The Ontario Standard Lease: When It Is Required and What to Check

Which Tenancies Need the Standard Lease?

Almost every private tenancy the Residential Tenancies Act covers. Section 12.1 of the Act requires tenancies of a prescribed class to use the prescribed form, and O. Reg. 9/18 prescribes the class: every tenancy to which all or part of the Act applies, other than the listed exceptions, for agreements entered into on or after April 30, 2018.²^,1 That covers houses, apartments, basement units and condos rented by individual owners as well as large landlords.

The form itself has changed once. For a tenancy agreement entered into on or after March 1, 2021, the prescribed form is “Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease)” dated 2020/12, in English or French.¹ It is Form 2229E on the government’s Central Forms Repository; an old 2018/01 copy saved on a desktop no longer qualifies.⁸^,1

The Exceptions

The regulation leaves out:¹

A rental unit in a care home.
A site for a mobile home or a land lease home.
Homes for special care and certain supported group living residences.
Social and supportive housing units listed in the Act and regulation, and other units where rent is geared to income because of public funding.

Co-op member units and anything the Act does not apply to at all are outside it too.⁸ The common case for agents is a room where the tenant must share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, or the owner’s spouse, child or parent, who lives in the same building. The Act does not apply to that accommodation, so the standard lease isn’t required.⁴

A lease signed before the prescribed date stays outside the rule even if it renews afterwards.² Subtenancies are also excluded: the regulation says a reference to a tenancy agreement does not include a subletting agreement.¹

When It Has to Be Signed

The landlord and the tenant must sign it on or before the day the tenant is entitled to move in.² The form allows electronic signatures if both sides agree.⁸ Once the tenant signs and gives it to the landlord, the landlord has 21 days to give the tenant a copy signed by both.²

The lease must also set out the landlord’s legal name and an address for notices. Until the landlord has done that and delivered the signed copy, the tenant’s obligation to pay rent is suspended; rent withheld for that reason becomes payable once the landlord complies.²

What Happens if the Standard Lease Isn’t Used?

The tenancy is still valid. The Act says a tenancy agreement is not void, voidable or unenforceable only because it isn’t on the standard form.² The consequence falls on rent:

Once during the tenancy, the tenant may demand in writing that the landlord provide a signed standard lease for the same unit.²
If 21 days pass without one, the tenant may withhold rent that falls due after that, up to one month’s rent in total.²
The landlord can recover the withheld rent only by providing the standard lease within 30 days after the first withheld payment, whether or not the tenant then signs it.²

For a landlord, that means a month’s rent at risk and a dispute that starts on the tenant’s terms. For an agent, it means using the form from the start is cheaper than fixing it later.

What the Form Contains

The form has 17 sections and an appendix of general information. The regulation requires all of it to be set out in full and in substantially the same format; the mandatory sections cannot be changed.¹^,8

Sections of Form 2229E (2020/12) that agents fill in or check most often.
Section	What goes in it
1. Parties	Landlord’s legal name and every tenant⁸
2. Rental unit	Address, parking, and whether the unit is a condo; if so, the tenant agrees to the condo declaration, by-laws and rules the landlord provides⁸
3. Contact information	Address for notices, and whether both sides agree to email notices⁸
4. Term	Start date and fixed term, monthly or other⁸
5. Rent	Base rent, parking and other charges, due date, payee, payment method, NSF charge (no more than $20)⁸
6. Services and utilities	What is included and who pays electricity, heat and water⁸
8 and 9. Deposits	Rent deposit and key deposit, within the legal limits⁸
11. Tenant’s insurance	Whether liability insurance is required⁸
15. Additional terms	Unit-specific terms in an attachment⁸

Which Additional Terms Are Void?

Additional terms are allowed only if they are consistent with the mandatory terms, and an inconsistent one is void.¹ The Act adds a wider rule: any lease provision inconsistent with the Act or its regulations is void.³ Void means the clause can’t be enforced, even though both sides signed it.

Terms that commonly fail:

A no-pets clause. The Act voids any provision prohibiting animals in or about the residential complex. A landlord can still require the tenant to follow condo rules that restrict pets.³^,8
No guests, no roommates or no additional occupants.⁸
Damage, pet or cleaning deposits, fees, penalties, or interest on rent arrears.⁸^,7
Making the tenant pay for repairs that are the landlord’s responsibility.⁸
An acceleration clause making the rest of the term’s rent due on a missed payment.³
An agreement or notice to end the tenancy signed at the same time as the lease, or as a condition of it. Some post-secondary student housing is excluded from this rule.⁵
Requiring post-dated cheques or automatic payments.⁶

The form recommends writing additional terms in plain language, at a font size of at least 10 points if typed, and suggests both sides may want legal advice before agreeing to them.⁸ Typical lawful ones cover use of common areas and amenities, or work the landlord agrees to do before move-in.⁸

Agent Checklist

Confirm the Act applies. If the tenant will share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner or the owner’s close family living in the building, the standard lease isn’t required.⁴
Download the current Form 2229E (2020/12) from the Central Forms Repository rather than reusing an old file.⁸^,1
Use the landlord’s legal name and a real address for notices in sections 1 and 3.²
Check that the deposits in sections 8 and 9 match the limits in the Ontario rent deposit rules.⁸
Tick the condo box when it applies and attach the condo rules the tenant is agreeing to.⁸
Strip void clauses from the schedule carried over from the offer to lease, especially pets, guests, extra deposits and early termination.³^,5
Have every landlord and tenant named in section 1 sign before the move-in date.⁸^,2
Make sure the tenant receives a fully signed copy within 21 days.²

The lease comes after the screening decision. For what you can ask before it, see what a landlord can ask on a rental application.

This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice. Where a situation turns on its facts, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or get advice from a lawyer or a paralegal.

Questions

Is the Ontario Standard Lease Mandatory?

Yes, for most residential tenancies entered into on or after April 30, 2018. Care homes, mobile home and land lease sites, most social housing, co-op units and accommodation exempt from the Act are excluded.¹^,8

Is a Lease Void if It Isn’t on the Standard Form?

No. The tenancy agreement is still valid, but the tenant can demand the standard lease in writing and, if the landlord doesn’t provide it within 21 days, withhold up to one month’s rent.²

Can the Standard Lease Include a No-Pets Clause?

No. The Act voids any lease term prohibiting animals. A landlord can require a tenant to follow condo rules that restrict pets.³^,8

Can a Room in the Owner’s House Use a Different Lease?

If the tenant shares a kitchen or bathroom with the owner or the owner’s spouse, child or parent who lives in the building, the Act doesn’t apply, so the standard lease isn’t required.⁴

Sources

O. Reg. 9/18: Tenancy Agreements for Tenancies of a Prescribed Class
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 1 to 5, consolidated to December 2, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 12 and 12.1, consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 4(1) provisions conflicting with Act void; s. 14 no-pet provisions void; s. 15 acceleration clause void. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 5(i), exemptions from Act. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 37(4) and (5), notice or agreement to terminate void if given at signing. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 108, post-dated cheques. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 134(1), additional charges prohibited. Accessed October 22, 2026.
Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease), Form 2229E (2020/12)
Government of Ontario, Central Forms Repository, Note; sections 1 to 17; Appendix Part A, When to Use This Form. Accessed October 22, 2026.