Tenant guide

Renting in the GTA: What Landlords Require, and How the Process Works

Prepared by Yovan Gabric, REALTOR® | Royal LePage Pinnacle Real Estate, Brokerage
For clients working with me as a tenant representative in the Greater Toronto Area · 21 September 2026

This page walks through what a landlord or property manager in the GTA will typically ask for before handing over keys, what "giving proper notice" actually means if you're renting elsewhere right now, and the step-by-step process I follow with tenant clients from first conversation to move-in day. Keep this link — I'll refer back to sections of it as we go.

This is general information, not legal advice. Ontario residential tenancies are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) and overseen by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Every situation is a little different — if something here doesn't match your lease or your landlord's position, we'll get you to a paralegal or the LTB's own information line rather than guess.

1. What landlords typically ask for from an applicant

In the GTA rental market, most landlords and property managers — whether an individual owner or a management company — ask for a similar package before they'll consider an application. Having every one of these ready before we start viewing units is the single biggest advantage in a competitive rental market, where a complete application can beat a higher offer that's missing paperwork.

Document	What it is / why it's asked for
Rental application form	Standard intake form — full legal names of every occupant, ages of children (if any), pets, vehicles, current address, reason for moving, desired move-in date, and consent to run a credit check. I'll usually have you complete this once per unit you apply to; some landlords accept a generic one filled out in advance. Download a blank rental application form ↗
Government-issued photo ID	Driver's licence, passport, PR card, or provincial ID — usually one or two pieces per adult applicant, to confirm identity matches the application and the credit report.
Credit report	See section 4 below — this is its own topic. Most landlords want a recent report showing your credit score and any collections, judgments, or past evictions on file.
Proof of income	The most-requested combination: a recent letter of employment (on company letterhead, stating position, start date, and salary) plus your two most recent pay stubs. Self-employed applicants typically provide the two most recent Notices of Assessment (NOA) from CRA and/or a letter from an accountant. Landlords generally look for gross household income of roughly 3× the monthly rent, though this varies.
Bank statements (sometimes)	Two to three months, especially for self-employed applicants or where income is variable, to show consistent cash flow and sufficient funds for the deposit.
References	Typically one from a previous landlord (name and phone number, or a letter) confirming rent was paid on time and the unit was left in good condition, and sometimes an employer reference. First-time renters with no landlord history can substitute a character or academic reference.
Guarantor package (if needed)	If income alone doesn't meet the landlord's threshold — common for students, new-to-Canada applicants, or those between jobs — a guarantor (often a parent) co-signs and provides the same package: ID, proof of income, and a credit check of their own. The guarantor is fully on the hook for the rent if you default.
First and last month's rent	See section 3 — legally called the "rent deposit," due at or before lease signing, not a damage deposit.
Void cheque or pre-authorized debit form (sometimes)	For landlords who collect rent by automatic withdrawal rather than e-transfer or cheque.

What a landlord in Ontario is not allowed to require: a security/damage deposit beyond last month's rent, post-dated cheques for the full lease term, a co-signer as a blanket condition (it can't be based on a protected ground like receipt of social assistance), or a credit check fee charged back to you as a condition separate from a legitimate screening service. If something feels off, we talk about it before you sign anything.

2. Giving proper notice to your current landlord

If you're renting now and moving to a new place, ending your current tenancy correctly matters as much as securing the new one — done wrong, it can cost you rent you didn't expect to owe, or complicate your reference for the next landlord.

The N9 form

The N9 — Tenant's Notice to End the Tenancy is the LTB's official form a tenant uses to tell their landlord they're moving out. It is a one-page form, free to download from the LTB website, and does not need to be filed with the Board — it goes directly to your landlord.
Download the N9 form to end your current tenancy ↗

Tenancy type	Notice required	When the tenancy can end
Month-to-month	At least 60 days before the termination date	Only on the last day of a rental period (e.g., if rent is due on the 1st, the tenancy can only end on the last day of a calendar month)
Fixed-term lease (e.g., a 1-year lease)	At least 60 days before the end date	Only on the last day of the fixed term stated in the lease — you generally can't use an N9 to leave early mid-term
Weekly tenancy	At least 28 days	Last day of a rental week

If you need to leave before a fixed-term lease is up, an N9 alone won't end it early — your options are typically: negotiate an early termination directly with the landlord (get it in writing), assign the lease to a new tenant (with the landlord's consent, which can't be unreasonably withheld under the RTA), or sublet the unit for the remainder of the term. This is a conversation worth having with your landlord early, in writing, so there's no dispute later about who's on the hook for rent.

How to deliver it: hand-deliver with a copy for your records, send by mail, or email if your landlord has previously accepted notices that way (Ontario allows electronic delivery when both parties have agreed to it, ideally documented in the lease). Keep proof — a dated copy, a read receipt, or a witness.

