Assignment and Subletting
Two ways an Ontario tenant can let someone else take over the unit: permanently by assignment, or temporarily by sublet.
Assignment and subletting are two different ways for a tenant to let someone else live in the rental unit. In Ontario, both need the landlord's consent, but they have different effects on the tenancy.
In an assignment, the tenant leaves permanently. A new person, called the assignee, takes over the existing tenancy on the same terms, including the same rent. In a sublet, the tenant leaves for a while and plans to return before the tenancy ends. The subtenant pays rent to the original tenant, who keeps paying the landlord. The original tenancy and landlord-tenant relationship stay in place.
For an assignment, a tenant can ask the landlord to consent in general, or to consent to a specific person. If the landlord refuses a general request, or does not reply within 7 days, the tenant may end the tenancy. The tenant uses Form N9, given within 30 days of the request. It must give at least 30 days' notice, or 28 days for daily or weekly tenancies. If the landlord agrees in general, they cannot arbitrarily or unreasonably refuse a specific proposed assignee.
For a sublet, the landlord also cannot unreasonably refuse consent. Unreasonably withholding consent to assign or sublet can be raised with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). A tenant can apply on Form A2, the Application about a Sublet or an Assignment. The LTB can then authorize the arrangement, end the tenancy or order a rent rebate.
A landlord may charge only reasonable out-of-pocket costs for giving consent, such as a credit check. Some tenants cannot dispute a refusal. They include tenants in subsidized, public or non-profit housing, a superintendent's unit, or housing from a school where they work or study. Other provinces have their own rules.
Sources
Last reviewed October 16, 2026.
Go deeper
Related terms in Tenancy & Leases
- Landlord and Tenant Board The Landlord and Tenant Board is the Ontario tribunal that resolves residential tenancy disputes and decides evictions.
- Last Month's Rent Deposit In Ontario, the only rent deposit a landlord may take: up to one period's rent, applied to the last rent period and earning yearly interest.
- N12 Notice Ontario's N12 ends a tenancy because the landlord, a family member, a caregiver or a buyer plans to move into the unit.
- N4 Notice Ontario's N4 is the notice a landlord gives when rent is unpaid. For notices given from September 21, 2026, it allows 7 days.
General information only, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules change and vary by province; confirm the current details with the relevant authority before you rely on them.