List Your Rental Property on MLS® and Realtor.ca

What's included

• Your rental on the MLS® System through PropTx, which feeds 14 Ontario boards, including Toronto (TRREB), Ottawa, London, Niagara and Oakville-Milton
• Your rental on realtor.ca, in its rentals search, sent there from the MLS® System
• Typically picked up by MLS®-fed sites that show leases, such as HouseSigma, Zolo, Condos.ca and Property.ca
• Up to 40 photos, your description, the monthly rent and the full property details
• Showing requests from tenants' agents sent straight to you to confirm, and realtor.ca inquiries forwarded to you
• Rent, photo and detail changes while you're listed, plus the leased update when you've found your tenant

For lease right now, listed by landlords like you

18 Cromarty Avenue, HaldimandMLS® #X13850856

C-12 Southwell Drive, TorontoMLS® #C13849080

$3,100/mo1-5 Cottonwood Ct, MarkhamMLS® #N13817156

$2,980/mo3-24 Callender St, TorontoMLS® #X13610460

$2,199/mo302-60 Donald St, BarrieMLS® #S13134068

$5,500/moMain House-178 Bellefair Ave, TorontoMLS® #X13679758

$2,099/mo2-553 Hughson St. N, HamiltonMLS® #X13102212

$3,000/mo135 Colborne Street East, OrilliaMLS® #X13678648

What sellers say

Flat fee MLS® prices

Plus 13% HST on Ontario listings; no tax on Alberta listings. The monthly plan can be cancelled any time.

Can I list my own rental property on MLS®?

Not by yourself. The MLS® System belongs to the real estate boards, and only a registered brokerage or a REALTOR® member can enter a listing on it. That goes for rentals as much as for homes for sale.

What landlords use instead is a flat fee listing, also called a mere posting. A brokerage enters your rental on the MLS® System for a set fee, the listing is sent on to realtor.ca, and you handle the rest yourself: inquiries, showings, choosing a tenant and signing the lease.

How to list a rental property on MLS® in 4 steps

1. Choose a plan and pay. It takes a few minutes, and your account is created for you.
2. Add the rental details, photos and your ID, then sign. A guided form asks what the MLS® System needs for a lease: the rent, what's included (utilities, parking, laundry), when it's available and which part of the property you're renting.
3. We enter your rental on the MLS® System. It's sent on to realtor.ca, and we email you your MLS® number when it's live.
4. Tenants and their agents contact you. You book showings, review applications and choose your tenant.

Why landlords list rentals on the MLS®

Many tenants in Ontario rent through an agent, especially for condos and houses, and those agents search the MLS® System first. A free ad on Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace doesn't reach them; an MLS® listing does.

Your rental also shows in realtor.ca's rentals search, and it's typically picked up by MLS®-fed sites that show leases, such as HouseSigma, Zolo, Condos.ca and Property.ca. Each site decides whether and when to show a listing, and strong photos and a full description help.

The other difference is paperwork. A tenant's agent usually sends an offer to lease with a rental application, a credit report, an employment letter and references, so you get the facts you need to decide in one package.

What it costs to list a rental on MLS®

A full-service leasing agent is commonly paid one month's rent plus HST, and shares part of it with the tenant's agent. A flat fee listing costs the same whatever the rent: $69.99 a month, or $99.99 for 2 months, plus HST on Ontario listings.

You also choose what to offer a tenant's agent: a share of one month's rent (half a month's rent is a common choice) or a flat amount. It's only paid if a tenant's agent brings the tenant who signs.

Showings, applications and choosing a tenant

Tenants' agents request showings through the showing system, and each request comes to you to confirm or move. Tenants who use the contact form on realtor.ca reach us, and we forward the message to you.

Offers to lease are made out to you and come to you directly. You compare the applications, check references and decide; we don't screen tenants or negotiate for you. Once you've found your tenant, tell us it's leased from your account and we update the listing.

Rules to know before you sign a lease

• Ontario: most residential tenancies must use the province's standard form of lease.
• Ontario deposits: a landlord can ask for a rent deposit of up to one month's rent, but not a damage deposit. See renting in Ontario: your rights.
• Alberta: a security deposit can't be more than one month's rent and must be held in trust. See Alberta's rules on security deposits.
• If a lease or an application raises a question, a real estate lawyer or a licensed paralegal can review it before you sign.

Is listing your rental on MLS® yourself right for you?

It suits landlords who can answer messages quickly, be there (or send someone) for showings, and judge an application calmly. Check what similar units nearby are renting for on realtor.ca or HouseSigma before you set the rent.

It's a harder fit if you can't be reached during the day, you'd rather someone else screened every tenant, or you want a property manager to look after the unit once it's rented.

Questions