Pet-Friendly Rentals Toronto: Meeting Tenant Demands

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Pet-friendly rentals can appeal to a significant segment of Toronto's tenant market. The Canadian Animal Health Institute's 2022 Pet Population Survey found that 60% of Canadian households reported owning at least one cat or dog, making pets an important consideration for landlords deciding how to position and maintain a rental property.

Pet-friendly housing can also influence how renters search. Zillow's rental research has found stronger engagement with listings that accommodate pets or include pet-oriented amenities. While that research is based on the U.S. rental market rather than Toronto specifically, it suggests that pet-friendliness can broaden a property's appeal.

For Toronto landlords, however, the question is not simply whether pets are desirable. Ontario's rental laws, condominium rules, property design, maintenance requirements, and the needs of other residents all need to be considered.

Why Pet-Friendly Rentals Can Appeal to More Tenants

Renters with pets have an additional requirement when searching for a home: the property needs to work for both the tenant and the animal. A unit near green space, with durable finishes or with convenient access to the outdoors may therefore stand out from an otherwise comparable rental.

Zillow's 2025 analysis of more than 11 million U.S. rental listings found that pet-friendly listings received more views, saves and shares than listings that did not allow pets. They also typically leased eight days faster.

Those results should not be interpreted as a guarantee that a Toronto landlord will achieve higher rent or eliminate vacancy simply by marketing a unit as pet-friendly. Rent, location, property condition, layout, supply and local tenant demand remain much more important to the leasing outcome.

Pet-friendliness is better viewed as one way to increase the number of households for whom a rental may be suitable.

Location Matters for Renters With Pets

A rental does not need a private backyard or dedicated pet facility to appeal to pet owners. In many Toronto neighbourhoods, the surrounding area can be just as important as the building itself.

Useful features may include proximity to:

• Parks, trails and green spaces.
• Dog-friendly outdoor areas.
• Walkable neighbourhood streets.
• Veterinary clinics.
• Pet grooming and daycare services.

These features are worth considering when marketing a rental property , particularly when the unit itself has limited private outdoor space.

How to Make a Rental Property More Pet-Friendly

For landlords concerned about wear and tear, the most effective approach is usually not designing exclusively for pets. It is choosing durable, easy-to-maintain finishes that also perform well for children, frequent move-ins, spills and everyday rental use.

Choose Durable, Easy-to-Clean Flooring

Carpet can retain pet hair, stains and odours and may require more frequent replacement in a rental property. Hard-surface flooring can simplify cleaning and make routine turnover maintenance easier.

Depending on the property, options may include:

• Luxury vinyl plank: water-resistant, relatively durable and easy to maintain.
• Porcelain or ceramic tile: highly durable and useful in entrances, mudrooms and other high-traffic areas.
• Durable laminate: available in products designed for greater scratch and moisture resistance.
• Properly finished hardwood: visually attractive, although it generally requires more care than tile or vinyl.

Flooring should be selected based on the room, expected traffic, subfloor, moisture exposure and long-term maintenance requirements rather than on pet ownership alone.

Consider a Pet-Washing Area in Larger Buildings

In larger multi-unit properties, a shared pet-washing station may be a useful amenity where there is sufficient space and tenant demand.

A dedicated area can keep muddy paws and larger pet-cleaning tasks out of individual bathrooms while providing residents with a convenient place for grooming.

It is more likely to make sense as part of a broader renovation or building-improvement project than as a standalone upgrade for a small rental property.

Create Practical Outdoor Areas Where Space Allows

Properties with usable outdoor space can also consider how landscaping and common areas will perform when used by tenants with pets.

Depending on the property, practical features can include:

• Durable and easy-to-maintain ground surfaces.
• Secure fencing where appropriate.
• Convenient waste disposal.
• Clearly defined common and landscaped areas.

The goal should be to make the space easier to maintain for everyone rather than creating an elaborate amenity that may not justify its cost.

Consider Noise Between Units

Barking can become a concern in multi-unit properties, but pet noise is only one reason to pay attention to sound transmission. Conversations, televisions, footsteps, children and mechanical systems can create the same underlying issue.

Depending on the building, improvements may include better door seals, insulation, acoustic assemblies and other property upgrades that reduce sound transmission between units.

Improving acoustics benefits the property as a whole rather than only tenants with pets.

Are No-Pet Clauses Legal in Ontario?

For most rental housing covered by Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, a clause in a tenancy agreement that prohibits animals in or around the residential complex is void.

In other words, once a tenancy governed by the RTA is in place, a landlord generally cannot rely on a standard “no pets” clause simply because the tenant has an animal.

That does not mean tenants have an unrestricted right to keep any animal under any circumstances. Problems involving a pet may still need to be addressed when the animal's behaviour causes substantial property damage, creates a genuine safety issue, or substantially interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of the landlord or other residents.

Condominium properties also require additional attention. A condominium corporation's declaration, by-laws or rules may contain restrictions relating to pets, and those requirements can affect tenants as well as owners.

What About Screening Applicants With Pets?

The RTA's rule making no-pet lease provisions void is different from the tenant-selection process before a tenancy is created. However, landlords still need to comply with Ontario's Human Rights Code when advertising and screening applicants.

This is particularly important where an animal is required because of a disability. A blanket pet policy cannot be used to deny housing to someone who requires a service animal as a disability-related accommodation.

Tenant selection should therefore focus on lawful tenant screening criteria rather than assumptions about an applicant based solely on lifestyle or household characteristics.

Can Ontario Landlords Charge a Pet Deposit?

Ontario landlords generally cannot collect an additional damage deposit simply because a tenant has a pet.

The Residential Tenancies Act limits the security deposits a landlord may collect. A landlord cannot create a separate refundable “pet deposit” intended to cover possible future damage.

That makes preventative property design, documentation, inspections and timely maintenance particularly important.

If a tenant or their pet causes undue damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, landlords have legal processes available to seek compensation. A prohibited upfront deposit should not be used as a substitute for those processes.

Pet-Friendly Does Not Have to Mean Pet-Specific

One of the most useful lessons for rental-property owners is that many of the upgrades that make a property easier for pets also make it more durable for every tenant.

Washable flooring, good sound separation, practical entrances, durable finishes, usable outdoor space and responsive maintenance are not exclusively pet amenities. They are characteristics of a rental property designed for repeated everyday use.

This is often a better investment strategy than adding expensive pet-specific features solely because they are currently popular.

Final Thoughts on Pet-Friendly Rentals in Toronto

Pet ownership represents a meaningful part of the Canadian housing market, so landlords should consider how their properties function for tenants with animals rather than treating pets as an unusual exception.

That does not mean every Toronto rental needs a dog wash, fenced run or other dedicated amenity. Location, durable materials, good maintenance and sensible building design may be enough to make a property more practical for pet-owning households.

The legal framework is equally important. Ontario's rules around no-pet clauses, deposits, tenant conduct, condominium restrictions and disability accommodation mean that landlords should understand their obligations before establishing pet-related policies.

The strongest approach is therefore not simply to market a property as “pet-friendly.” It is to operate a well-maintained rental that can accommodate a broader range of tenants while protecting the property and the reasonable enjoyment of everyone who lives there.