Can a Landlord Charge for Parking or Storage in Ontario?

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 2 November 2026 · 11 min read — Parking and locker charges count as rent in Ontario. Here is when a landlord can add, raise or remove them, and how tenants recover overcharges.

This guide is for Ontario tenants who have been asked to pay for a parking spot or storage locker, and for landlords who want to charge for one the right way. It explains when the charge is allowed, how much it can rise, what happens if the spot is taken away, and how to get money back if you were overcharged.

Can a landlord charge for parking in Ontario?

Yes, a landlord in Ontario can charge for parking, and for a storage locker, as long as the tenant agrees to it. But the charge is not a separate fee the landlord can set and change at will. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), “rent” includes money paid for any services and facilities the landlord provides with the unit, and the Act lists “parking and related facilities” and “storage facilities” by name. So a parking or locker charge from your landlord is part of your rent, even if it is billed on a separate line.

Ontario’s standard lease reflects this. Section 2 of the lease lists how many parking spaces come with the unit and where they are. Section 5 lists the base rent plus any separate charges for parking or other services, and the total of those amounts is the lawful rent. Every future rent increase is worked out from that total.

Is a parking fee part of the rent under the Residential Tenancies Act?

It is, and that one point decides almost every parking question. Because the charge counts as rent, the normal rent rules apply to it. The table below shows how each rule works for a parking spot or locker your landlord provides.

Source: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 and O. Reg. 516/06 (Ontario e-Laws, current consolidation); rent increase guideline from ontario.ca, as of November 2026.

Can a landlord add a parking or storage charge in the middle of a lease?

Only if you agree. Section 123 of the RTA lets a landlord raise the rent at any time if the landlord and tenant agree that the landlord will add a parking space, or another item on a list in the regulation. That list, in O. Reg. 516/06, includes “lockers or other storage space”, along with things like an air conditioner, extra electricity for a washer or dryer, and block heater plug-ins.

Three rules protect you here:

• It must be a real addition. The landlord is adding something you did not have before. It is not a way to start charging for a spot or locker you already use under your lease.
• The price has a ceiling. The increase can be no more than the landlord’s actual cost of providing it. If there is no cost, or the cost cannot be shown, it must be a reasonable amount based on the value of the spot or locker.
• Pressure voids the deal. Under section 124, an agreement made through coercion, or based on a false or misleading statement by the landlord, is void.

Because the Act says these agreed increases are not covered by the usual notice and 12-month rules, you can add a spot in March even if your rent went up in January. Put the agreement in writing, with the price and the spot or locker number.

Can my landlord raise the parking fee every year?

Only as part of your yearly rent increase, and only within the limits. Ontario’s rent increase guideline is 2.1% for increases taking effect in 2026 and 1.9% for 2027. The landlord must give at least 90 days’ written notice, and at least 12 months must pass between increases.

Here is a simple example. Say your lease sets base rent of $1,900 plus $100 for parking, so your lawful rent is $2,000. For an increase taking effect in 2027, the most the landlord can raise the total without Board approval is 1.9%, which is $38, for a new total of $2,038. A notice that leaves your base rent alone but raises parking from $100 to $150 is a $50 increase, which is above the guideline.

One exception matters a lot in the GTA. The guideline does not apply to units in buildings first occupied for residential purposes after 15 November 2018, so many newer condo rentals have no cap on the size of the increase. The 90-day notice and 12-month rules still apply to those units. My guide to how often a landlord can raise rent in 2027 covers the exemption in more detail.

Can a landlord take away my parking spot or storage locker?

Not on their own. Section 125 says that if the landlord and tenant agree that the landlord will stop providing a parking space or a listed service, the landlord must lower the rent. If the spot was added under an earlier agreement, the regulation sets the minimum decrease at the most recent separate charge for it, or, if there was no separate charge, the original increase adjusted for later rent increases.

