Starting April 30, 2018, the Government of Ontario implemented a Standard Form Lease for all tenancy agreements commenced on this date or after. However, it is not retroactive and therefore leases entered prior to this date do not require that their agreements be updated to reflect this new standard form lease.

This new lease applies to residential homes, apartments, condominium units and secondary units such as basement apartments. The new standard form lease is guided by the provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act (“Act)

If a landlord does not utilize the standard form lease and the tenant requests this form, the landlord must provide a copy within 21 days.  If they fail to do so, the tenant can withhold one month’s rent. 

The new Standard Form Lease is part of the Ontario government’s effort to reduce inconsistency among residential leases. It essentially takes the protections accorded to tenants in the Act and ensures they are covered in the lease. 

The lease follows a fill in the blank format for easy understanding and contains 17 parts.  There is also an Appendix that contains additional information with respect to the seconds of the lease.

Please note the content on this web site is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice of any kind.