The one-year lease is almost up, and the landlord has announced they will not be renewing it. For many tenants, that sentence sounds like a moving deadline. Here is what Ontario law actually says: there is no such thing as a landlord refusing to renew a lease, because there is nothing to refuse. When a fixed-term lease ends, the tenancy does not end with it. It continues automatically, and the tenant has every right to stay.

MTS Paralegal Services P.C. represents tenants and landlords before the Landlord and Tenant Board across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Hamilton, and Southwestern Ontario, and this misunderstanding creates unnecessary panic for tenants and costly missteps for landlords every single year.

The Automatic Conversion Most Renters Never Learn About

Under section 38 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, when a fixed-term tenancy ends and has not been renewed or terminated, the landlord and tenant are deemed to have renewed it as a monthly tenancy on the same terms and conditions as the expired agreement. The rent, the rules, and the responsibilities all carry forward. Nothing needs to be signed, no new lease is required, and the tenant does not need the landlord’s permission to stay.

This is Ontario’s security of tenure principle at work. A tenancy in this province does not expire on a calendar date. It continues until it is ended lawfully, either by the tenant giving proper notice or by the landlord obtaining termination through the legal grounds the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 actually recognizes. A landlord’s preference for a new tenant, a desire to re-list at a higher rent, or simple frustration with the current occupant are not among those grounds.

What a Landlord Genuinely Cannot Do

A landlord cannot end a tenancy because the lease term is over. A landlord cannot demand the tenant sign a new fixed-term lease as a condition of staying, and a tenant who declines to sign one simply continues month to month under the existing terms. A landlord cannot change the locks, remove belongings, or pressure a tenant out with threats of non-renewal, and any eviction requires an order from the Landlord and Tenant Board enforced only by the Court Enforcement Office.

Rent also remains regulated through the transition. For units covered by the guideline, increases still require proper written notice on the correct form with at least 90 days notice, and no more than one increase every 12 months. The end of the fixed term does not open a door to unlimited rent demands, and a tenant facing an improper increase or pressure tactics should get experienced advice before agreeing to anything.

The Lawful Ways a Tenancy Can Actually End

None of this means a tenancy can never end. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 sets out the legitimate grounds, and each comes with its own notice form, notice period, and requirements. A landlord who genuinely requires the unit for themselves or a qualifying family member may proceed by way of an N12 notice with its compensation obligations. Major renovation, demolition, or conversion grounds proceed under an N13. Fault-based grounds such as persistent late payment, damage, or interference with others proceed under their own notices with their own rules.

Every one of those paths runs through the Landlord and Tenant Board, where the tenant has the right to a hearing, the right to challenge the landlord’s good faith, and the right to raise any defects in the notice. A tenant who receives any termination notice at the end of a lease should treat it as the beginning of a legal process with rights on both sides, not as a command to start packing.

For Landlords: Plan with the Law, Not Against It

Landlords are not without options, but the options only work when they are exercised correctly. A landlord who genuinely needs the unit back must use the proper notice, meet the compensation requirements where they apply, and be prepared to demonstrate good faith at a hearing. A landlord who tries to shortcut the process with an informal non-renewal letter accomplishes nothing legally and often damages their position at any future LTB proceeding.

The smarter path is preparation. Understanding which ground actually fits the situation, serving the correct notice with accurate dates, and documenting everything from day one is how a lawful termination succeeds. MTS Paralegal Services P.C. guides landlords through exactly this process, and steers them away from the errors that force applications back to the starting line.

Know Where You Stand Before the Term Ends

Whether you are a tenant staring at a non-renewal message or a landlord planning for a unit you legitimately need, the weeks around a lease end date are exactly when good advice matters most. Timothy Ellis of MTS Paralegal Services P.C. has spent over 20 years representing both sides of tenancy disputes, which means the firm sees every angle of these situations before they unfold.

Reach out through the contact page or call (226) 444-4882 before making any decisions based on a lease end date.

The lease may expire. Your rights do not.

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