No. A landlord in Ontario cannot enforce a no-pets rule against a tenant, because section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) makes any provision in a tenancy agreement that prohibits animals void. It stays unenforceable even when the tenant read and signed it.
The lease is only one of four places where pets get decided: the application, the condominium’s documents, the animal’s behaviour during the tenancy, and Ottawa’s animal by-law. RentSetGo Property Management works through all four.
What does section 14 of the RTA actually void?
Section 14 is one sentence: “A provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals in or about the residential complex is void.” Ontario’s Guide to the Standard Form of Lease lists additional terms that “do not allow pets” as void and unenforceable.
Three consequences follow. First, a tenant who keeps a pet despite a no-pets clause is not in breach, and the clause alone can never ground a notice or an eviction application. Second, consent does not revive the clause: a signed promise to keep the unit pet-free has no more force than the clause itself. Third, section 14 voids the prohibition, not the tenant’s other duties: undue damage and substantial interference still count. Those duties, enforced through the Landlord and Tenant Board, are where a landlord’s real control sits.
Can you ask about pets when screening an applicant?
Yes. You can ask whether an applicant keeps a pet, what kind it is, and how it will be cared for. Section 14 governs tenancy agreements; it bites when the agreement does. Pet ownership is not a protected ground under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, so questions about animals are not the questions the Code restricts (disability, family status, receipt of public assistance).
From signing onward, you cannot enforce a no-pets term, charge for the animal, or treat its presence as a breach. Two cautions keep screening lawful. Never fold a disability-related animal into a general pet decision: service and support animals carry Human Rights Code protection, covered in their own section below. Our guide to how to screen tenants in Ottawa sets out the rest: what may be asked, what needs consent, and what stays off the application.
The condo exception: when the building can say no
A rented condominium unit is the one common case where the answer changes: the tenant’s duty runs to the corporation’s governing documents as well as to the lease. Ontario’s standard lease guide states it directly: a landlord can require a tenant to comply with condominium rules, which may prohibit certain pets.
The documents sit in layers. A pet prohibition written into the corporation’s declaration is valid and enforceable against everyone in the building, and section 14 does not undo it: the declaration is not a term of your tenancy agreement. Rules passed under the Condominium Act, 1998 can also restrict pets, by number or size or by leashing on common elements, where it serves the safety, security and welfare of the owners and the property. A landlord cannot use a lease clause to add a ban of their own on top of the corporation’s documents.
Read the declaration and rules before the unit is marketed, not after a tenant with a dog has signed, and give the tenant the documents at signing. Our condo property management in Ottawa article covers the documents to have in hand before leasing.
Service and support animals are not pets
An animal a person needs for reasons relating to a disability is not a pet in law. Ontario’s Human Rights Code requires housing providers to accommodate disability-related needs to the point of undue hardship, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s rental housing policy gives the example plainly: accommodation can mean allowing a guide dog in a building with a no-pets policy. That duty can override a building rule or a condo restriction for the person who needs the animal.
The documentation line is narrow. Where the need is not obvious, you may ask a regulated health professional to confirm the person has a disability and requires the animal for reasons relating to it. You are not entitled to the diagnosis or the person’s medical history, and Ontario housing has no official certification or registry for service animals to demand. You cannot charge a deposit, a fee or a higher rent because of a disability-related animal. The tenant remains responsible for the animal’s behaviour and any undue damage it causes, on the same terms as any other tenant.
Can you charge a pet deposit or a monthly pet fee?
No. Ontario permits exactly two deposits, and neither one can be pointed at a pet.
| Charge | Lawful? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Rent deposit | Yes | Collected at or before the tenancy starts, capped at one month’s rent or one rental period, whichever is less (RTA s. 106), and applicable only to the last rental period’s rent, never to damage. |
| Key deposit | Yes | Refundable, capped at the expected cost of replacing keys or access devices not returned. |
| Pet deposit or pet damage deposit | No | The standard lease guide names damage and pet deposits as not permitted under the Act. |
| Monthly pet rent or pet fee | No | Section 134 of the RTA prohibits charges on top of lawful rent that the Act does not allow, and a premium charged because a tenant keeps an animal is one of them. A tenant can apply to the Board for a rebate. |
The wider set sits in our guide to Ontario landlord rights and responsibilities.
When can a pet actually lead to termination?
A tenancy is put at risk by what an animal does, never by the fact that it exists. The usual first step is a Form N5, the notice for interfering with others, damage or overcrowding. A first N5 gives the tenant seven days to correct the problem: stop the behaviour, repair the damage, or remove the source of it. Corrected in time, the notice is void; if not, the landlord files a Form L2 application to the Board. A second N5 for the same kind of conduct within six months carries no correction window.
Section 76 sets the test for an application grounded on an animal, and the Board cannot order termination unless it is satisfied the tenant is keeping an animal and one of three things is true:
| Ground under s. 76 | What the landlord must show |
|---|---|
| Substantial interference | Past behaviour of an animal of that species substantially interfered with reasonable enjoyment, and this tenant’s animal caused or contributed to it. |
| Serious allergic reaction | An animal of that species caused the landlord or another tenant a serious allergic reaction, and this tenant’s animal caused or contributed to it. |
| Inherently dangerous | An animal of that species or breed is inherently dangerous to the safety of the landlord or other tenants. |
The Board weighs evidence about an animal and its history: dates, complaints, records. A landlord who cannot show one of the three has no pet ground at all, however the lease was worded. Where an animal seriously impairs someone’s safety, the notice is the Form N7 under the safety ground in section 66, and the same section 76 test applies.
Who pays when a pet damages the unit?