If the landlord removes your spot or locker, shrinks it, or takes away access without your agreement, you can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) for a rent reduction under section 130, using Form T3. The Board can lower your rent, order a rebate of rent already paid, or order a reduction for a set period if the loss was temporary, such as garage repairs. The order runs from the day the reduction began. The LTB lists a $53 filing fee for the T3.

What if my landlord charges extra for parking that was included in my lease?

That charge is not allowed. If your lease shows parking or a locker as part of the rent, a new monthly fee for it is an increase in rent dressed up as a fee. Section 134 bans landlords from collecting fees, premiums, penalties or other amounts beyond the lawful rent, and from requiring you to pay for goods or services as a condition of keeping your tenancy.

You can apply to the LTB for the money back under section 135, using Form T1. The LTB lists the fee as $53 on paper or $48 through the Tribunals Ontario Portal. My guide to the T1 rebate application walks through the form and the evidence to bring.

The same section explains why a “key fee” for the garage fob is usually not allowed either. The regulation only permits a refundable deposit for keys, fobs or remotes that is no more than the expected cost of replacing them, and charges for extra or replacement fobs at direct cost.

Can a landlord make me rent a parking spot to get the apartment?

At the start of a new tenancy, the landlord and tenant can agree on the rent, and that rent can include a parking spot. What the Act prohibits is requiring a tenant to pay for goods or services, on top of the lawful rent, as a condition of getting or keeping the tenancy. In practice, if you do not drive, ask before you sign whether the unit can be rented without the spot, and at what price. Once you sign a lease that lists a parking charge in section 5, it is part of your lawful rent and you cannot simply stop paying it. Removing it later needs the landlord’s agreement under section 125.

Does the Act cover a parking spot rented from someone other than my landlord?

Usually not. The RTA’s definition of rent covers money paid to your landlord, or the landlord’s agent, for things the landlord provides with your unit. If you rent a spot from a neighbour, another owner in your condo building or a commercial lot, that is a separate deal between you and that person, and the rent rules above do not apply to it.

In a rented condo, your landlord is the unit owner. If the owner rents you their spot with the unit, it is part of your rent. If you rent a different spot from another owner, it is not. Condo owners renting out their own spots or lockers can read my guide to owned, exclusive-use and rented parking and lockers, which applies across Toronto condos.

How should a landlord set up parking and storage charges?

• List it on the standard lease. Show the number and location of spaces in section 2 and any separate charge in section 5, so the lawful rent is clear from day one.
• Use a written agreement for anything added later. State the spot or locker, the start date and the monthly amount, and keep the amount to your actual cost or a reasonable value.
• Raise the total rent, not the parking line. Give 90 days’ notice on the LTB’s form and keep to the guideline unless the unit is exempt.
• Do not reassign or remove a spot without a deal. Agree on the rent decrease in writing first.

What to do next

1. Find your lease and check sections 2, 5 and 6 to see whether parking or a locker is included and what it costs.
2. If your landlord wants to add, raise or remove a parking or storage charge, ask for the details in writing and compare them with the rules above.
3. If you were charged more than the lawful rent, file a T1 within one year; if a spot or locker was taken away, file a T3 within one year.
4. For utility charges, which follow similar rules, read my guide to whether a landlord can charge for utilities.
5. If a rent increase looks wrong overall, my guide to illegal rent increases in Ontario explains how to challenge it.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario e-Laws)
• O. Reg. 516/06: General (Ontario e-Laws)
• Guide to Ontario’s standard lease (Government of Ontario)
• Residential rent increases (Government of Ontario)
• Renting in Ontario: your rights (Government of Ontario)
• Forms, filing and fees (Landlord and Tenant Board, Tribunals Ontario)

Related reading

• Can My Landlord Enter Without Notice in Ontario?
• Can a Landlord Evict You Without Going to the LTB in Ontario?
• Can My Landlord Raise the Rent Every Year in Ontario? 2027 Rules
• Can a Landlord Put Security Cameras in or Outside a Rental in Ontario?