If you rent out a house, a basement apartment, a garden suite or a small multiplex in Brampton, you now need a Residential Rental Licence. Since January 1, 2026, the licence is required in all 10 wards. It is free, it takes about half an hour online, and renting without one starts at a $750 fine.
This guide covers who needs the licence, who is exempt, what you need before you apply, each step of the application, what the City checks after you are licensed, and how the licence fits with registering a basement unit. There is a quick checker below to see where your property stands.
Do you need a Brampton rental licence? Check in 30 seconds
Answer four questions. The checker follows the City’s Residential Rental Licensing rules as published for 2026.
What the Brampton rental licence is
The Residential Rental Licensing program, usually shortened to RRL, is the City of Brampton’s landlord licensing system for small rental properties. It started as a pilot on January 1, 2024 in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Council voted in late 2025 to take it citywide, and from January 1, 2026 it covers Wards 2, 6, 8, 9 and 10 as well. The program now runs to December 31, 2028, with a review each year.
The licence is not a building permit and it is not a unit registration. It is a record that the owner has the right insurance, knows the City’s rules, has named someone responsible for maintenance and emergencies, and agrees to keep the property safe. In exchange, licensed properties are listed in the City’s Certified Rental Registry, and you can put your licence number on rental ads.
How the program got here
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2024 | Pilot starts in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7. The fee starts at $300. |
| 2024 | Pilot paused after landlord pushback and relaunched. The fee drops to $150, then is removed. |
| April 2025 | 3,424 licences issued in the pilot wards. |
| June 2025 | Council extends the program to the end of 2028 and approves landlord training, a Certified Rental Registry and a Rental Compliance Unit. |
| December 2025 | Council approves licensing in every ward and new escalating fines. |
| January 1, 2026 | Licensing required citywide. Education module required for new and renewing landlords. |
The City has estimated there are about 16,000 unregistered rental units in Brampton. Expanding the licence citywide is how it plans to find them.
Who needs a licence
You need one if you own a property in Brampton with one to four units and any of them is rented. The City lists these property types:
- A single house rented as one unit (detached, semi or freehold townhouse)
- A two-unit house, such as a home with a basement apartment
- A triplex or fourplex
- A garden suite or other additional residential unit
- Other low-rise properties with up to four units
Living in the house does not exempt you. This is the most common mistake. If you live upstairs and rent the basement, you still need a licence. The licence is for the property, so one licence covers every unit on it.
If you sell or buy, the licence does not move with the house. A new owner has to apply in their own name. Investors buying a tenanted property in Brampton should budget the time to get licensed before closing or right after.
Who is exempt
- Buildings with more than four units
- Hotels and motels
- Lodging houses, which have their own business licence
- Supportive housing licensed under its own by-law
- Long-term care homes, retirement and care homes
- Short-term rentals, which need a separate short-term rental licence
What you need before you apply
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Certificate of insurance | Required. Must show at least $2 million in liability coverage for the rental property. Ask your insurer for a landlord or rental dwelling policy, not a standard homeowner policy. |
| Education module | Required once. Ten questions, all must be answered correctly. Topics: yard upkeep, repairs, garbage, parking, vital services, fire prevention and occupancy. |
| Owner details | Name, address and phone for every owner. |
| Emergency contact | Someone who can respond to a problem at the property. |
| Property manager | If you use one. |
| Unit details | Type of each rental unit on the property. |
| Maintenance contact | Who is responsible for repairs and upkeep. |
| Lease | Optional upload. |
The insurance certificate is what holds most people up. Call your insurer a week before you plan to apply. If you rent the whole house and your policy is still a regular homeowner policy, that is a problem for more than the licence: many homeowner policies do not cover a property you do not live in.
How to apply, step by step
- Go to brampton.ca/RRL and start the online application.
- Eligibility check. Confirm you agree to the data collection, have your insurance certificate ready and have done the module.
- Education module. If you have not done it, complete it now. It is linked to your email, so use the same email for future renewals. The City publishes a study guide with every answer.
- Property and owner information. Address, ward, owner details, emergency contact and property manager.
- Rental unit information. Add each unit on the property.
- Maintenance management. Name who is responsible for keeping the property in compliance.
- Fire safety and insurance. Confirm fire safety and occupancy rules and upload the certificate.
- Declarations. Review and submit. If everything is complete, the licence is emailed to you.
Once you have it, post a copy in a visible place in each rental unit. That is a licence condition. If your contact details or ownership change, tell the City within 7 days.
Renewing your licence
Licences are renewed every year. For pilot-ward landlords, the 2026 renewal window opened after December 31, 2025 and closed January 31, 2026. The City emails a reminder when renewals open, so keep the email on your account current. Renewal is also free, and it keeps the property in the Certified Rental Registry.
