The Short Version
| Item | Why it is there | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Rental application form | Names, addresses, landlord contacts, income | Questions that reveal a Human Rights Code ground |
| Credit check consent | Authorization to pull a credit report1 | Written notice in bold or underlined type of at least ten point4 |
| Photo ID | Confirms the applicant is who they say | View it; you likely don’t need to keep a copy5 |
| Proof of income | Shows the rent can be paid | Read only together with credit and rental history1 |
| Landlord references | Rental history | Confirm the reference is the real landlord |
| Offer to lease | Rent, dates and terms the applicant is offering | Deposit limits under the Residential Tenancies Act6 |
The Application Form
Most listing agents use the Ontario Real Estate Association’s standard residential rental application. Whichever form you use, the legal limits come from O. Reg. 290/98: a landlord may request credit references, rental history and authorization for a credit check, and may request income information only if those are requested too.1 The Ontario Human Rights Commission reads that as a closed list and says the regulation permits no other inquiries.2
In practice the form should collect names, current and previous addresses with landlord contacts, income and its amount, and consent. It should not ask for ages of household members, marital status, citizenship or a Social Insurance Number. The full list, with the reasons, is in What Can a Landlord Ask on a Rental Application in Ontario?.
Consent to the Credit Check
Get written consent before anyone pulls a report. Ontario’s Consumer Reporting Act bars anyone from requesting a consumer report containing personal information without first giving the consumer written notice and, on request, the name and address of the agency supplying it; the notice must be in bold type or underlined, in letters of at least ten point.4 The Privacy Commissioner also expects express consent for a credit check, and says a basic check needs only name, address and date of birth.5
So the consent page should say what will be checked, by whom, and for what purpose, and name the landlord and the agent as the people who will see the result. If you plan to call references or employers, say that too: the Commissioner says landlords should get consent for reference and background checks.5 See landlord credit check consent for the wording.
Photo ID
One government photo ID is enough to confirm identity. The Privacy Commissioner says privacy law does not prevent a landlord from asking to see a driver’s licence, but it is a collection of personal information: explain why, collect no more than you need, and don’t keep it longer than necessary. If you are only confirming identity, you likely don’t need to take a copy.5
A photo of a licence proves little on its own, because edited ID images are easy to make. PropTx Verify’s screening report verifies ID against authoritative databases and issuing sources, which is the step that actually confirms it. More in tenant identity fraud.
Proof of Income
The usual evidence is two recent pay stubs and an employment letter for employees, and a Notice of Assessment for self-employed applicants. All of it is “income information”, which the OHRC says covers the amount, source and steadiness of income, and which may be weighed only together with the credit and rental history you also asked for.3,1
Two limits apply to how you read it. The OHRC says landlords may confirm that an applicant has a source of income but may not judge the type of source, such as social assistance, and that rent-to-income cut-offs like 30% are not permitted; the test is whether the applicant has enough income to pay the rent.3 For applicants without a payroll, see screening self-employed tenants.
References
Ask for the current landlord and at least one previous landlord, with a phone number and email for each, and the dates of each tenancy. Rental history is one of the items the regulation names.1 An applicant with no Ontario rental history, such as a newcomer or someone leaving a shared home, should not be scored as if their history were bad; the OHRC says to look at other available information instead.3
A reference is only useful if it is the real landlord. How to check a tenant’s landlord references covers confirming who you are speaking to and the questions to ask.
Deposits and Fees: What You Can’t Ask For
The only security deposit a landlord may collect is a rent deposit, and it may be no more than one rent period or one month’s rent, whichever is less, required on or before entering into the tenancy agreement.6 A refundable key deposit up to the expected replacement cost is allowed.9 Application fees are not: a landlord, or anyone acting for the landlord, may not collect a fee, premium, commission or similar amount from a prospective tenant.7
Once the landlord accepts, most residential tenancies must be put on Ontario’s Standard Lease, signed by landlord and tenant on or before the day the tenant may move in.8,10 More in Ontario’s Standard Lease.
What Verification Replaces
Most of a paper package is documents the applicant controls: stubs, letters, statements and reference phone numbers. Verification replaces those with data from the source. In PropTx Verify, employment is verified through the applicant’s payroll provider and income through a connected bank account; when one is not available the other is used, and documents the applicant uploads instead go through fraud detection and count as weaker evidence. Previous landlords are contacted to verify references.
- Pay stubs and employment letters become a payroll record or recurring pay deposits. See verify tenant employment.
- Bank statement PDFs become a read-only view of deposits in the connected account. See fake bank statements.
- Reference phone numbers become a reference check against a landlord you have confirmed.
The consent, privacy and Human Rights Code rules above still apply to every one of these. A connected source changes how reliable the evidence is, not what you are allowed to ask for.
This page is general information about Ontario law, not legal advice. Where a situation turns on its facts, get advice from a lawyer or paralegal.
Questions
Can a Landlord Charge an Application Fee in Ontario?
No. The Residential Tenancies Act bars a landlord, or anyone acting for the landlord, from collecting a fee, premium, commission or similar amount from a prospective tenant.7
How Much Deposit Can an Ontario Landlord Ask For?
A rent deposit of no more than one rent period or one month’s rent, whichever is less, plus a refundable key deposit up to the expected replacement cost. No damage deposit is allowed.6,9
Does a Rental Application Need a Social Insurance Number?
No. The Privacy Commissioner says a SIN is not needed for a credit check; a basic check needs name, address and date of birth.5
Should the Landlord Keep Copies of ID and Pay Stubs?
Usually not. The Privacy Commissioner says that viewing a licence to confirm identity or a pay stub to confirm income likely does not require keeping a copy.5
Sources
- O. Reg. 290/98: Business Practices Permissible to Landlords in Selecting Prospective Tenants for Residential Accommodation
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 1(1) to (5), consolidated to March 8, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Policy on human rights and rental housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission, Overview, Choosing tenants. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Policy on human rights and rental housing, V. Identifying discrimination in rental housing
Ontario Human Rights Commission, ss. 4.2.1 and 4.2.2. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Consumer Reporting Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.33
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 10(2) and (6), consolidated to July 1, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Privacy in the landlord and tenant relationship
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, How should landlords be obtaining my consent?; What personal information do I have to provide to a prospective landlord?; Can a landlord ask to see my driver’s licence? My tax information? My pay stubs?; Can a landlord look into my background…?. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 105(1) and 106(1) to (2), consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 134(1)(a) and (2), consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 12.1(1) and (2), consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- O. Reg. 516/06: General, under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, s. 17, para. 3, consolidated to September 21, 2026. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- O. Reg. 9/18: Standard Form of Lease, under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006
Government of Ontario, e-Laws, ss. 1 to 3. Accessed October 22, 2026.
