Ontario Standard Lease 2026: What Every Landlord Must Include
If you're renting a residential unit in London, Ontario — or anywhere in the province — you are legally required to use Ontario's Standard Lease form for most new tenancies. Signed in the wrong form, or skipped altogether, this single document can give your tenant the right to withhold a month's rent or walk away from the tenancy with 60 days' notice.
The current form is Form 2229E, updated by the Ontario government and mandatory under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) for most private residential rentals. You can download it and read the official instructions from the Ontario Standard Lease guide. This guide walks through every required section, explains which optional clauses hold up, and flags the Bill 60 changes that affect how fixed-term leases now work.
Who Must Use the Ontario Standard Lease?
The Standard Lease is required for most new private residential tenancies entered into on or after April 30, 2018. That covers the vast majority of rental situations:
- Single-family homes, semis, and townhouses
- Condo units rented by individual landlords
- Secondary suites and basement apartments
- Duplexes and small multi-unit buildings
Exemptions — the Standard Lease is NOT required for:
- Social or supportive housing
- Care homes and retirement homes
- University/college dormitories
- Tenancies with a term longer than five years
- Co-operative housing units
If you're a typical small landlord in London, St. Thomas, or Strathroy, assume the Standard Lease is mandatory. When in doubt, use it anyway — there's no downside to using it for exempt properties, but the penalties for failing to use it in covered tenancies are significant.
What Happens If You Don't Provide the Standard Lease?
Under Section 12.1 of the RTA, if a tenant requests the Standard Lease and you don't provide a signed copy within 21 days, the tenant gains two powerful rights:
- Withhold one month's rent — legally, until you provide the form. Once you provide it, they must pay the withheld amount within 30 days.
- Give 60-day notice to end the tenancy — the tenant can treat the failure as grounds to leave at the end of the next rental period.
This isn't theoretical. Tenants who feel they were put on a non-standard form sometimes use this provision months into a tenancy. Protect yourself: always use Form 2229E and provide the tenant with a signed copy immediately.
You can download the current form at ontario.ca/standardlease.
The 17 Sections of Form 2229E — What Each One Covers
Section 1: Parties to the Agreement
Full legal name of the landlord (or landlord company), full name(s) of all tenants, and the rental address. All adults living in the unit should be listed as tenants — this affects who is on the hook for rent if one person leaves.
Section 2: Rental Unit
The specific address, unit number, and a description of what's included (parking space, locker, etc.). Be precise. If a parking spot is listed here, removing it later requires notice and negotiation.
Section 3: Contact Information
Landlord's phone number and email address, and the address for service of notices. Under the RTA, notices must be served at the address you provide here — keep it current.
Section 4: Term of the Tenancy
This is where you specify whether the lease is fixed-term (e.g., one year) or month-to-month.
Important Bill 60 change: Before Bill 60 (Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, November 2025), a fixed-term lease automatically converted to a month-to-month tenancy when it expired and the tenant stayed. Under the new rules, fixed-term leases no longer auto-convert. If the tenant stays past the end date without signing a renewal, the lease is treated as holding over — the tenancy continues under the same terms but the landlord now has grounds to end it at the end of the next rental period. This is a significant shift that affects your renewal strategy.
Section 5: Rent
The total monthly rent amount, the date rent is due (typically the 1st of the month), and the payment method. Only the amount listed here is the legal rent — you cannot collect more later without a proper N1 increase notice.
If utilities are included in the rent, note that here. If not, Section 7 handles that.
Section 6: Services and Utilities
Check off what's included — heat, electricity, water, parking, air conditioning, internet, laundry. Anything you don't check off here is the tenant's responsibility to arrange and pay for independently.
Locking this down clearly at the start prevents disputes that routinely end up at the LTB. See our guide to utilities in Ontario rentals for more on handling shared meters and utility responsibility.
Section 7: Rent Discounts
If you're offering a rent reduction (first month free, reduced rent for the first three months), document it here. These reductions are time-limited and the full rent listed in Section 5 is what applies after the discount period ends.
Section 8: Rent Deposit
You may collect a last month's rent deposit — up to one month's rent. This is the only deposit allowed under the RTA. No key deposits, no damage deposits, no pet damage deposits. The deposit earns interest annually at the rent increase guideline rate, and you must either apply it to the last month's rent or return it with interest.
See our full breakdown in our security deposits in Ontario guide.
Section 9: Key Deposit
Ontario does not allow key deposits in the traditional sense. This section clarifies that you can only charge a refundable amount equal to the replacement cost of the key(s) — and you must refund it in full when the keys are returned.
