• Housing
• Rent a Home
• Tenant Rights and Responsibilities

What are my responsibilities as a tenant?

As a tenant in Ontario, you have legal rights. These rights are explained in the Residential Tenancies Act. You have to follow the laws in this act and the terms in your lease.

When you are a tenant you need to:

• Pay your rent on time: Pay the full amount of your rent by the day that you agreed to in your lease or tenancy agreement.
• Keep your home clean: You have to keep your home in a way that most people think is reasonably clean.
• Repair damage that you cause: Fix anything that you or your guests damage or break that is from more than normal use. 
• Be reasonably quiet: Do your best not disturb others who live in your building on purpose. 
• Obey the law: For example, you must follow the by-laws your city has about over-crowding. This means you cannot have more people living in your unit than is allowed.
• Honour your lease or tenancy agreement: Follow the terms in your lease. If your lease has conditions that break the rules in the Residential Tenancies Act, you do not have to follow those conditions like a clause that says 'no children'.

You can contact a legal clinic or housing help centre for more information. To find help in your area, go to Services Near Me.

As a tenant, you also have rights. Please read What are my rights as a tenant? to find out more.

For More Information

• Landlord and Tenant Board - Provides information about the RTA and to resolve disputes between most residential landlords and tenants.
• Steps to Justice - Landlord & Tenant Law - Find clear language publications on the rights of tenants in rental housing. 
• What Tenants Need to Know About the Law - Topics covered include rent increases, deposits and other charges, repairs and maintenance, privacy, moving out, and eviction.
• Human Rights for Tenants - Information for tenants about their human rights in relation to housing. It is available in 15 languages.
• Seven Steps to Solving Tenancy Problems [PDF] - This brochure has helpful information for common tenancy problems. It does focus on Halton Region but much of the information is useful for all of Ontario. From Halton Community Legal Services.