Is A Rooming House Legal In Ontario?

by | Jun 30, 2025 | legal guidance | 0 comments

A cover graphic questioning if a rooming house is legal in Ontario.

A rooming house is a budget-friendly option for many people who cannot afford to pay rent for a complete house. However, you may wonder is a rooming house legal in Ontario.

Zoning bylaws vary in this province, allowing rooming houses in some cities but not others. To understand the legality of this accommodation option in Canada, scroll down for all the details.

What Is A Rooming House?

A rooming house is a multi-tenant home in Ontario that must meet specific laws. Under the provincial building code, such a home in Ontario is a building that:

  • Doesn’t exceed the three-storey height and area of 600 square meters
  • Offers lodging to more than four people for payment or provision of services or both
  • Doesn’t include bathrooms and kitchens for exclusive use by one occupant

This is the complete rooming house meaning under Ontario laws. The definition may slightly differ, depending on the city where the rooming house is located.

Is A Rooming House Legal In Ontario?

Rooming houses are legal in specific cities of Ontario, while banned in other parts. Every city within the province has different zoning bylaws that affect how a rooming house works there.

Some Ontario cities have consistent legal rules for rooming house establishments. In such places, one can own a multi-tenant home in any part of the city.

Listing Ontario cities where a rooming house is legal and illegal.

Meanwhile, other Ontario cities have designated zones where a rooming house can be made. If you offer rooming house services outside the zone, you’ll be violating the city’s zoning bylaws. Consulting a real estate lawyeris the best way to understand the zoning laws of Ontario.

Is A Rooming House Legal In Toronto?

A rooming house Toronto is legal in 2025 since the passing of a new zoning bylaw. The latest rule has legalized multi-tenant homes all across the city.

It also alters the Ontario Building Code’s definition of a rooming house slightly. Under the new zoning bylaw, a multi-tenant home in Torontois a building where:

  • Four or more rooms are rented to different people
  • The tenant rooms may have a kitchen or washroom for the tenant’s exclusive use, but not both
  • Tenants cannot live together as a single housekeeping unit
  • Kitchen or bathroom facilities may be shared by the tenants

A rooming house Toronto can be found in all areas that permit residential buildings and uses. The only difference between rooming houses in different areas of the city is that their number of rooms may vary.

Is A Rooming House Legal In Brampton?

The city of Brampton allows rooming houses that are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). These accommodation options are commonly called lodging houses in the city.

All rooming house operators must obtain a license under the zoning bylaws of Brampton before renting out rooms. Just like the Toronto multi-tenant homes, these houses can contain four or more bedrooms for different tenants in one building.

In Brampton, specific fire safety rules also apply to the multi-tenant home if it’s three storeys or less. You can check section 9.3, part 9 of the Ontario Fire Code, to understand these regulations.

Is A Rooming House Legal In Mississauga?

Rooming houses were illegal in Mississauga in 2022. This remains the same in 2025 as no updates have been made to the city’s bylaws. However, that doesn’t mean Mississauga residents don’t have access to shared accommodation options.

Lodging houses are legal in the city and are defined as dwelling units:

  • Containing three or four rooms intended for lodging in exchange for a payment
  • With a room with sanitary facilities, but no kitchen equipment

The lodging house must not be in a basement, and each room can only be occupied by one person at a time. This differs from a rooming house because multi-tenant homes include kitchen facilities and can contain four or more rooms.

If anyone is offering you a rooming house in Mississauga, steer clear of their unit. The home must be operating illegally and can be closed down by the authorities at any time for legal violations.

What Rights Do Rooming House Tenants Have?

Rooming houses in Ontario are governed by the RTA, allowing tenants to have various rights:

1. Privacy

You have the right to privacy when living as a tenant in a rooming house. This rule is mainly limited to your bedroom, as that is the place you’ll be occupying. The rest of the house, such as a shared kitchen, is a common area.

Under the privacy rules of the RTA, a landlord cannot enter a tenant’s room without prior notice. However, they can enter the overall multi-tenant home without any notice because you’re not renting out the entire house, but only a bedroom in it.

2. Shared Mailbox

Tenants in a rooming house don’t get individual mailboxes according to the Residential Tenancies Act. You will have to share the home mailbox with other tenants.

All mail will be delivered to the single address, so you must collect yours regularly. If you find that someone has interfered with your mail, you can report the incident to the landlord.

They may investigate whether the missing mail in question was actually delivered or not. Landlords can also offer to install a separate mailbox for a tenant as compensation, but this is not mandatory.

3. Eviction Notice And Compensation

The best thing about rooming houses being governed by the RTA is that the landlord cannot evict you on a whim. You’re entitled to receive an eviction notice 60 days before the landlord wants a purchaser to move into the house.

If the landlord is demolishing the multi-tenant home, they must give an eviction notice at least 120 days before the process starts. However, you don’t necessarily have to move after receiving a notice from your landlord.

All landlords of multi-tenant homes must file an eviction application with the Landlord and Tenant Board(LTB). If the board approves the request and sends an eviction notice against you, then you must leave the rooming house within the given period.

You don’t have to move out if the LTB doesn’t approve the eviction request. This is regardless of your landlord’s decision. If they force you to leave the room, you can file a complaint with the LTB to protect your rights.

4. Service Request

All tenants in a rooming house have the right to get issues concerning their room resolved by the landlord. You must submit a written request, detailing the issue you’re facing.

The RTA requires landlords to respond to non-urgent service requestswithin a week. Meanwhile, a 24-hour deadline is to be followed for all urgent service requests by the tenant.

Three rooming house issues that come under urgent service requests.

FAQs

Is Rooming House Illegal In Ontario?

A rooming house is illegal only in specific cities of Ontario, such as Mississauga. It is legal all across Toronto and in designated zones of Brampton.

When Did Rooming House Become Legal In Toronto?

Rooming houses became legal all across Toronto in 2024. Prior to that, some multi-tenant homes weren’t permitted in specific parts of the city, such as East York.

What Is The Difference Between A Roommate And A Tenant In Ontario?

A tenant in a rooming house is an occupant of a bedroom within a multi-tenant home building. Meanwhile, roommates are individuals living as a single housekeeping unit and are not governed by the RTA.

When Are Tenants Not Governed By The RTA In A Rooming House?

Rooming house tenants aren’t governed by the RTA when they share a kitchen or bathroom with the landlord. If such sharing occurs, the tenant is perceived as a roommate. RTA also doesn’t apply if you rent a multi-tenant home that is also a place of business.

Want To Rent A Rooming House In Ontario? Consult Barnett Law To Understand Your Rights

Renting a rooming house in Toronto has become a breeze because of the new zoning bylaws. You can develop a tenancy agreement with your landlord under the RTA when renting a room.

Consulting a real estate lawyer, such as Barnett Law, will be helpful when renting a rooming house Toronto. We can develop tenancy agreements for you, help you understand whether your multi-tenant home is legal, and more.

Connect with us todayto start your process of renting a legal rooming house in Scarborough.

Author Profile

Barnett Law
Barnett Law
Barnett Law is a trusted and knowledgeable lawyer in Scarborough. Her expertise spans real estate law, family law, adoptions and fertility law. A lawyer by profession and a humanitarian by heart, Athena Narsingh Barnett wants to help people become more familiar with the legal system and be well-informed to make important legal decisions.