Renting a place

Is the place real?

The RCMP's signs of a rental scam:

• Rent lower than similar places
• A deposit before any lease
• Money sent out of the country
• A link asking for your details
• Photos of the outside only
• No meeting in person
• No credit or reference check
• Landlord's name not on the papers

What the RCMP lists to do

• Go to the address
• Search the photos
• Picture ID of the person named
• Pay some other way than cash

The RCMP's own words

• “The monthly rent is lower than other similar places”
• “You're asked to leave a deposit without any formal rental agreement or lease in place”
• “You're asked to send money to someone outside the country”
• “When you ask about the property, you get an email that sends you to a website asking for personal or financial information”
• “Ads show pictures of the outside of the property only, or pictures that don't match the actual property or address”
• “The landlord does not meet you in person”
• “The landlord does not require credit or reference check”
• “The name of the landlord is not on the rental documents”
• “Go to the address to ensure that the listing is truthful and accurate.”
• “Conduct a reverse image search to see if the photos were used elsewhere.”
• “Ask the landlord to show picture identification as proof he / she is the person named in the document.”
• “Choose a currency method other than cash”

RCMP (British Columbia): Rental scams (28 August 2024). Read 6 November 2026.

Who owns it?Ontario

• Ontario's land registry holds “the official records of property ownership and other legal interests such as mortgages, transfers and leases.”
• On OnLand, a self-search is paid by the page.
• The RCMP lists a landlord whose name is not on the rental documents as a warning sign.

Ontario's land registry (OnLand): Payment and pricing · Government of Ontario: Land registry (14 April 2026) · RCMP (British Columbia): Rental scams (28 August 2024). Read 6 November 2026.

How much deposit?

The most a landlord may ask for as a deposit, as a share of a month's rent:

Landlord and Tenant Board (Ontario): Information for new tenants (May 2023) · Government of Alberta: Starting a tenancy · Government of British Columbia: Deposits and fees (4 March 2026) · Tribunal administratif du logement (Quebec): Paying the rent. Read 6 November 2026.

When does it come back?

• British Columbia 15days

  to return the deposit, after the landlord gets your forwarding address

  ×2If not, the landlord may be ordered to pay double

• Alberta 2banking days

  for the landlord to put the deposit into an interest-bearing trust account

• Ontario Lastmonth

  the deposit is used as the rent for the last month or week

  Interest is paid on it every year

• Quebec None

  no deposit to get back: only the first month's rent is paid ahead

Government of British Columbia: Deposits and fees (4 March 2026) · Government of Alberta: Starting a tenancy · Landlord and Tenant Board (Ontario): Information for new tenants (May 2023) · Tribunal administratif du logement (Quebec): Paying the rent. Read 6 November 2026.

Is it the standard lease?Ontario

1. Ask in writingNo standard lease yet: ask the landlord for one in writing.
2. 21 daysThe landlord must give it within 21 calendar days.
3. One month's rentIf they don't, you can withhold one month's rent.
4. 30 days laterStill no standard lease: you can keep the withheld rent.

You cannot withhold more than one month's rent.

Post-dated cheques

• OntarioA landlord can't insist that rent be paid by post-dated cheque or automatic debit.
• QuebecA lessor cannot require postdated cheques as a condition for signing the lease.

Government of Ontario: Renting in Ontario: your rights (18 September 2026) · Landlord and Tenant Board (Ontario): Information for new tenants (May 2023) · Tribunal administratif du logement (Quebec): Paying the rent. Read 6 November 2026.