Tenant Screening in Ontario: What Landlords Can Ask

This article is part of our complete guide to leasing in Ontario. It goes deeper on tenant screening in Ontario: what you can ask, what you can’t, and how to check what an applicant tells you.

Our advice on tenant screening in Ontario focuses on ordinary private residential rentals covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. Shared accommodation with an owner or their family, and certain other housing arrangements, can follow different rules.

What Can a Landlord Ask For During Tenant Screening in Ontario?

During tenant screening in Ontario, a landlord can ask for rental history, credit references, a credit check, income information and a guarantee. The Ontario Human Rights Commission explains that these are the practices the Code’s screening regulation, O. Reg. 290/98, permits. Every request should relate to whether the applicant can pay the rent and look after the unit.

Rental History and References

Previous landlords are often the most useful source you have. Ask for the names and phone numbers of the two most recent landlords, with the applicant’s written consent to contact them. However, a lack of rental history, which is common for newcomers and first-time renters, shouldn’t count against an applicant on its own.

A Credit Check, With Consent

You need the applicant’s consent before you check their credit. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada says a Social Insurance Number isn’t required for a credit check, so providing it must be optional. Collect a date of birth only as part of that credit check consent.

Also, read the whole report, not just the score. Collections, judgments and repeated late payments matter far more than a single number. Remember too that no credit history is not the same as bad credit.

Income Information

You can ask for pay stubs, a letter confirming income, or Notices of Assessment for a self-employed applicant. Use them only to confirm the applicant has enough income to pay the rent. Under the Commission’s guidance, request rental history and credit references alongside income information, and consider the information you get together. If only income information is provided after those requests, it may be considered alone, subject to human rights requirements. When an employer won’t confirm income, or the applicant is self-employed, retired or receives benefits, accept other reliable evidence such as Notices of Assessment, pension statements or benefit letters.

Guarantors and Photo ID

A guarantor agrees to pay if the tenant doesn’t, and a landlord may request one for a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason, such as poor references or a history of default. Don’t require one simply because an applicant is a newcomer, receives social assistance, or belongs to another protected group. Consider individual circumstances and accommodation needs, and don’t apply a prohibited rent-to-income ratio to the guarantor. It’s also reasonable to view government photo ID to confirm identity. The Privacy Commissioner notes you likely don’t need to keep a copy of it.

What Can’t a Landlord Ask When Screening Tenants in Ontario?

During tenant screening in Ontario, a landlord can’t refuse an applicant, or treat them differently, because of a ground protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code. In housing, those grounds are race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability and receipt of public assistance.

No Rent-to-Income Cut-Offs

The Commission is direct on this point: outside subsidized housing, it’s illegal to apply a rent-to-income ratio, such as a 30% cut-off. So you can confirm an applicant earns enough to pay the rent, but you can’t reject them because the rent exceeds a fixed percentage of their income. Likewise, a landlord can’t refuse someone because their income comes from Ontario Works or ODSP.

Questions to Leave Off Your Tenant Screening Application

• Whether the applicant has children, is pregnant or plans to have children.
• Their country of origin, religion, or immigration status.
• Their age, beyond the date of birth needed for a consented credit check.
• Any disability or health condition.
• Their employment history, beyond confirming current income.

“Adults only” advertising also breaches the Code. On the other hand, you can ask how many people will live in the unit and whether the applicant smokes.

Can a Landlord Ask for a Criminal Record Check?

The Commission says nothing in the Code or its screening regulation either permits or prohibits criminal record checks for rental housing. Even so, it warns that requiring one may have an adverse impact on people protected by the Code. Applying the same check to everyone doesn’t remove that risk. So before you ask for one, get legal advice on whether it’s necessary, how you’ll obtain consent, and whether a record would be relevant to the tenancy.

Can a Landlord Refuse an Applicant With a Pet?

Once a tenancy starts, a “no pets” clause in the lease is void. Before the lease is signed, though, Ontario legal information sources say a landlord may decline an applicant because of a pet. Disability-related animals are different: a landlord must accommodate a person with a disability who needs one, up to the point of undue hardship. After move-in, a landlord can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board only in specific cases. Examples include a pet that causes serious allergic reactions for others or is inherently dangerous. Condominium declarations and rules may impose enforceable pet restrictions, subject to human rights accommodation obligations.

Deposits, Fees and Prepaid Rent

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, a rent deposit cannot exceed the lesser of one rental period’s rent and one month’s rent. For example, that’s one month’s rent for a monthly tenancy and one week’s rent for a weekly one. The deposit must be applied to the rent for the last rental period before the tenancy ends. The Act also allows a refundable key deposit that can’t exceed the expected direct replacement cost of the keys, entry cards or remotes. Ontario’s standard lease guide says lease terms requiring other deposits or fees the Act doesn’t permit, such as damage or pet deposits, are void. So you can’t require an applicant to pay several months of rent in advance as a condition of renting. Don’t charge an application or screening fee either, because the Act prohibits fees like these.

Our article on illegal lease clauses in Ontario covers the terms that won’t hold up.

What Should You Ask References When Screening Tenants in Ontario?

