Each province sets its own limits on what a landlord can collect before a tenancy starts. The table shows the maximum deposit in seven provinces, whether an applicant can be charged for applying or screening, and the statute behind each rule.
What are the rules in each province?
| Province | Maximum deposit | Fee for applying or screening | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Rent deposit only: one month or one rent period, whichever is less. A refundable key deposit up to replacement cost is exempt from the fee ban | Not named; s. 134 bars fees and like amounts from a prospective tenant unless prescribed, and no prescribed exemption covers an application | RTA ss. 105, 106, 134; O. Reg. 516/06 s. 17 |
| Quebec | None; only the first month’s rent in advance | Art. 1904 bars any sum other than rent; JuridiQC says reasonable credit check fees may be asked | Civil Code art. 1904 |
| British Columbia | Half a month’s rent, plus a pet damage deposit of up to half a month’s rent | Barred | RTA ss. 15, 19, 20 |
| Alberta | One month’s rent; the government handbook counts refundable pet or key fees toward it | Not addressed by the Act | RTA s. 43; RTA Handbook |
| Manitoba | Half the first month’s rent, plus a pet damage deposit of up to one month’s rent | Barred | RTA ss. 14, 29, 29.1 |
| Nova Scotia | Half a month’s rent; any sum beyond rent counts as a security deposit, and the province’s guide rules out an extra pet deposit | Barred | RTA ss. 6, 12; Renting Guide |
| Saskatchewan | One month’s rent, at most half of it at signing | Barred | RTA, 2006 ss. 23, 25, 26 |
What can an Ontario landlord collect?
A rent deposit and a refundable key deposit. Section 105 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 makes a rent deposit the only security deposit a landlord may collect. Under section 106, it must be required on or before entering into the tenancy agreement and cannot exceed one rent period or one month’s rent, whichever is less; it earns interest yearly at the rent increase guideline and is applied to the last rent period.
The Act does not mention application fees by name. Section 134(1)(a) bars a landlord, unless otherwise prescribed, from collecting from a prospective tenant a “fee, premium, commission, bonus, penalty, key deposit or other like amount”, refundable or not, and section 134(2) extends this to property managers and anyone acting for the landlord. The exemptions in section 17 of O. Reg. 516/06 cover extra or replacement keys, a refundable key deposit up to the expected replacement cost and NSF charges, among others; none is an application or screening fee.
The government’s guide to the standard lease says a lease term requiring a damage or pet deposit is void. A prospective tenant can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to recover money collected in breach of the Act (section 135).
What can a Quebec landlord collect?
Only the first month’s rent, in advance. Article 1904 of the Civil Code bars requiring more than the first payment period in advance (at most one month), any other amount as a deposit or otherwise, and postdated cheques. The TAL adds that this covers key deposits and that a lease clause providing for them is invalid.
In 2020 the Régie du logement, now the TAL, repeated that a landlord cannot require a security deposit. It noted that a deposit freely offered by a tenant has been upheld, but only where the waiver is clear and nothing suggests the landlord required it or the tenant feared losing the unit (Gouvernement du Québec, in French).
Credit check fees are where the texts diverge. Article 1904 does not mention credit checks and bars any sum other than rent, while JuridiQC (in French), a legal information service funded by Quebec’s Ministry of Justice, says a landlord may ask the tenant to pay reasonable fees for the check.
What can a British Columbia landlord collect?
A security deposit and a pet damage deposit of up to half a month’s rent each, and no application fee. Section 15 of the Residential Tenancy Act bars charging a person anything for accepting or processing an application, investigating the applicant’s suitability, or accepting the person as a tenant.
Section 19 sets both caps, and a tenant who overpays may deduct the excess from rent. Under section 20, a security deposit can be required only when the tenancy agreement is entered into, and only one pet damage deposit is allowed per tenancy, whatever the number of pets.
What can an Alberta landlord collect?
A security deposit of up to one month’s rent, which cannot be raised later (Residential Tenancies Act, s. 43). The Act does not mention a pet deposit. The government’s RTA Handbook (June 2025) says refundable key or pet fees become part of the security deposit, so the total cannot exceed the first month’s rent, while a non-refundable fee agreed in the tenancy agreement is considered rent.
The Act does not address application fees; its only fee ban covers a landlord’s consent to an assignment or sublease (s. 22(6)). The handbook says a landlord may want to charge an application fee, and that a person who does not want to pay it does not have to apply.
What can a Manitoba landlord collect?
A security deposit of up to half the first month’s rent and a pet damage deposit of up to one month’s rent, but no application fee. Section 14(1) of The Residential Tenancies Act bars any payment from a tenant or prospective tenant that the Act does not permit, and section 14(2) confirms this covers taking, processing or accepting an application and investigating the applicant’s suitability.
Under section 29, the security deposit cannot be required before the tenancy agreement is entered into, and the landlord must say beforehand that one is required. Section 29.1 allows one pet damage deposit per tenancy, whatever the number of pets, and none for a service animal.
What can a Nova Scotia landlord collect?
A security deposit of up to half a month’s rent, and nothing for the application. Section 6(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act bars anyone from demanding, accepting or receiving money or other value from a person who applies, or may apply, to become their tenant, in respect of the application.
Section 12(1) treats any money a landlord obtains from a tenant on top of the rent as a security deposit, and section 12(2) caps it at half the monthly rent. The Act does not mention a pet deposit, and the province’s Renting Guide (January 2023) says a landlord can’t charge an additional deposit for pets.
What can a Saskatchewan landlord collect?
A security deposit of up to one month’s rent, and no application fee. Section 23 of The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 bars charging a person for accepting or processing an application, investigating an applicant’s suitability, or accepting a person as a tenant.
Under section 26, only one security deposit is allowed per tenancy, and a landlord may require at most half of it when the tenancy agreement is entered into, with the rest due within two months after the tenant takes possession (Government of Saskatchewan). The Act does not mention a pet deposit.