Fines and penalties
| Violation | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Renting without a licence, first offence | $750 |
| Second offence | $1,250 |
| Third and later offences | $1,500 |
| Fire safety inspection, 1st non-compliance | $3,000 user fee |
| 2nd non-compliance | $5,000 |
| 3rd non-compliance | $10,000 |
| Illegal construction or Building Code Act violations | Up to $500,000 on conviction |
The fines for not having a licence are small next to the fire inspection fees and Building Code penalties. That is the point: the licence is cheap and quick, but an unpermitted basement unit is where landlords face real cost. During the pilot, more than 1,900 investigations led to over 400 penalty notices, and the five pilot wards brought 869 units into compliance.
What the City checks after you are licensed
Licensed properties can still be inspected. The City runs scheduled and unscheduled inspections and puts complaints and safety concerns first. These are the rules inspectors look at most:
Occupancy limits
Brampton’s Property Standards By-law sets minimum bedroom sizes for adult occupants:
- A bedroom shared by 3 people must be at least 14 m² (about 150 sq ft).
- A bedroom shared by 4 or more people needs at least 7 m² per person (about 75 sq ft each).
Fire safety
Ontario’s Fire Code requires a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside sleeping areas, and a carbon monoxide alarm near sleeping areas if the home has a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace or attached garage. In a two-unit house, both units need their own alarms. Landlords must test and maintain them, and tenants must not disable them. Licensed landlords can pick up one free smoke alarm from Brampton Fire headquarters at 425 Chrysler Drive, 8 am to 4 pm, with proof of licence.
Property standards
Yards, garbage, repairs, heat, water and other vital services, and parking that meets zoning. Parking is a common complaint in Brampton. Every car has to fit in a legal space, so a house with several tenants and several cars can draw complaints even if everything inside is fine. Our Brampton driveway widening guide shows how wide your driveway can legally be.
Rental licence vs basement unit registration
These are two separate things, and Brampton is merging the processes in 2026. Here is the difference:
| Rental licence (RRL) | Two-unit registration | |
|---|---|---|
| What it proves | The landlord is insured, trained and accountable | The unit was built to the Building Code and zoning |
| Cost | Free | City fees of about $1,386 plus construction |
| Time | About 30 minutes online | Weeks to months, with permits and inspections |
| Renewal | Yearly | One time |
| Who needs it | Anyone renting 1 to 4 units | Anyone with a second unit in the house |
If your basement apartment was built without a permit, the licence will not protect you. Our guide to registering a basement apartment in Brampton walks through the permit, all 13 inspections and the costs. If you are thinking about a backyard unit instead, see Brampton garden suite rules.
What this means for buyers and investors
Many Brampton listings advertise a “legal basement” or “two-unit dwelling”. With licensing now citywide, there are two easy checks before you make an offer on a rental property:
- Ask for the two-unit registration or the building permit for the second unit. A listing that says “separate entrance” or “in-law suite” does not mean the unit is legal.
- Ask whether the seller holds a rental licence and whether there are open by-law or fire orders on the property. Licences do not transfer, so you will apply in your own name, but open orders can follow the property.
Rental income from an unregistered unit is a real risk for a buyer. Lenders may not count it, insurers may not cover it, and the City can order the unit closed. If you are looking at Brampton income properties, our Brampton homes for sale page and our latest GTA market report are good places to start.
Common questions
How much does a Brampton rental licence cost?
Nothing. New and renewal applications are free in 2026. The fee was $300 when the pilot started in 2024, was cut to $150, and then removed. You do need a certificate of insurance with at least $2 million in liability coverage, which your insurer may charge for.
I live in the house and only rent the basement. Do I need a licence?
Yes. Owner-occupied homes with a rented unit are included. One licence covers the property.
Do I need a licence if I rent to family?
The City’s rules are written around rental units, not who the tenant is. If you charge rent, assume you need one, and confirm with rrl@brampton.ca if the arrangement is unusual.
Does the rental licence make my basement apartment legal?
No. The licence and the unit registration are separate. A licence does not replace a building permit or a two-unit registration.
Does Mississauga or Toronto have the same licence?
Not in the same form. Brampton’s program targets small rental properties of one to four units. Toronto’s RentSafeTO program applies to larger apartment buildings. Check your own city’s rules before renting.
Can I put my licence number on a rental listing?
Yes. The City allows it, and licensed properties appear in its Certified Rental Registry. It is a simple way to show tenants your unit is above board.
Who do I contact with questions?
Email rrl@brampton.ca or call 311. Disputes between landlords and tenants, such as rent or evictions, go to the Landlord and Tenant Board, not the City.
Sources
- City of Brampton, Residential Rental Licensing FAQs
- City of Brampton, RRL step-by-step application guide
- City of Brampton news release, December 12, 2025: escalating fines and citywide licensing
- City of Brampton, Let’s Connect: RRL program
- insauga, July 2025: pilot results and program changes
- Office of the Mayor, December 2025: citywide licensing approved
This guide summarizes City of Brampton rules as published in October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees can change, so confirm with the City before you rent.