The tenant does, for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. Section 34 makes the tenant responsible for undue damage caused wilfully or negligently by the tenant, an occupant, or a guest, and pet damage is claimed on that footing. A carpet that thins over years of normal use is the landlord’s cost.
With no pet deposit to draw on, the claim runs on documentation. Photograph the unit at move-in and at inspections, keep repair invoices, and raise concerns in writing while a fix is still cheap. During the tenancy, unrepaired damage is a Form N5 ground, then a Form L2 application if it goes uncorrected. After move-out, a landlord can apply to the Board for compensation. The rent deposit is never a damage fund. Our guide to commonly damaged items in Ottawa rentals draws the wear-and-tear line item by item.
Ottawa has its own animal rules on top of the RTA
The RTA is not the only rulebook. Ottawa’s Animal Care and Control By-law (No. 2003-77) requires dogs and cats to be registered with the City, and caps the animals in one residence at three dogs, five cats in areas not zoned agricultural, and five dogs and cats combined where both are kept. Its Schedule B lists prohibited animals, which no lease can override. A tenant far over the limits, or keeping a prohibited animal, creates a by-law problem that can become a tenancy problem, so raise the limits at move-in.
A lawful playbook for landlords who would rather not have pets
You cannot ban the animal. You can still run a careful tenancy.
- Ask at the application stage. Ask whether the applicant keeps an animal and how it will be cared for. Never apply a pet question to a disability-related animal.
- Check the condo documents before you list. For a condo unit, what can be promised is decided by the declaration and rules, so market on what they actually say.
- Talk about care, not prohibition, at signing. You cannot add an enforceable no-pets term, but you can set out the duties that already bind the tenant: no undue damage, no substantial interference, compliance with condo rules and City by-laws.
- Document the unit’s condition at move-in. Dated photos of floors, doors and trim make a damage claim provable later.
- Act on problems early and in writing. A dated, specific letter often ends a barking complaint. If it does not, the letter is exhibit one behind a Form N5.
A first-time landlord with one quiet tenant and a healthy animal can handle all of this alone. The work gets heavier when a condo corporation, a damage claim and a Board filing land in the same month. Our full-service property management in Ottawa covers screening, inspections and Board filings as one process.
What this guide can’t tell you
Condominium documents differ building by building; only your unit’s documents settle what applies there. Board outcomes turn on the evidence in the individual case, allergy cases on medical evidence, and the Board can refuse or delay an eviction even where a ground is proven. For a live dispute, a licensed paralegal is the right spend; this guide is the map, not the hearing.
The Bottom Line
“No pets” is a sentence no landlord can enforce: section 14 voids it. The decisions that protect a rental are made earlier and later than the lease: earlier, at screening and, for condos, in the corporation’s documents; later, in how an animal behaves and whether the landlord documented it.
Frequently Asked Questions
My lease says no pets and my tenant signed it. Can I enforce it?
No. Section 14 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 makes a provision that prohibits animals void, and signing it does not revive it. The clause cannot support a notice or an eviction application. What you can enforce are the tenant’s ordinary duties around damage and interference.
Can I refuse an applicant because they have a pet?
The pet decision sits at the application stage. Pet ownership is not a protected ground under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, and section 14 governs tenancy agreements. The exception is a disability-related service or support animal; refusing an applicant over that animal is disability discrimination.
Can I charge a pet deposit or extra monthly pet rent?
No. Ontario allows a rent deposit capped at one rental period and a refundable key deposit at replacement cost. A pet deposit, pet fee or monthly pet premium is not permitted, and money collected that way can be ordered repaid through the Board.
My rental is a condo and the declaration bans pets. Which rule wins?
The declaration binds the unit. A pet prohibition in it is valid and enforceable against tenants, because the declaration is a governing document of the corporation, not a term of your lease. Read the declaration and rules before marketing the unit, and give them to the tenant at signing.
When can a landlord actually end a tenancy over a pet?
Only when the animal’s behaviour meets the test in section 76 of the RTA: substantial interference with reasonable enjoyment, a serious allergic reaction, or an animal that is inherently dangerous. The route is a Form N5, seven days to correct, then a Form L2 application, and the Board decides on the evidence.
Is a service animal treated as a pet under these rules?
No. An animal a person needs for reasons relating to a disability is protected by Ontario’s Human Rights Code, and a landlord must accommodate it to the point of undue hardship. You may ask for confirmation from a regulated health professional that the animal meets a disability-related need. You cannot demand the diagnosis, a certification, or a deposit for the animal.
Renting Out an Ottawa Home and Worried About Pet Damage?
RentSetGo Property Management screens tenants within what Ontario law allows, checks condominium documents before a unit is marketed, documents condition at move-in, and handles damage claims and Board filings for Ottawa landlords. The pet question is settled by statute; the damage side is settled by process, and that process is the part we run.
Request a free management quote for your property. You get the fee for your plan in writing, plus a move-in condition checklist you can use on your next tenancy either way.
613-800-2523 · info@rentsetgo.ca
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Managing rentals for local, out-of-province and non-resident owners across Ottawa, from single-family homes to condominium units.
Related Reading
- How to Screen Tenants in Ottawa
- Ontario Landlord Rights and Responsibilities
- Commonly Damaged Items in Rental Properties
- Condo Property Management in Ottawa
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (official source)
- Guide to Ontario’s Standard Form of Lease (official source)
This article is general information about pets in Ontario rental housing, drawn from the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, Ontario’s standard lease guide, the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s rental housing policy, and Ottawa’s Animal Care and Control By-law (No. 2003-77), checked in October 2026. It is not legal advice. Condominium documents vary by building, Board decisions turn on the evidence in each case, and rules change. Confirm the position with a paralegal or lawyer before acting on a live dispute.