Newcomers may not know important information about renting in Canada.

For example, tenants may benefit from many protections under certain provincial rental regulations, but may not take advantage of these protections if they are not aware of them.

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To give you the tools to navigate this foreign rental market, CIC News has compiled a short list of the most important things you need to know before renting a property in Canada.

Rent control

Some provinces have rent control regulations.

Such regulations limit when a landlord can increase the rent on a property and by how much.

You may be able to save money by considering rent control regulations when choosing a property.

If rent control does not apply to your property, you may benefit from budgeting for larger increases at renewal.

The following table provides some details on rent control in the affected provinces:

No other province or territory currently has a rent control policy. Landlords in non-rent controlled jurisdictions can generally increase the rent to whatever amount they want once your lease is up or up for renewal.

End of lease/evictions

There are several factors you should consider before entering into a lease:

• If your lease will be automatic renewal west renewableregarding the question of whether you will have to leave your accommodation at the end of your lease.
• THE length of notice you must give to terminate your lease (for a month-to-month lease).
• Wrongdoing for which your landlord could expel you.
• THE situations in which your landlord can evict you without any wrongdoing from you.

The above factors will be determined by a combination of your rental agreement and applicable provincial regulations.

For a fixed-term lease, you will have to leave the property at the end of the lease.

There are exceptions to this rule, such as in Ontario, where your lease will automatically increase to one month at the end of the fixed term, unless you notify the landlord that you will be moving out.

For month-to-month leases, you will generally need to give one month’s notice before terminating your lease.

In Prince Edward Island and Ontario, you must give 2 months or 60 days’ notice (whichever is longer).

In certain circumstances, you could be evicted from a property, which is when the landlord terminates your lease, whether or not you want to move out.

The situations in which a landlord can terminate your lease vary depending on the provincial jurisdiction and/or your rental agreement. But in general, landlords can evict you for failing to meet your obligations as a tenant or for bad behavior, such as

• non-payment of rent;
• material damage;
• violation of the terms of the lease;
• health and safety violations; Or
• interfere with the enjoyment of other occupants.

There may also be reasons beyond your control why a landlord may evict you. Again, this varies by province, but here are some common examples.

• The owner wants to sell the house.
• The owner needs the property for his or her personal use.
• The building must be demolished.
• The building is no longer safe to occupy.

Landlords will need to provide written notice of the date they will evict you. Across Canada, tenants have the right to appeal the termination of their lease to local rental boards or tribunals. The process to follow varies depending on the province and local housing authority.

How much should I expect to spend?

This will highly depend on the property and its location.

The table below shows the median monthly rent for some major cities for studios, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom (source: rent search portal zumper.com).

Beware of co-ownership regulations

A unique type of property often found in Canada is the condominium, or condo. These are private units located in residential buildings.

Condos have different rules than other residential properties.

Tenants considering renting a condo should ensure they are aware of the applicable regulations specific to that property.

Condominium regulations can impose much greater restrictions on occupants, such as

• Pet restrictions; And
• Restrictions on the number of occupants.

Any of the above restrictions would be prohibited under the Residential Tenancies Act in Ontario, but are perfectly legal when it comes to condos.

Tenants should also keep in mind that condominium regulations are not set in stone: it is always possible for the condominium board to modify the regulations and/or implement new regulations, this which could have a significant impact on the daily lives of co-owners. tenants.

Avoiding rental scams

Newcomers should be wary of potential rental scams, which are unfortunately all too common.

Falling for a scam could put your personal funds, data, or even your physical safety at risk.

A typical rental scam would work as follows. The “landlord” or “rental agent” shows you a place and it’s a good deal. You sign a lease with them and pay either a deposit or something like first and last month’s rent (in Ontario).

Later, you discover that the person who showed you the property was not actually the owner or rental agent: they were never authorized to rent the property to you and simply pocketed your funds and left. fled.

Another rental scam could be simple identity theft: the “rental agent” asks for your ID and other personal information, makes copies, then pretends to be you to contract a ready.

The best way to protect yourself from rental scams is to make sure the person you are dealing with is a bona fide landlord or rental agent.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) provides examples of warning signs to look out for:

• The rent is well below the current market rate.
• You are required to leave a deposit without any formal rental agreement or lease in place.
• You are required to send a security deposit to a landlord located outside the country.
• You are offered rental accommodation without a background check.
• When you ask about rental housing, you will receive an email that directs you to a website asking for personal or financial information.
• Listings only feature photos of the exterior of the unit or images that do not correspond to the actual property.

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