When screening tenants in Ontario, ask a previous landlord about facts, not opinions, because facts are harder to fake. Yes, we call references every time, and the call often tells us more than the rest of the file. Here are the questions we use:

1. What was the address and unit number, and when did the tenancy start and end?
2. What was the monthly rent?
3. Was the rent paid on time? If not, how often was it late, and by how much?
4. Did you ever serve a notice for late payment or anything else?
5. What condition was the unit in when they moved out?
6. Did they give proper written notice before leaving?
7. Were there any complaints from neighbours or other tenants?
8. Did they leave owing any rent?

To confirm the reference is real, check that the person owns or manages the property, for example through a property record search. Then ask a detail only the real landlord would know, such as the parking arrangement. Get the applicant’s consent before you make these calls.

Treat what a reference tells you as information to verify, not a verdict. A notice or complaint needs context, and a landlord’s allegation isn’t the same as a Landlord and Tenant Board order. If something important doesn’t match, give the applicant a chance to explain. And if previous landlord references aren’t available, consider other relevant evidence. Don’t treat missing rental history as a negative history.

How Do You Choose the Right Tenant in Ontario?

The right tenant is the applicant whose rental history, credit and income all point the same way. It isn’t simply the one with the highest income or credit score. Income confirms someone can afford the rent. It doesn’t tell you whether they will pay it on time.

Why the Pattern Matters More Than One Number

Focus on verified payment history and material inconsistencies, not on how often someone has moved or where they lived. A good credit score can sit beside a history of late rent. Meanwhile, a thin credit file often belongs to a newcomer with an excellent rental record. When the information disagrees, dig deeper and give the applicant a chance to explain before you decide.

What Are the Red Flags When Screening Tenants in Ontario?

The main warning signs when screening tenants in Ontario are details that don’t match, references you can’t verify, and pressure to skip steps. On their own, none of them proves a problem. Together, though, they tell you to slow down.

• Information that doesn’t line up. A job title, start date or income that differs between the application and the documents.
• References you can’t verify. A “landlord” who can’t confirm the unit number, the rent or who owns the property.
• Pressure to rush. An applicant who wants to sign today and skip the checks, sometimes with an offer of rent in advance.
• Declining a credit check. Ask why. A newcomer may have no Canadian credit file, so consider other relevant evidence rather than automatically requiring a guarantor.

What Does a Good Tenant Screening Process Look Like?

A good tenant screening process in Ontario is the same written process, applied in the same order, to every applicant. Pair that consistency with room for individual circumstances. Together, they lower your risk and give you the best evidence if anyone later questions your decision.

1. Pre-screen. Before a showing, confirm the move-in date, the number of occupants, pets and smoking, using the same questions for everyone.
2. Application. Use one written form that collects only what you need, with consent for the credit check and reference calls.
3. Credit check. Pull the report through a credit bureau or a screening service, and read the history, not just the score.
4. Income check. Confirm the applicant has enough income to pay the rent, without applying a ratio.
5. Reference calls. Call the most recent landlords yourself and use the questions above. If there aren’t any, consider other relevant evidence instead.
6. Decision. Weigh everything together, never a protected ground, and write down why you chose the tenant you did.

Keep Tenant Screening Records Secure

Federal privacy law applies to tenant screening in Ontario, so keep applicants’ information only as long as you need it, store it securely, and then destroy it. Don’t search applicants’ social media either, since the Privacy Commissioner advises landlords against using social networks for background checks.

What Changed at the Landlord and Tenant Board in September 2026?

Several Residential Tenancies Act changes took effect on September 21, 2026, including a 7-day N4 notice period for unpaid rent and a new definition of persistent late payment. None of them changes what you can ask applicants during tenant screening in Ontario, so careful checks still come first. The Landlord and Tenant Board’s update sets out every change, and our articles on N12 notices in Ontario and how residential leases end in Ontario explain how they work.

How Does Tenant Screening Work for a Condo Rental in Ontario?

The same Human Rights Code rules apply when screening tenants for a condo in Ontario, plus the condo corporation’s requirements. Within 10 days of entering into a lease, the owner must notify the corporation that the unit is leased and give it a copy of the lease or a summary in the prescribed form. Separately, the owner must give the tenant the condo’s declaration, by-laws and rules. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, the tenant must also get a copy of the signed lease within 21 days after signing it. The Condominium Authority of Ontario explains these duties.

Check the declaration and rules before you advertise, since they can restrict things like short-term rentals, pets and smoking. Our article on renting a condo in Ontario covers the rest.

Costly Tenant Screening Mistakes to Avoid

These are the mistakes we see most often:

• Skipping steps because an applicant seemed good in person.
• Applying stricter checks to some applicants than others.
• Not writing down why you accepted or declined someone.
• Ignoring a poor reference because the credit score looked strong.

If you’re buying a property to rent out, our article on income properties in Ontario covers the financing and cash flow side.

We are not lawyers, and this article is general information, not legal advice. It’s current with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Commission and Privacy Commissioner guidance, the Residential Tenancies Act and the Condominium Act as of October 2026. These rules can change. For a specific screening decision, tenancy dispute or human rights question, speak with an Ontario lawyer or licensed paralegal.