Moving Out Checklist: Ending a Tenancy the Right Way in Ontario

Ending a residential tenancy properly in Ontario generally starts well before the actual move-out date, with correctly given notice. The required notice period depends on the type of tenancy: a month-to-month tenancy generally requires 60 days’ written notice, timed to end on the last day of a rental period, while a fixed-term lease generally works differently depending on whether either party wants to end things at the natural end of the term or earlier.

Notice generally needs to be in writing and generally needs to meet specific content requirements — simply mentioning plans to move out in conversation isn’t treated the same as a properly delivered written notice. Our guide to ending a lease agreement in Ontario covers the notice rules in more depth, including what happens if notice is given late or incorrectly.

Getting the notice period right matters because it generally determines the actual last day of the tenancy, which in turn affects when rent is owed through to, when the unit needs to be vacated, and when deposit and key-return obligations are triggered. Treating this as the starting point of the whole moving-out process, rather than an afterthought, tends to prevent avoidable confusion later.

It’s also worth sending notice in a way that creates a record — email, or a letter kept with a copy and proof of delivery, generally works better than a conversation alone. If a question ever comes up later about exactly when notice was given, or what it said, having a dated written copy removes the guesswork.

In the days before move-out, it’s generally worth doing a thorough walk-through of the unit on your own, well before the landlord arrives for any inspection. Check for anything that might be mistaken for tenant-caused damage, and address what reasonably falls within normal cleaning responsibilities — floors, appliances, bathrooms, and any areas that see heavy use.

This is also the point to gather any records accumulated throughout the tenancy — move-in photos, repair requests, and the landlord’s responses to them — since these can become directly relevant if a disagreement arises about whether something was already present at move-in or developed during the tenancy. Our article on repairs and maintenance in Ontario covers how responsibility for the unit’s condition is generally divided.

It’s also a sensible time to settle any practical loose ends — redirecting deliveries, cancelling or transferring utility accounts effective on the move-out date, and confirming with roommates, if any, who is responsible for returning shared items or settling a final shared bill. Tying these off before the actual move-out day tends to leave far less to sort out once the keys are already gone.

There’s no general legal requirement for a formal joint inspection in Ontario the way some other places require, but many landlords and tenants do one anyway, and it’s generally a sensible practice. Walking through the unit together, noting its condition room by room, creates a shared record that can head off a later dispute before it starts.

Whether or not a joint inspection happens, documenting the unit’s condition yourself is worth doing regardless. Dated photos or video taken on the actual move-out day, showing each room clearly, create an independent record that doesn’t depend on the landlord’s agreement or memory.

If the landlord raises a concern during the inspection, it’s worth noting it in writing on the spot — including the landlord’s own description of the issue — rather than relying on a verbal exchange to be remembered accurately later. Where there’s genuine disagreement about whether something is normal wear and tear or tenant-caused damage, a contemporaneous written note of both sides’ positions tends to be far more useful than reconstructing the conversation weeks afterward.

Returning all keys, fobs, parking passes, mailbox keys, and any other access devices is one of the clearest practical steps in ending a tenancy, and it’s worth getting some form of acknowledgment that they were actually returned — a dated email, text message, or signed note is generally enough. This matters because disputes sometimes arise about exactly when a tenant gave up possession of a unit, and a clear record of key return helps settle that question quickly.

It’s also worth confirming there’s no remaining personal property left behind, since items left in the unit after the tenancy ends can complicate the handover and, depending on the circumstances, create questions about what happens to abandoned belongings.

Where possible, handing keys back directly to the landlord or property manager, rather than leaving them with a neighbour or in a mailbox, gives both sides a clean, unambiguous moment marking the end of physical possession. If a direct handoff isn’t practical, a dated, time-stamped photo of the keys being dropped off, or a witnessed handover, serves a similar purpose.

Most residential tenancies in Ontario involve a last month’s rent deposit rather than a separate damage deposit. That deposit is generally meant to be applied directly toward the rent owed for the final rental period of the tenancy, rather than held back pending an inspection or used as a general-purpose damage fund.

Landlords are also generally required to pay interest on that deposit each year, using a rate tied to the rent increase guideline, either as an annual payment or a credit toward rent. Our article on security deposits and last month’s rent in Ontario goes into how this generally works, including how interest is calculated.

It’s worth checking that interest has actually been applied correctly before accepting a final figure, since this is a detail that’s easy for a landlord to overlook or miscalculate over a multi-year tenancy. Asking for a simple breakdown — the deposit amount, the rate used for each year, and how it was applied — is a reasonable request at the end of a tenancy.

It’s generally a good idea to give your landlord a forwarding address before you leave, even though doing so isn’t always framed as a strict requirement. A forwarding address makes it far easier for any final correspondence — including deposit interest statements or anything else tied to winding down the tenancy — to actually reach you.

Setting up mail redirection with Canada Post, and updating your address with relevant institutions ahead of the move, rounds out this step and reduces the chance of anything important going astray during the transition between addresses.

Once the keys are returned and the unit is vacated, it’s worth holding onto your records for a reasonable period afterward — move-in and move-out photos, written notices, deposit and interest records, and any communication with the landlord. These records are rarely needed once a tenancy ends smoothly, but they become valuable quickly if a disagreement surfaces later about the unit’s condition or the deposit.

How long to keep these records is a matter of judgment, but a reasonable approach is to hold onto them well beyond the move-out date itself — long enough to cover any period in which a dispute about the deposit, a reference check, or a question from a new landlord might reasonably come up. Digital copies stored somewhere accessible tend to be more durable than paper originals that can easily get lost in a move.

For a wider view of how Ontario tenancies generally end and what rights apply at that stage, see our guide to ending a lease agreement in Ontario, and visit the Leases hub for related topics.