Timing it against your new lease

Because the N9 needs 60 days and can only land on the end of a rental period, I usually work backward from your target move-in date at the new unit: we confirm the new lease is signed and firm before the N9 goes to your current landlord, so you're never giving notice on a place you haven't actually secured yet.

3. The deposit — what's legal in Ontario, and what isn't

This trips up a lot of tenants moving from other provinces or countries, because Ontario's rules are stricter than most: there is no security or damage deposit permitted on a residential lease in Ontario. The only deposit a landlord can legally collect is:

Last month's rent deposit ("LMR") — equal to exactly one rental period's rent (one month, for a monthly tenancy), collected at or before move-in and applied to your actual last month of tenancy when you eventually move out. It cannot be used to cover damage or unpaid rent along the way.
Interest on that deposit — landlords must pay you interest on the LMR deposit each year, at a rate set annually by the province (tied to the rent increase guideline). Some landlords apply it automatically as a rent credit; others pay it on request — ask if it isn't mentioned.
A key deposit — only if it's refundable and doesn't exceed the actual replacement cost of the key or fob.

"First and last month's rent" is the common phrase, but the mechanics are: first month's rent is rent, paid for occupancy; last month's rent is a deposit held against your final month. Both together are what's due before you get keys — commonly two months' rent total, plus any legitimate key deposit.

4. Credit score — what it means for your application

Most GTA landlords and property managers now run a credit check as a standard part of screening, usually through a consumer reporting agency (Equifax or TransUnion) or a tenant -screening platform (services like Naborly, SingleKey, or CondoTek are common in this market). You'll sign a consent form authorizing the pull — a landlord cannot run your credit without your permission.

Score range (approx.)	What it generally signals to a landlord
760+	Very strong — rarely raises a question
660–759	Good — the range most straightforward approvals fall into
560–659	Fair — landlord may ask for a guarantor, extra last-month's-rent cushion, or a stronger income/reference package to offset it
Below 560, or thin/no file	Likely needs a guarantor or additional proof of ability to pay — common for newcomers to Canada, students, and young applicants who simply haven't built a credit history yet, not necessarily a red flag on its own

If your score is lower than you'd like, or you're new to Canada with little to no Canadian credit history, that's not disqualifying — it changes the strategy. We lean harder on proof of income, a strong landlord reference, a larger last-month's-rent cushion where a landlord will accept it, or a guarantor, and I present the application with that context up front rather than letting a landlord read the number cold.

5. The step-by-step process I use with tenant clients

Consultation & needs assessment. Budget, timeline, must-haves (bedrooms, parking, pet policy, commute, school catchment), and — importantly — an honest look at your documents so we know before we start whether a guarantor conversation needs to happen early.
Tenant Representation Agreement. In Ontario, a REALTOR® working exclusively on your behalf as a tenant signs you to a representation agreement (the standard OREA form). It sets out that I'm working for you, not the landlord, and how I'm compensated — in most GTA rentals, the landlord (via the listing brokerage) pays the co-operating commission, so there's typically no cost to you directly, but this varies by listing and I'll always tell you up front which applies.
Document prep. We assemble the package from section 1 before serious showings start — ID, proof of income, references, and (if needed) the guarantor's documents. Landlords in this market move fast on good units; a complete application same-day beats a stronger one that arrives Thursday.
Search & showings. I pull listings matching your criteria, screen them against your must-haves, and book showings. We talk through each unit's condition, what's included (parking, locker, utilities), and any red flags I notice as an agent — and as a licensed contractor, I also flag anything that looks like a maintenance issue worth asking the landlord about before you commit.
Application submitted. Once you've chosen a unit, we submit the full package together. I present your file — including any context around income, credit, or guarantor — directly to the listing agent or landlord rather than letting the numbers speak alone.
Negotiation & approval. Rent, move-in date, included items, and any conditions (guarantor required, extra deposit cushion where legally structured as rent paid in advance, parking assignment) get worked out. In a competitive listing, this can move within hours.
Lease signing. Ontario requires most private residential tenancies to use the provincial Ontario Standard Lease — a mandatory form as of 2018. I review it with you line by line before you sign: rent, included services, rules around guests, assignment/subletting rights, and any additional terms attached (which can't contradict the RTA even if both parties sign them).
Notice to your current landlord. As covered in section 2 — timed once the new lease is firm, using the N9, respecting the 60-day/end-of-period rule.
Pre-move-in. Last month's rent deposit paid, tenant's insurance arranged (most landlords require proof of liability coverage — a standard tenant/renter's policy, inexpensive and worth having regardless), utilities transferred into your name where applicable, and move-in date confirmed.
Move-in inspection. Walk the unit together with the landlord or property manager where possible, photograph existing condition (dents, scuffs, appliance state), and keep that record — it protects you at the other end of the tenancy, when the LMR deposit is applied and the unit is inspected again.

Questions on anything above — a specific document, the N9 timing against your current lease, or how a guarantor conversation with a landlord actually goes — bring them to our next call. This page stays up to date as I use it with clients; if a rule changes I'll update it here rather than send a new link.