant pays for damage caused by tenant or guests. Cannot be changed |
| 14. Assignment and subletting | Landlord’s permission needed, but it cannot be refused arbitrarily or unreasonably. Cannot be changed |
| 15. Additional terms | Rules specific to this tenancy. Must be attached |
| 16. Changes to the agreement | Only in writing, agreed by both sides |
| 17. Signatures | All landlords and tenants sign; electronic signatures allowed. Landlord must give a copy within 21 days of signing |
What can go in the additional terms (section 15)?
Rules specific to the home, such as how common areas may be used, can be written in plain language and attached. If typed, the font must be at least 10 points.
But any term that takes away a right or responsibility under the Residential Tenancies Act is void (has no legal force) and cannot be enforced (RTA s. 4 (1)). The government guide gives these examples of void terms:
- no pets, although the landlord can require you to follow condo rules, which may prohibit certain pets
- no guests, roommates or additional occupants
- deposits, fees or penalties the Act does not allow (for example damage or pet deposits, or interest on rent arrears)
- making the tenant pay all or part of repairs that are the landlord’s responsibility
The government guide suggests getting legal advice before agreeing to any additional terms.
What if the landlord does not provide the standard form?
- Once during the tenancy, the tenant may demand in writing that the landlord provide a lease on the standard form, for the same unit, signed by the landlord (s. 12.1 (5)).
- If 21 days pass after the demand and the landlord has not provided it, the tenant may withhold the rent payments that come due after that (s. 12.1 (6)).
- The total that can be withheld is at most one month’s rent (s. 12.1 (7)). Once the landlord provides the form, no more can be withheld.
- If the landlord provides the form within 30 days after the first withheld payment, the tenant must pay the withheld rent. If not, the withheld month does not have to be paid back (s. 12.1 (9)). All other rent must still be paid.
- A tenant with a fixed-term lease who was not given the form, or who does not want to sign the form they were given, may also end the lease early with 60 days’ notice (s. 47.0.1). The notice must be given after the 21 days have passed, or within 30 days after receiving the form.
Your copy and the landlord’s address
For a written lease, the landlord must give the tenant a copy signed by both sides within 21 days after the tenant signs it and returns it (RTA s. 12 (2)).
The lease must show the landlord’s legal name and the address for notices. Until the landlord provides this, the tenant’s duty to pay rent is suspended (s. 12 (4)). Once the landlord complies, the withheld rent must be paid.
Keep a photo or PDF before you sign, and keep your signed copy even after the tenancy ends. It is the reference for deposit interest, rent increase notices and any dispute.
Where do you get it? Is there a Korean guide?
The form and the guide are downloaded from the Ontario government’s “Guide to Ontario’s standard lease” page. The Korean version is the guide. To sign, use the official form from the government site.
The guide is available in many languages, including a Korean PDF. It explains what each section means and which terms are void. The government notes that the guide is not legal advice.
A landlord who does not use the standard form must give the tenant information about landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities and the role of the LTB, on or before the day the tenancy starts. The LTB says landlords should use its brochure “Information for New Tenants” for this.
Renting a condo
Section 2 is marked to show the unit is a condo, and the landlord gives the tenant the condo declaration, by-laws and rules. The tenant must follow them (pets, noise, elevator bookings, amenities and so on).
The condo’s management may also ask for a tenant information form or a key or fob deposit. The law limits the key deposit a landlord may collect, so write the amount and the refund terms in section 9.
Example
Mr. Park agrees to rent a Thornhill condo for $2,600 a month starting September 1, 2026. The landlord offers a lease downloaded from the internet instead of the standard form. It says “no pets” and asks for a $1,000 damage deposit.
Before signing, Mr. Park asks in writing for the standard form. On it, section 2 shows the unit is a condo, section 5 shows total rent of $2,600, and section 8 shows a rent deposit of $2,600 for the last month. The damage deposit is dropped because the Act does not allow it, and pets are allowed within the condo’s rules. The landlord gives him a signed copy within 21 days.
What the law and official sources say
Quotes are copied word for word. The "In plain words" lines are our explanation, not an official translation.
The standard lease is required for most residential tenancy agreements signed on or after April 30, 2018. … A lease cannot take away a right or responsibility under the Residential Tenancies Act (the act)In plain wordsMost home leases signed on or after April 30, 2018 must use the standard form, and no lease can remove a right or duty under the Residential Tenancies Act.
