Important Lease Clauses Every Ontario Landlord Should Include

Lease and Rental Management

While Ontario's standard lease form covers the basics, additional clauses can protect landlords from specific risks — provided they don't contradict the Residential Tenancies Act.

Ontario law requires landlords to use the standard lease form (Form LTB-1) for all new residential leases, with limited exceptions. This form includes all mandatory terms but also has an Additional Terms section (Section 15) where landlords can add specific clauses relevant to their property.

Ontario Tenancy Law

Clause requirements for parking and storage: If parking or storage is included in the rent, the specific space(s) should be identified. If they're additional to rent, the amount should be clear. Parking addenda that change the allocation require a separate agreement.

Maintenance responsibility clauses can specify tenant obligations that go beyond the legal minimum. Tenants are legally responsible for maintaining reasonable cleanliness and for reporting necessary repairs promptly. Additional clauses might specify lawn care responsibilities (for ground-floor units with exclusive yard use), snow clearing for private walkways, and required notice periods for maintenance requests.

Protecting Landlord Rights

Pet clauses: While a no-pets clause can be included, the LTB can grant relief from such clauses if a tenant acquires a pet and the landlord applies to evict them for it. The strongest protection is specifying that any permitted pet requires prior written approval from the landlord, so that unauthorized pet acquisition is a clear breach.

Additional occupant provisions prevent undisclosed sublets or additions to the household. While adding family members is generally not prohibited, commercial subletting or AirBnB hosting can be restricted by a properly worded clause. A clause requiring prior written approval for any additional occupants, combined with the sublet provisions of the standard lease, gives the landlord maximum control.