Every province and territory has already done the heavy lifting of what\u2019s legal, and what\u2019s not, in rental agreements. Your job is to learn about it.<\/p>\n
Tenancy laws vary by province, and educational resources are easily accessible online for renters to learn about their rights and the basics of a typical rental agreement. If you\u2019re moving out-of-province for school or a new job, you\u2019ll need to look up local laws.<\/p>\n
In British Columbia, for example, the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) governs the tenant-landlord relationship, said Arash Ehteshami, a tenancy lawyer with Bright Law in Vancouver.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of times, landlords just use the standardized materials that the RTB provides,\u201d Ehteshami said, adding that a non-standard rental agreement still cannot circumvent the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think first and foremost, it\u2019s important to read through it because that information in the contract is the basics that you\u2019re entitled to. And secondly: be wary about an addendum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addenda might be used by landlords to tack on additional clauses \u2014 such as notice for moving out, or an eviction \u2014 but the legislation specifically prohibits any agreements that try to cut out B.C.\u2019s Residential Tenancy Act, Ehteshami explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s where a lot of landlords and tenants go wrong, because there\u2019s this general lack of literacy \u2014 among young people and otherwise \u2014 from understanding what is and is not allowed, which ultimately then leads to litigation, unfortunately,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Look up a sample residential tenancy agreement from the RTB \u2014 or your province\u2019s equivalent \u2014 and compare it to what the landlord gave you, said Lisa Mackie, lawyer and partner at Alexander Holburn in Vancouver. Which parts are the same, which are different?<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst of all, the agreements should be easy to read and easy to understand,\u201d Mackie said. \u201cAnd if there\u2019s any language in an agreement that is confusing or vague or seems one-sided, it\u2019s really important before you sign on the dotted line that you ask what that term means. So you understand: what are my obligations to my landlord?\u201d<\/p>\n
A common one in B.C., Mackie said, is the number of occupants in a rental unit. What if you want to bring on a roommate, or a partner, or family member? <\/p>\n
\u201cLandlords are allowed to put occupancy restrictions into a lease,\u201d she said, speaking to B.C. laws. \u201cSo we should be on the lookout to see whether or not there is a maximum occupancy that\u2019s permitted, whether you need the landlord\u2019s advanced written permission to bring in a new occupant into the unit, or whether the lease is silent entirely on new occupants \u2014 which would make a difference as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another major sticking point between landlords and tenants: the condition of the unit. Normal wear and tear is acceptable, said Rosalea Thompson, a staff lawyer at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean that accidents don\u2019t happen,\u201d Thompson said, speaking to Ontario laws. \u201cIn order to be penalized by your landlord for damages, it has to be things that you have allowed to happen \u2014 or somebody that you let into the unit allowed to happen \u2014 and that were caused wilfully or negligently, which is a fairly high standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
When you first move in, take photos and videos of the unit to confirm its condition, Thompson advised. And keep communication with your landlord in writing. If you make a verbal agreement, send a followup email summarizing the conversation.<\/p>\n
Another common issue Thompson sees in Ontario: leases don\u2019t \u201cend\u201d at the end of the term. You shouldn\u2019t be pushed into signing a new document because the original terms continue to apply. <\/p>\n
\u201cTenants will tell me, \u2018My landlord\u2019s asking me to sign a new lease and he\u2019s increasing my rent by $200,\u2019 and I have to tell them, you know, your landlord can\u2019t force you to sign a new lease,\u201d she said. \u201cYour lease continues on the same terms, even after the expiry of the fixed term.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to sign a new lease and your landlord can only increase your rent by a specific amount, set by the province [of Ontario], as long as you live in a rent-controlled unit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roommate situations can be complicated, whether your roommate owns the unit and you share a kitchen and bathroom \u2014 in which case, you are not protected by Ontario\u2019s Residential Tenancies Act, Thompson said \u2014 or whether you are joint tenants that both appear on the lease, in which case you are also liable for arrears if your roommate\u2019s rent is late. <\/p>\n
Consult with professionals for advice, Thompson said, to understand your status and obligations.<\/p>\n
There are many resources to help: publicly available legislation and sample agreements, explainer materials in plain language, legal clinics, tenants\u2019 organizations. <\/p>\n
If you are a student and your school has a law school, there may be legal clinics available right on campus, Thompson said. You might also need to engage with a lawyer. Ehteshami\u2019s firm Bright Law focuses specifically on helping younger people \u2014 offering 30-minute legal advice sessions for a fee.<\/p>\n
Landlord and tenant relationships can go south fast, Ehteshami warned. It\u2019s important to get a \u201cvibe check\u201d with the landlord at the beginning, but also treat the relationship as a business interaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would compare tenancy law these days to being akin to family law, where everything is great at first, but once there is an issue, oftentimes the gloves come off,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re trying to enforce legal obligations, that\u2019s when things go sideways.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.<\/p>\n
Nina Dragicevic, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every province and territory has already done the heavy lifting of what\u2019s legal, and what\u2019s not, in rental…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":496672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":["post-496671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-vancouver"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496671\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}