Rent-to-Income Ratio

What Ontario Allows Instead

Income information may be requested only alongside credit references, rental history or a credit check request, and weighed only together with whatever those produced. If income is all that comes back, it may be considered alone.³

The Commission’s position is that income information should be limited to confirming the applicant has enough income to cover the rent, and that landlords must not judge whether the income left over after rent is adequate.² It also says a guarantor cannot be held to a ratio the landlord could not impose on the tenant.²

The Subsidized Housing Exception

For the social and public housing units the regulation lists, a landlord may request and use income information to decide eligibility for rent geared to income without the combination rule.³ The Commission notes ratios may be considered for subsidized units.¹

In practice: note the monthly income and whether it covers the rent, and read it beside the credit and rental history. A form or a listing that says “income must be 3x rent” states a ratio rule.

This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice.

Related Terms

• Human Rights Code (Ontario)
• Guarantor
• Payroll Verification
• Tenant Screening Report

Sources

1. Policy on human rights and rental housing

   Ontario Human Rights Commission, Overview, Choosing tenants. Accessed October 28, 2026.

2. Policy on human rights and rental housing, V. Identifying discrimination in rental housing

   Ontario Human Rights Commission, ss. 4.2.1 to 4.2.6. Accessed October 22, 2026.

3. O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation

   Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 1 to 4, consolidated from March 8, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2026.