Ontario Landlord Guide › The Ontario standard lease: a section-by-section guide for small landlords

The Ontario standard lease: a section-by-section guide for small landlords

Last updated October 22, 2026 · Written for small Ontario landlords

Most new residential tenancies in Ontario must use the government's Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease), form 2229E. It's 14 pages, but only a few sections take real thought. Here's when you need it, how to fill it in for a basement unit, and the additional terms that won't hold up.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the official sources linked below before you act.

The essentials

Required for most RTA tenancies, including basement apartments and other secondary units. Use the version dated December 2020 (required for agreements signed on or after March 1, 2021).
Download it from Ontario's Central Forms Repository, not from a listing site.
Both sides sign on or before the day the tenant can move in. Give the tenant a signed copy within 21 days.
Your extra rules go in section 15, but any term that takes away an RTA right is void.

Do you need it? Basement suite vs. shared room

Your situation	Standard lease?
Basement apartment with its own kitchen and bathroom; you live upstairs	Yes. It's an RTA tenancy.
Rooms in a house you don't live in (tenants share with each other)	Usually yes. The RTA covers rooms in rooming or boarding houses.
A room in your home where the renter shares your kitchen or bathroom and you (or your spouse, child or parent) live there	No. The RTA usually doesn't apply, and the form's own appendix says not to use it for accommodation exempt from the Act. Use a clear written room agreement instead. See renting rooms in your home.

Section by section

Parties: your legal name and every tenant's name. If there's more than one tenant, each is responsible for all tenant obligations, including the full rent.
Rental unit: describe the unit precisely (for example "basement unit") and the parking, if any. Say whether it's a condo.
Contact information: the address where the tenant serves formal notices. You can both agree to receive notices by email. Add emergency contact details.
Term: start date and fixed term or monthly. When a fixed term ends, the tenant doesn't have to move out or sign a new lease; they become a monthly tenant on the same terms.
Rent: base rent plus any separate charges (parking, storage and so on) = total (lawful) rent. Future guideline increases are based on this total. Also the due date, who it's paid to, payment methods, and any NSF charge.
Services and utilities: who pays heat, electricity and water, and what's included (laundry, internet, appliances). Be specific for basement units on a shared meter.
Rent discounts: optional, for example a prompt-payment discount.
Rent deposit: up to one month, used only for the last month, with yearly interest. See our last month's rent deposit guide. It can't be used as a damage deposit.
Key deposit: optional; the law limits the amount.
Smoking: you can agree on smoking rules inside the unit.
Tenant's insurance: you can require liability insurance and ask for proof.
Sections 12 to 14 (changes to the unit, maintenance and repairs, assignment and subletting): fixed wording that can't be changed. Add details in section 15.
Section 15, additional terms: house rules specific to your property. Attach them, write them in plain language, at least 10-point type if typed.
Sections 16 and 17: changes must be in writing; everyone in section 1 signs. Electronic signatures are fine if you both agree.

Additional terms that are void

ontario.ca lists these as examples of section 15 terms that can't be enforced:

"No pets." The RTA makes a no-pet clause void (s. 14). In a condo, the tenant can be required to follow condo rules.
No guests, no roommates or no additional occupants.
Deposits or fees the Act doesn't allow, such as damage or pet deposits.
Making the tenant pay for repairs that are the landlord's responsibility.

Terms that usually work are specific and practical: garbage and recycling days, use of a shared yard or laundry, and reasonable quiet-hours expectations that don't remove any RTA right. For a post-2018 basement unit, ontario.ca suggests adding a section 15 term saying the unit is exempt from the rent increase guideline, and keeping proof such as permits, contractor invoices and before-and-after photos. See the 2027 guideline guide.

Write terms about the space, not the person

The lease itself states that under the Ontario Human Rights Code, everyone has the right to equal treatment in housing without discrimination or harassment. Keep section 15 about the property and conduct ("one parking spot, rear driveway"; "quiet hours 11 p.m. to 7 a.m."), never about who may live there, such as age, children, religion or ancestry.

If you don't use it: the 21-day rule

If a tenant is entitled to a standard lease and didn't get one, they can ask for it in writing. If you don't provide it within 21 days, they can withhold one month's rent. If you still haven't provided it 30 days after the first withheld payment, they can keep that month's rent (RTA s. 12.1; ontario.ca). A tenant in a fixed-term lease may also be able to end it early with 60 days' notice. The lease isn't void, but it's an avoidable mess. Use the form from day one.

Signing day checklist

Current form 2229E (December 2020 version), fully filled in.
Section 15 attachment initialled by everyone.
Rent deposit and first month's rent received, with receipts.
Signed before or on the move-in date.
Signed copy to the tenant within 21 days (same day is easiest).
Move-in inspection done together, with photos. See the move-in checklist.

The toolkit's 6-page Ontario Rules Quick Guide walks through RTA vs. shared-home rooms, deposits, increases, entry and ending a tenancy, with official links, and the inspection form and receipts cover move-in day.

Official sources

Not legal advice. This site is general information written by a small Ontario landlord, based on official Ontario and Tribunals Ontario sources as of October 22, 2026. Laws and LTB forms change; check the linked official source before you act, and talk to a lawyer or licensed paralegal (or call the LTB at 1-888-332-3234) about your situation. Not affiliated with the Government of Ontario, Tribunals Ontario or the Landlord and Tenant Board. Full disclaimer.