Canada Buzz is a purely informational blog. With that being said, section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act states that a landlord cannot prohibit the presence of pets within a dwelling. We also have some tips for landlords on common privacy issues in the rental housing sector. If renters resist the idea, be sure to explain that it's their belongings that are being protected! References, credit checks, employment verificationthe list goes on. If you are asked for your SIN, you can ask why the landlord needs it, how it will be used and to whom it will be given. If it is the owner showing, however unusual it may be, it's still not unheard of. The answer: It's normal for landlords to ask for your credit score, past pay stubs, or letters from your employer, says housing lawyer Caryma Sa'd. Anything that deals with your income,. Monitors and any recorded images should be secured, and only accessed for specified purposes as laid out in the policy. I wouldn't send any of this until you have seen the apartment and meet the landlord in person. After all, you may need a reference from them in the future. disclosure of tenant information to third parties. Can landlord ask for bank statements Ontario? The purpose of the landlord asking for the SIN number is to run a credit check on you. Someone can always claim to be John Jones, but unless you corroborate that with a photo id, you'd never know. Pro tip: Use a trusted rental platform like liv.rent with verified landlords and listings to protect yourself from scams. However, in Ontario, other than in condos where any strata rules banning pets are upheld, no pets clauses cant be enforced according to the Residential Tenancies Act. This law is current as of 2021. Your landlord is supposed to give you access to your personal information within 30 calendar days. As a landlord I have never been asked for an ID but I did have someone ask me to prove that I owned the property that I was renting. Electrical safety. Some of the landlords take it very seriously, however, others may look at it as a supporting document. That seems reasonable to me. Taking photographs of an individuals rental unit is a collection of personal information. SIN number (optional to provide this, it helps them to run credit checks). Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta: Commission daccs linformation du Qubec: name, date of birth, banking information and other financial records, identification numbers such as drivers licence number and Social Insurance Number, and. photographs and video recordings about an identifiable individual. What is a landlord allowed to ask for on a rental application? Can a landlord require renters insurance in Ontario? This means that, unless an organization can demonstrate that your SIN is required by law, or that no alternative identifier would suffice to complete the transaction, you cannot be denied a product or service on the grounds of your refusal to provide your SIN. Some organizations ask for the SIN for reasons unrelated to income reporting purposes. Who will be living with you and what are their names? >> Stay up-to-date on the average rent in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal: Rent Reports, Sarah Anderson is a Creative Content Writer at liv.rent who shares the latest updates and news with the safe and trusted community of landlords and tenants at liv.rent. Its reasonable to expect landlords to ask potential tenants for certain types of personal information like proof of income, references or identification. If they are going for identity theft, they can't use those pictures and if they're not and it's just them being new landlords that don't know the rules and are being aggressively documentative, then they wont care about the pictures being unusable for passports. Proof of income three to six months of payslips or two to three years of accounts / tax returns if youre self-employed. Preparing these documents before applying for a place bring you peace of mind and you are more likely to get the place. PIPEDA only allows organizations to deny access to personal information in certain circumstances, for example if information is protected by solicitor-client privilege. It's illegal to discriminate against tenants based on demographics -- for example, because of race, color, religion or nationality. Your email address will not be published. Therefore, questions about age, disability, place of origin, religion, family status, sexual orientation, gender expression and other Human Rights grounds are not allowed. In California, one of the pieces of information the landlord can ask for is your bank balance. In this article, were going to go over the most popular questions that renters (including first-time renters) have about the rental process. Most of the time you need a recent one. You may wish to provide a potential landlord with bank statements if you do not have payslips or other ways to demonstrate your financial fitness as a renter perhaps if you dont have banking history in Canada or youre a student. We may alter brand placements on our website to amplify our partners and their offers. Most of the agents and Landlords prefer the Equifaxcredit report. There are some very specific circumstances under which the organization may require an extension of up to 30 additional days. Can a landlord ask for 3 months rent in advance in Ontario? A Complete Neighbourhood Guide for Moving to Thornhill. Your email address will not be published. You will usually need at least three months worth to show consistent employment. You should never release your SIN to the landlord. PIPEDA sets out the ground rules for how businesses, including landlords, must handle personal information in the course of commercial activity. eviction, lease agreements, repairs & maintenance), subscribe to get the latest news. Furthermore, any information that is requested or given to a landlord must be safeguarded by that landlord. if you work, and where you work. To clarify, a landlord can ask for your SIN when completing an application to rent a property or negotiating a lease with a landlord, according to the Government of Canadas website. Send landlord a picture of Mister Bean's passports. They can reveal a lot about how you live your life. Recent payslips for the last three-six months; A current employment contract; A letter from your employer confirming your job title, salary and contract length; A tax return for the most recent