Free kit, with a PDF

The move-in kit

Every document and deadline for a new tenancy in Toronto, in the order you need them.

26 items, 5 stages. Every rule links to the official page it comes from, checked October 5, 2026.

Free PDF · 2 pages, print-ready

The move-in kit

01Before you list

Read your condo's declaration, by-laws and rules for leasing rules. Your tenant has to follow them too.¹
Under 28 days in a row is a short-term rental, which Toronto allows only in your principal residence. An investment unit leases for 28 days or more.²
Find your building's first occupancy date. If no part of the building was lived in on or before November 15, 2018, the rent increase guideline doesn't apply. It's the building's date, not your unit's.³
FastLease's take:Call your insurer before the first showing. A policy written for an owner who lives in the unit may not fit a rental.

02At signing

Use the Ontario standard lease. Most new leases must.⁴
Collect only a last month's rent deposit, at most one month, and if you like a refundable key deposit. No damage, pet or cleaning deposits.⁵
Write your legal name and address in the lease. It's where notices to you go.³
Agree on smoking in section 10. Require tenant liability insurance in section 11 if you want proof of it.⁵
A lease can't ban pets. Your condo's rules can restrict them, and the tenant has to follow those rules.⁵
Give the tenant a copy of the signed lease within 21 days.⁵
Tell the condo corporation within 10 days: the tenant's name, your address, and a copy or summary of the lease.¹

03Move-in day

Give the tenant the condo's declaration, by-laws and rules.¹
Test the carbon monoxide alarms. It's required at every change of tenancy.⁶
Hand over the maintenance instructions for the CO and smoke alarms.⁶⁷
Give a free receipt for any payment or deposit when asked.⁵
FastLease's take:Walk the unit together and photograph every room. Send the photos to the tenant the same day, so you both hold the same record.

04Every year

Pay interest on the last month's rent deposit at the guideline rate: 2.1% in 2026, 1.9% in 2027. Units exempt from the guideline owe it too.³
Raise the rent at most once every 12 months, with at least 90 days' written notice.⁸
Declare your Vacant Home Tax status by April 30, even with a tenant.⁹
Report the rent on Form T776 with your tax return, due April 30 for most people.¹⁰¹¹
FastLease's take:Put every date in your calendar once. The landlord year tool does it in a minute.

05When a tenant moves out

Tell the condo corporation in writing within 10 days.¹
The deposit pays the last month's rent. It can't be used for damage.⁵
Return the key deposit when the keys come back.⁵
Set the next rent with the new tenant. The guideline doesn't apply between tenancies.⁸
Test the CO alarms again before the next tenant moves in.⁶

Sources

1. Condominium Authority of Ontario, Leasing a condo: www.condoauthorityontario.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
2. toronto.ca, Short-term rentals: www.toronto.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
3. Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario e-Laws): www.ontario.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
4. ontario.ca, Renting in Ontario: your rights: www.ontario.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
5. Ontario, A guide to the standard lease: files.ontario.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
6. ontario.ca, Carbon monoxide safety: www.ontario.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
7. toronto.ca, Smoke alarms: www.toronto.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
8. ontario.ca, Residential rent increases: www.ontario.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
9. toronto.ca, Vacant Home Tax: www.toronto.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
10. canada.ca, Rental income guide (T4036): www.canada.ca (checked 2026-10-05)
11. canada.ca, Tax-filing deadline: www.canada.ca (checked 2026-10-05)

General information from Ontario's and Toronto's published rules, not legal or tax advice. FastLease is a service of Sasha Bastani, Broker, Property.ca Inc. Brokerage.

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