Can Your Landlord Say "No Pets" in Ontario? What the Law Actually Says
It surprises most renters: in Ontario, a "no pets" clause in your lease is void — legally meaningless — even if you signed it. But that isn't a blank cheque to keep any animal in any situation. Here is exactly where the line sits.
The Core Rule: No-Pet Clauses Are Void
Section 14 of Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act states that a provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals is void. "Void" is stronger than "unenforceable" — it means the clause never had any legal effect at all. Your landlord can print "absolutely no pets" in bold on page one, you can initial it, and it still binds no one.
This is one of the clearest examples of a lease term that looks official but is legally empty. If you want to know what other clauses fall into that category, our guide to lease red flags every renter should know walks through several.
The Catch: Refusal Before You Sign Is Legal
The void rule protects existing tenants. It does notforce a landlord to rent to you in the first place. During the application stage, a landlord can decline a pet owner — that is a lawful screening decision (provided it isn't a pretext for illegal discrimination on a protected ground like disability, which covers service and support animals).
So the practical reality is: a landlord can try to avoid pet owners at the door, but once you are a tenant, they cannot use the lease to force you or your pet out.
When a Landlord Can Actually Act on a Pet
Being unable to enforce a no-pet clause is not the same as pets being consequence-free. A landlord can pursue eviction — with proper notice and an LTB order — where the animal causes a genuine problem:
- Substantial interference: persistent excessive noise, aggression, or fouling common areas that seriously disrupts other tenants or the landlord.
- Damage: harm to the unit beyond normal wear and tear.
- Serious allergic reaction: where the landlord or another tenant has a severe allergy and the building is small enough that avoidance isn't realistic.
- Inherently dangerous animals: species that are dangerous by nature, or an animal prohibited by law.
In each case, the landlordcarries the burden of proving the problem at the Landlord and Tenant Board. "You have a dog and the lease said no dogs" is not, on its own, a valid ground.
The Condominium Exception
There is one meaningful exception. If you rent a unit in a condominium and the condo corporation's own declaration bans a type of animal, that restriction can apply to you — because it flows from the condo rules, not the landlord's lease. If you are renting a condo, ask to see the declaration and rules before you move a pet in.
No Pet Deposits or "Pet Rent" Either
Because Ontario only allows a last month's rent deposit, a landlord cannot charge a pet deposit, a non-refundable pet fee, or extra monthly "pet rent." If your lease tacks on any of these, they are not enforceable — see our guide to the last month's rent deposit rules for the full picture on what a landlord may collect.