An Ontario rental application form helps landlords collect the information they need from prospective tenants. It typically covers contact details, rental history, employment and income, references, and written consent for tenant screening — giving you a clear picture of an applicant before you decide whether to move forward.

No. There’s no legal requirement to use one, but most Ontario landlords do. It’s a practical first step that lets you gather the information you need before deciding whether to move ahead with screening and approval.

A good application collects everything you need to review a prospective tenant: contact details, current and past rental history, employment and income information, references, who will be living in the unit and written consent for screening or credit checks.

Once an applicant is approved, landlords can create and sign the lease online with eLease where available. Learn more about the difference between prescreening and rental applications.

Ontario’s Human Rights Code prevents landlords from asking about things like ethnicity, religion, citizenship status, marital status, whether an applicant has children, or whether they receive social assistance. Stick to questions tied directly to the tenancy — income, rental history, and references.

Yes, as long as the applicant has given consent. Many landlords use the application to collect the essentials first, then run a tenant screening report to verify credit, income, identity and background before making a decision.

With SingleKey’s Tenant Report, landlords can choose an Equifax, TransUnion or Dual Credit Report and review credit information alongside income and employment details, references, public records, document checks and ID verification. This gives landlords a fuller view of the applicant before making a rental decision.

Yes. Just keep in mind that income works best as one factor among several, reviewed alongside rental history, references and credit. SingleKey’s Tenant Report includes income and employment verification as part of a full tenant screening.

Ontario applicants aren’t required to provide their Social Insurance Number, and landlords shouldn’t make it a condition of applying. Credit checks can be run without a SIN using the applicant’s name, date of birth, and address history.

Every adult who will sign the lease should complete an application, since each one may be screened individually. Occupants who won’t be on the lease, such as minor children, only need to be listed in the occupant section.