Most Ontario landlords include a no-pets clause in their lease. Most of those clauses are worthless.
Under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, a lease term that prohibits or restricts pets has no legal force. It doesn't matter how clearly it's written. It doesn't matter if your tenant signed it and agreed to it. The clause is void from the moment it's drafted.
This surprises most landlords. And it catches them off guard at the worst possible time — when they're trying to enforce it.
Here is what RTA Section 14 actually says, what you can and cannot do, and how to protect your property without relying on a clause the law ignores.
What RTA Section 14 Says
Section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act is short and blunt:
"A provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals or restricting the presence of animals is void."
One sentence. It does not leave room for interpretation.
Any lease term that says "no pets," "no dogs over 25 lbs," or "no animals without prior written approval" has no legal effect in Ontario. Your tenant can move in a dog, a cat, two cats, or a rabbit, and the clause gives you no legal standing to object.
The Ontario Standard Lease — the government-issued template every new lease must use — acknowledges this in Schedule A. It notes directly that no-pets clauses are not enforceable under Ontario law. If you're using the standard form and added a custom no-pets provision, it's overridden before the tenant even signs. Our guide to the Ontario Standard Lease explains what you can and cannot add to the standard form.
The One Exception: Condominiums
If your rental property is a condominium unit, the rules are different.
Condominium corporations can adopt rules or declarations that restrict pets — for example, no dogs over a certain weight, or no exotic animals. Those condo corp rules apply to the unit and can override the RTA's pet protection in Section 14.
If your condo corporation has a no-pets rule and your tenant has a pet that violates it, you have grounds to act. The condo corp's rules flow through to your tenant as conditions of occupancy.
This is a significant exception. If you own a condo unit in London, St. Thomas, or Strathroy, review your condo corporation's declaration before assuming your tenant can have any pet.
What You CAN Do
Section 14 removes your ability to use a lease clause as a weapon. It does not leave you entirely without options.
Decline during the application stage
Before a tenancy begins, you can refuse an applicant with pets. Section 14 voids lease provisions — not your right to choose who you rent to. During screening, before you have offered the unit and before a lease is signed, you can decline an application because the applicant has a pet.
Once you accept a tenant and the tenancy begins, that window closes. You cannot later evict someone because you found out they have a pet. The time to act is before the lease is signed. Our guide to spotting tenant screening red flags covers what questions you can legally ask during the application stage.
Serve an N5 for pet-related damage
If a tenant's pet damages your property, you have grounds to act. This is a damage issue, not a no-pets enforcement issue. The animal's existence is not the problem; the damage is.
You serve an N5 notice for substantial interference or significant damage caused by the pet. If the tenant corrects the problem within the 7-day voiding window, the N5 is voided. If they do not — or if the damage is severe and deliberate — you proceed to an L2 application at the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Document everything: photographs with timestamps, written repair estimates, paid receipts. Our guide to tenant damage in Ontario walks through the full N5 process and the documentation standards that hold up at the LTB.
Serve an N5 for noise or nuisance caused by a pet
A dog that barks every night and disturbs neighbours or other tenants is grounds for a noise-based N5. The complaint is about the noise, not the animal. Serve the N5, log every incident, and keep a record of complaints from other tenants or neighbours.
Noise cases are harder to prove than damage cases. You need documented evidence, not just verbal complaints. Our guide to noise complaints in Ontario rentals explains what evidence you need and how to record it properly.
Claim pet damage at the end of the tenancy
When a tenancy ends, you can pursue the tenant in Small Claims Court for damage beyond normal wear and tear. If the damage equals or is less than the last month's rent deposit, the accounting becomes part of the move-out process.
The foundation of any damage claim is your move-in inspection. For every pet-owning tenant, photograph the carpets, baseboards, walls, yard, and any vulnerable surfaces before they move in. Sign the inspection report with the tenant. Compare those photos to the condition at move-out. The difference, minus normal wear and tear, is your claim. See our guide to landlord record-keeping in Ontario for the documentation system that supports these claims.
