The offer is accepted and everyone relaxes. There is a short list of things to do in the days between signing and moving, and two of them protect you if anything ever goes wrong.
The deposit
You will normally pay first and last month's rent by certified cheque, bank draft or e-transfer, usually within twenty-four hours of acceptance. Last month's rent is a deposit held against your final month. First month's rent is simply rent.
A landlord must provide a rent receipt on request, free of charge. Ask for one for the deposit specifically, showing the amount, the date, and what it is for. If a dispute ever arises about whether last month's rent was paid, this single piece of paper settles it.
Ontario has no damage deposits. If you are asked for one, or for a pet or cleaning deposit, that is not lawful. See The Deposit.
The Residential Tenancy Agreement
The Agreement to Lease was the offer. The Ontario Standard Lease is the tenancy agreement itself, and it is required for most private residential tenancies. Make sure you receive one, signed by both parties, with any schedules attached.
Check the schedules match what was agreed. Parking spot number, locker, included utilities, the repaint that was promised. If it is not written down it did not happen.
Check the names. Everyone who will be a tenant should be on it. Anyone not on it is an occupant with far fewer rights.
Keep the landlord's legal name and address for service. It must be in the lease, and you need it if you ever have to serve anything.
You can demand one in writing. If the landlord does not provide it within twenty-one days, you may withhold one month's rent, and there are further consequences after that. It is a rule worth knowing and worth using politely.
Utilities and insurance
Two accounts to open before your start date, not after.
- Hydro, and gas or water if they are separately billed. Set the account to begin the day your tenancy starts. Take a photograph of the meter reading on move-in day.
- Tenant insurance, effective the first day of the tenancy. Most leases require it and most buildings want proof before they release keys. It is also the cheapest genuinely useful insurance you will buy. See Renters Insurance.
Lease and schedules, deposit receipt, insurance certificate, utility confirmations, and the landlord's contact details. Keep it somewhere you will find it in two years. Almost every tenant dispute I have watched go badly went badly because nobody could produce a document.