tax year. They are not, however, allowed to deny you the unit because you have small children. Recent payslips for the last three-six months; A current employment contract; A letter from your employer confirming your job title, salary and contract length; A tax return for the most recent tax year. A rental application is something that you fill out when applying for a rental property. They need to provide individuals with access to the personal information that they hold about them and allow them to challenge its accuracy. [Tesla] This information should only be used for completing the application process to verify income or perform a credit check. Yes, landlords will call a tenants references (previous landlords) to verify rental history as part of their tenant screening process. It is imperative that a landlord take necessary steps to verify the identity of an applicant for tenancy for the safety of the landlord, neighboring tenants, and premises. They may also request your social insurance number. Your email address will not be published. Landlords and property managers have a lawful purpose to collect information about a rental property when they carry out a property inspection. can a landlord ask for in Ontario: common questions answered, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, legal rights as landlord for renters with pets, What to do when a condo you are renting out in Ontario is damaged. Also, by signing the application, you need to represents that all statements made are true and correct. The Act also states that anything in a lease that violates the Act is void. The landlord must identify the purpose prior to, or at the time of, collection, and also obtain your consent. Also, being new to the city, we would appreciate any tips for red flags we should look out for during our rental search. They must identify the reasons for collecting personal information before or at the time of collection. Experience the ease of digital applications & contracts, verified tenants & landlords, virtual tours and more all on one platform. No. My wife and I responded to a for rent ad on Kijiji. But if you're a first-time renter, then the application process, Liv Strategies Inc. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) | Vancouver, BC | Apartments for Rent. like the job letter, you most likely need to prepare it for all of the applicants. If you are applying for more than one adult, The landlord may want to see everyones job letter. A credit check will provide personal, financial, and credit history information. This is legal; however, you are not required by law to provide it. Read more about your legal rights as landlord for renters with pets. Are you looking to rent/lease a place in Toronto or a city in Ontario? However, do send them blurry pictures of the tenants also, possibly with a watermark, an irreverent gesture (like bunny ears or peace signs such that they won't fit the passport photo guidelines https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadian-passports/photos.html). However, they each represent a collection of personal information, and as such are subject to the law. Most landlords and referencing agencies require tenants to provide bank statements as proof of income and rent payments. If, for example, the landlord requests a credit score based on the tenants behalf, this information must be made available to the tenant if requested. Here we go again with stupid landlord stuff for me. a Job letter or an Employment Verification Letter is aletter that shows the employees name, job position, tenure, and income. Based on the Ontario Human Rights Commission's policies on housing, the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code, you can only ask prospective tenants about their rental history, as well as information required for credit checks and determining if they have money issues. It is an extra one that some have tried to collect in case of damage. Credit bureaus collect, use and disclose personal information through their consumer credit reports. What do landlords ask for when renting Ontario? Also a landlord cannot demand postdated cheques. This law is current as of 2021. When renting a home or property, theres a lot of information that your landlord can request but they arent allowed to ask you anything they want. Keeping a photo of a persons ID, for example, is subject to the law as it is considered collection of personal information. The landlord may ask for a copy of that. Can you clarify what you mean by the damage deposit being illegal? In other words, this information must be stored in a safe and secure location and may not be handed out to anyone else. You don't have to disclose it, but if the condo has no pets in their declaration (not just a rule) you can be kicked out for having them. Can a landlord say no pets in Ontario 2021? Why do rental applications ask for bank info? can a landlord ask for photo id in ontario. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Access to your Banking records if you have Open Banking. Any personal information that the landlord accesses must further be made available to the applicant or tenant. No, landlords cannot see how much money is in your bank account. Its equally important to know what you cant ask for on a rental application. #375 - 20 Eglinton Avenue EToronto, ONM4P 1A6. Further, if they reject your rental application based on any of the above inquiries, they may face legal trouble. This information is not needed for a credit check but may allow the landlord to obtain a more detailed report from organizations that offer credit checks, or to ensure that you are not confused with someone with a similar name and date of birth. These details coupled with name, mobile number and email ID would be too much information without seeing the unit or meeting the owner. If you believe that a landlord has requested information that is against the law, or if you believe that a landlord has discriminated against you, you can file a Human Rights Complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Canada. These documents before applying for a rental application as it is considered collection of personal information within 30 days. Property inspection only be used for completing the application, you are applying for more than one adult, landlord. The agents and landlords prefer the Equifaxcredit report the landlords take it very seriously,,! 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