Source: ontario.ca/page/guide-ontarios-standard-lease · checked Oct 30, 2026
Every tenancy agreement that is entered into in respect of a tenancy of a prescribed class on or after the date prescribed for that class of tenancies shall comply with the following requirements: … The tenancy agreement shall be in the form prescribed for that class of tenancies.In plain wordsFor the kinds of tenancy the regulations name, every lease signed after the set date must be on the prescribed form, the standard lease.
Source: ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17 · checked Oct 30, 2026
If at least 21 days have elapsed since the day the tenant made the demand and the landlord has not complied with the demand, the tenant may, subject to subsections (7) and (8), withhold rent payments that become due after the expiry of that 21-day period. … The maximum total amount of rent payments that a tenant may withhold under subsection (6) is an amount equal to one month’s rent.In plain wordsIf the landlord has not provided the standard form 21 days after the tenant’s written demand, the tenant can hold back rent that comes due after that, up to one month’s rent in total.
Source: ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17 · checked Oct 30, 2026
For greater certainty, a tenancy agreement is not void, voidable or unenforceable solely by reason of not complying with subsection (1) or (2).In plain wordsA lease is not cancelled or unenforceable just because the standard form was not used or it was not signed by move-in day.
Source: ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17 · checked Oct 30, 2026
If a tenancy agreement entered into on or after June 17, 1998 is in writing, the landlord shall give a copy of the agreement, signed by the landlord and the tenant, to the tenant within 21 days after the tenant signs it and gives it to the landlord.In plain wordsWith a written lease, the landlord must give the tenant a copy signed by both sides within 21 days after the tenant signs and returns it.
Source: ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17 · checked Oct 30, 2026
Any extra term which attempts to take away a right or responsibility under the act is void (not valid or legally binding) and cannot be enforced.In plain wordsAn additional term in section 15 that tries to remove a right or duty under the Act has no legal force and cannot be enforced.
Source: ontario.ca/page/guide-ontarios-standard-lease · checked Oct 30, 2026
If you are entitled to a standard lease but didn't get one, ask your landlord in writing for a copy. Once you request it, they must give it to you within 21 calendar days. If they don't, you can withhold one month’s rent.In plain wordsIf you should have received the standard form but did not, ask in writing. The landlord has 21 days, and if they do not provide it you can withhold one month’s rent.
Source: ontario.ca/page/renting-ontario-your-rights · checked Oct 30, 2026
Common questions
I signed a lease that is not the standard form. Is my lease void?
No. The lease is still valid (s. 12.1 (11)). You can demand the standard form in writing, and if the landlord does not provide it within 21 days you can withhold up to one month’s rent. Terms that go against the Act are void in any lease.
Is there a Korean version of the standard lease?
The government’s guide to the form is available as a Korean PDF, so you can read what each section means and which terms are void in Korean. Download it from the “Guide to Ontario’s standard lease” page on ontario.ca. To sign, use the official form from the government site.
My landlord added a “no pets” clause. Do I have to follow it?
The government guide lists a no-pets clause as an example of a void term. In a condo, however, the condo rules may prohibit certain pets, and you must follow those rules. A pet that disturbs or harms others can still be a separate ground for eviction.
When my one-year lease ends, do I have to sign a new standard lease?
No. When the term ends, the tenancy continues month to month on the same terms. You do not have to sign a new form, and you cannot be made to leave for refusing to sign one.
Can a landlord charge a credit check or application fee?
Section 134 of the Residential Tenancies Act prohibits landlords from collecting fees, premiums, penalties or similar amounts from tenants or prospective tenants. What is allowed is a rent deposit (last month’s rent) and a key deposit limited by law.
Guides that use this term
Sources checked
- Government of Ontario, Guide to Ontario’s standard lease (form and guide downloads, 21 languages) · checked Oct 30, 2026
- Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, A guide to the standard lease for rental housing (PDF guide) · checked Oct 30, 2026
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 4, 12, 12.1, 47.0.1, 134 (e-Laws) · checked Oct 30, 2026
- Government of Ontario, Renting in Ontario: Your rights · checked Oct 30, 2026
- LTB, A Guide to the Residential Tenancies Act (information to give when the standard form is not used; Information for New Tenants brochure) · checked Oct 30, 2026