What can a landlord ask a tenant prior to rental?
Prospective tenants will usually be asked to fill out a rental application or give some information to the landlord before they can rent a new place.
Things a landlord CAN ask about:
- Income
- Place of work, if any
- Number of tenants
- Names of tenants
- Credit check
- References from past landlords
- If they smoke
- If they have pets
Things a landlord CANNOT ask about:
- If they are receiving income support (e.g., Ontario Works, ODSP, etc.)
- Marital status
- Religious, racial or ethnic background
- Sexual orientation
- Age
- If they have a disability
- If they are pregnant or have children
- If they plan to have children
- If they are a Canadian citizen
How You Can Help:
- If your client is concerned about information their landlord is requesting from them, point them to additional resources about what their landlord can ask them about.
- If your client is concerned about how much their landlord wants to charge them in rent or about any rental deposits, refer them to additional resources.
If your client is concerned about a landlord discriminating against them, refer them to a legal clinic or a specialty legal clinic that deals with discrimination matters (e.g., Black Legal Action Centre, Aboriginal Legal Services, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, etc.).
