PLEA gratefully acknowledges our primary core funder the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan for their continuing and generous support of our organization.
Finding a place to live is an important part of life. There are different things you should consider when searching. It is also important to know about rules around discrimination and renting.
If you are looking for a place to live, you can find rental suggestions from:
Before you rent a place, there are some questions you should ask yourself...
Sometimes, a tenant can get information about the place they are looking at by talking to past or current tenants. The tenant may ask the landlord for names or contact information for past or current tenants.
A tenant can suggest a lower rent than what is being asked or try to negotiate other favourable conditions. The landlord can decide whether to agree to any suggested changes or refuse them.
A landlord can ask a potential tenant for character and financial references. For instance, the landlord might ask for the name of the tenant's previous landlord or the name of the tenant's employer. They may also check the tenant’s credit history with a credit reporting agency.
A landlord cannot charge a fee for:
The Government of Saskatchewan has programs to help people who cannot find an affordable place to rent. The Social Housing Program and the Affordable Housing Program both provide low income people with affordable rental housing options.
Sometimes, several people decide to rent a place together. People may want a roommate for many reasons including to help pay the rent, for company or for an added sense of security.
Landlords can have rules about how many people can stay in a place and can charge more for extra people. They can only do this if it was agreed to when the place was rented out. A landlord can end a tenancy if there are an unreasonable number of people living in the place.
Even if it is allowed by the landlord, there can be downsides to having a roommate. People with roommates have less privacy. Roommates may disagree about chores, guests and other aspects of day-to-day life. The Office of Residential Tenancies does not deal with disputes between roommates.
People who decide to share a rented place can have a written agreement outlining their rights and obligations towards each other. Some disputes may be avoided if everyone sharing the space agrees on the terms of the arrangement. If disputes still arise, roommates may have to consider taking the matter to Small Claims Court. A written agreement may help a tenant make the case that their roommate did not do what they agreed to do.
Agreements between roommates do not affect the rights of a landlord. This means that one tenant can end up on the hook for the entire rent even if they paid their share. It also means that a tenant could lose anything they paid towards the security deposit even if their roommate caused the damage. Also, if only one tenant signs the rental agreement, that tenant can do things like decide to end the tenancy without consulting with any roommates.
For more information, see our page on the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018 protects people from discrimination based on protected grounds. This includes when renting a place to live. A landlord cannot discriminate against you on the basis of things like disability, race or sexual orientation. A landlord must give equal consideration to everyone who applies.
For example, an ad cannot say things like:
Refusing to accept a guarantee from the Ministry of Social Services instead of a damage deposit is also discrimination.
A landlord can state a preference as long as that preference does not purposely exclude people on the basis of protected grounds. For example, an ad might state "students preferred" as long as people other than students must still be considered for the accommodation.
The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission handles discrimination complaints in the province. You can contact them if you feel you have been the victim of discrimination or if you just have questions.
There are some exceptions when it comes to the protected grounds in relation to housing…
Landlords can set reasonable rules regarding using and growing cannabis. Rental properties can be designated as smoke free. However, medical cannabis is often used to treat disabilities. As such, landlords may need to accommodate medical cannabis users.
Rental properties can be designated as pet free. However, even in pet-free buildings, there must be an exception for service animals. A service dog is not considered a pet. Landlords cannot refuse to rent to someone because they have a service dog. A tenant cannot be evicted from a pet-free building if they need to use a service dog.
A rental property can be restricted to people of a certain sex. For example, a landlord can advertise that their rental property is only for women. This restriction does not apply to the landlord or their family if they live at the property.
A rental property can be restricted to only allow people over the age of 55 years. Retirement homes are an example of where this can occur.
PLEA offers free online training on preventing and addressing workplace harassment.