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What You CANNOT Do
To be direct about the limits:
- You cannot evict a tenant simply for having a pet. Owning a pet — even with a no-pets clause in the lease — is not grounds for eviction in Ontario. The LTB will dismiss the application.
- You cannot charge a pet deposit. Ontario law permits only two deposits: first month's rent and last month's rent. A separate pet damage deposit is illegal. If you have collected one, you are required to return it.
- You cannot refuse a lease renewal because a tenant has a pet. Renewal must follow the RTA's rules regardless of pet ownership. See our guide to lease renewals in Ontario for how this process works.
- You cannot add a no-pets condition to a renewal agreement. Adding it to the renewal does not make it enforceable. The clause is still void.
- You cannot demand a tenant remove a pet they already had. If a tenant had a pet when the tenancy began — whether or not they disclosed it — you cannot use that as grounds to end the tenancy.
What This Means for London-Area Landlords
In London, St. Thomas, and Strathroy, a large share of rental applicants have pets. In London, with its mix of student rentals, young families, and long-term renters, pet ownership is common across every price range.
Relying on a no-pets clause narrows your applicant pool without providing the protection you think it does. A better approach:
- Screen applicants thoroughly before signing. Ask about prior landlord references. A prior landlord is the best source of information about how an applicant treated a property.
- Run a thorough move-in inspection. Photograph every surface. Sign the report with the tenant. Date it.
- Know the N5 process cold. If damage or noise issues arise, you need to act quickly and correctly. A poorly served N5 can be voided on procedural grounds.
- Price your rent to account for normal wear and tear. Some wear is inevitable in every tenancy, with or without pets.
If you want to understand your full rights around pet policies, the Ontario government's Residential Tenancies Act is the primary source. Section 14 is a single page. Read it directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I include a no-pets clause in my lease?
You can include it, but it has no legal effect. RTA Section 14 voids any lease provision that prohibits or restricts animals. The clause will not hold up at the LTB.
What if the tenant agreed to the no-pets clause when they signed?
Agreement does not matter. A tenant cannot sign away rights the RTA grants them. The clause is void even if the tenant initialled it. The RTA overrides any contrary agreement between the parties.
My tenant got a dog without telling me. What can I do?
Nothing, based on the pet itself. You cannot evict them for having the dog. If the dog causes damage or noise problems that meet the N5 threshold, you can act on those specific grounds — not on the fact that they have a pet.
Can I charge a "pet fee" or monthly pet rent?
No. Ontario's RTA limits deposits to first month's rent and last month's rent. A separate fee or surcharge tied to pet ownership is not permitted.
What's the difference between a no-pets clause and a condo corp's pet rules?
A no-pets clause in a standard lease agreement is void under RTA Section 14. A pet restriction in a condominium corporation's declaration or rules is a separate legal instrument and can be enforced — the condo corp's rules are not overridden by Section 14 the same way a lease clause is.
Can I refuse a rental application because someone has a pet?
Yes, during the application stage. You can choose who you rent to before a lease is signed. Once the tenancy begins, you cannot use pet ownership as a reason to evict.
How do I protect my property if I can't enforce a no-pets clause?
A thorough move-in inspection with signed photographs is your primary protection. That record is the foundation of any damage claim when the tenancy ends. Combine it with a clear understanding of when and how to serve an N5 if damage or noise problems arise during the tenancy.
Where can I find the exact law?
Section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 is available on ontario.ca. It is short, and it is worth reading directly.
Prospera Properties manages rental units across London, St. Thomas, and Strathroy, including navigating pet-related situations, N5 documentation, and tenant screening. If you want support managing these issues, reach out to our team.
Social caption: Most Ontario landlords don't know this — your no-pets lease clause is completely void under the Residential Tenancies Act (s.14). Here's exactly what you can and can't do about pets in your rental unit.