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Section 10: Smoking
You can prohibit smoking (including cannabis) in the unit and on the property by checking the appropriate box. This clause is enforceable under Ontario law. If you allow smoking in some areas, specify where.
Section 11: Tenant Insurance
You can require tenants to carry renter's insurance as a condition of tenancy. This is enforceable and strongly recommended — a tenant without insurance who causes a fire or flood may have no way to cover your losses not covered by your own policy.
Section 12: Changes to the Rental Unit
You can set rules here about alterations — whether tenants can paint, install shelves, or make changes to the unit. The default under the RTA is that tenants cannot make significant alterations without written consent.
Section 13: Additional Terms
This is the most misunderstood section of the Standard Lease. You can add additional terms, but only if they comply with the RTA. Clauses that attempt to override the RTA are void — even if both parties sign them.
Unenforceable clauses landlords often try to add:
- "No pets" (pets cannot be prohibited outright — only damage liability can be addressed)
- "Tenant is responsible for all repairs"
- "No guests staying more than X days" (overly restrictive guest policies)
- "Landlord can enter with 12 hours notice at any time" (entry requires proper N-form notice for non-emergency)
Enforceable additional clauses:
- Specific parking spot assignments
- Rules about where smoking is permitted on the property
- Procedures for reporting maintenance issues
- Snow removal or lawn care responsibilities (if properly structured)
- Guest parking rules
If you're unsure whether a clause will hold up, get legal advice before relying on it. A clause that's void doesn't invalidate the lease — it just gets ignored.
Sections 14–17: Signatures and Schedules
Both the landlord and all tenants must sign. Each tenant must receive a signed copy within 21 days of signing. Schedules (for additional terms or property rules) must be attached to and referenced in the main form to be part of the agreement.
Fixed-Term vs. Month-to-Month in 2026
With Bill 60's changes to fixed-term leases, it's worth pausing on the strategic choice:
Fixed-term leases give you a guaranteed tenancy for the term, but under the new rules, you need to actively manage what happens at renewal. You can issue an N1 rent increase notice (with 90 days' notice) to take effect at renewal, or negotiate a new fixed term.
Month-to-month tenancies are more flexible for both parties. The tenant can leave with 60 days' notice, and you have slightly more flexibility around rent timing.
For most landlords in London and the surrounding area, starting with a one-year fixed term and moving to month-to-month for renewals remains a solid default approach. See our first-time landlord tips for more on setting up a tenancy correctly from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to use the Standard Lease for a lease renewal?
No — the mandatory Standard Lease requirement applies to new tenancies. Renewals can be done with a simple renewal agreement or by allowing the tenancy to continue. However, using a written renewal is always better practice than a verbal one.
Can I use my own lease instead of Form 2229E?
No. For covered tenancies, the Ontario Standard Lease is mandatory. You can attach schedules with additional terms, but the base Form 2229E must be used. Using a custom lease instead of the standard form exposes you to the tenant's right to withhold rent and give 60-day notice.
What if the tenant refuses to sign the Standard Lease?
A tenant cannot be forced to sign an addendum or additional terms beyond the standard form, but they cannot simply refuse to acknowledge the lease. If they move in without signing, the tenancy is still governed by the RTA. Document everything and consult the LTB if the situation escalates.
Can I add a "no pets" clause to the Standard Lease?
Ontario's RTA (Section 14) makes "no pets" clauses void and unenforceable — even if your tenant signs agreeing to them. You cannot evict a tenant solely for having a pet. You can, however, hold tenants responsible for pet damage and issue an N5 for damage caused by the pet.
What's the difference between Form 2229E and older lease versions?
The government has updated the Standard Lease several times since 2018. The current 2226E version (updated for 2026) incorporates Bill 60 changes including the fixed-term holdover rule. Always download the current version from ontario.ca — using an outdated form is better than no form, but the most current version protects you best.
Getting the Lease Right From the Start
The Standard Lease is the foundation of your landlord-tenant relationship. A properly completed Form 2229E prevents disputes, sets clear expectations, and protects you at the LTB if things go sideways. Skipping it, rushing through it, or adding unenforceable clauses all create problems that are expensive and time-consuming to fix.
If you'd rather not manage this yourself, Prospera Properties handles lease preparation, tenant placement, and ongoing management for landlords in London, St. Thomas, Strathroy, and the surrounding area. Our leases are always current, compliant, and built to hold up.
Ready to simplify your rental? Contact us here or visit our landlord services page to learn how we manage the details so you don't have to.