Managing your rental
Who has to be registered or licensed to manage rentals in Ontario: RECO, the CMRAO, the exemption for residential leases, and how to check a company.
By the Tenant.ca teamUpdated 3 min read
Two Ontario regulators cover parts of property management, and which one applies depends on what the company does and for whom. The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) registers people and companies trading in real estate. The Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) licenses those who provide management services to condominium corporations.
Ontario does not require a company to be registered with RECO to arrange leases covered by the Residential Tenancies Act: section 5 (1) (j) of the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 exempts it. A property management company may therefore be a registered brokerage or may not be, and both are legal.
When a registered brokerage or salesperson does lease your unit, that Act and its code of ethics apply to the work. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, a registered broker or salesperson can also show a rented unit to a buyer, with your written authorization and 24 hours' written notice to the tenant.
The Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 defines condominium management services as services provided to or on behalf of a condominium corporation: collecting contributions to the common expenses, and exercising the corporation's or its board's delegated powers, such as paying third parties, negotiating contracts or supervising its contractors. According to the CMRAO, anyone providing those services needs its licence.
That definition is about working for the corporation. A company that looks after your rented unit for you, the owner, is working for a unit owner. If you are unsure which side of the line a company's work falls on, ask it directly, or ask the CMRAO.
A licence alone does not tell you how a company will treat your rental. Ask these too.
RECO's public register shows a registration, its expiry and any enforcement history. The CMRAO publishes its licensing actions. Look up the exact legal name on the agreement, not only the brand on the website.
Tenant.ca names its brokerage and salesperson at the foot of every page, so you can look them up.
This page is general information, not legal advice. It reflects the Act and the province's pages as read on November 4, 2026. For advice on your own situation, speak with a lawyer or paralegal.
