Standard Lease

Residential Tenancy Agreement (Form 2229E)

Ontario's mandatory government lease form for most private residential tenancies signed on or after April 30, 2018.

The Standard Lease is Ontario's government-issued residential tenancy agreement. Its official title is the Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease), and the English version is known as Form 2229E. Landlords must use it for most written residential tenancy agreements signed on or after April 30, 2018. The current version is dated December 2020, and it is available in English and French from the province's Central Forms Repository.

The form lays out the basics of a tenancy in the same order every time. It names the parties and the rental unit, sets the rent and the date it is due, and lists included services and utilities. It also records any rent deposit and key deposit, and includes a plain-language summary of rights and responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006.

Landlords and tenants can add extra terms, but they cannot contract out of the Act. An extra term that tries to remove a right or responsibility under the Act is void. It cannot be enforced, even if both sides signed it. The province gives examples: a ban on pets, a ban on guests or roommates, or a damage or pet deposit. Another is a term making the tenant pay for repairs that are the landlord's job.

The landlord must give the tenant a copy of the signed lease within 21 days. If a tenant who is entitled to the Standard Lease did not get one, they can ask for it in writing. The landlord then has 21 calendar days to provide it. If it is still not provided, the tenant may withhold one month's rent. The tenant may keep that money if the lease has not arrived 30 calendar days later. Special rules may also allow a tenant to end a fixed-term lease early.

The Standard Lease does not apply to every tenancy. Exceptions include care homes, mobile home park and land lease sites, and most social and supportive housing. Co-operative housing and certain other special tenancies are also excluded.

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.