As platforms such as Airbnb become ever more popular, tenants
will increasingly seek to sublet their units on a frequent,
short-term basis – potentially to even turn a profit.
Although in principle sublets benefit both landlords and tenants,
the unfortunate reality is that if used improperly they can create
a major problem for landlords. For example, if tenants seek to
repeatedly sublet their unit to various individuals, it can result
in:
- security concerns;
- health risks, such as leading to the spread of COVID-19;
- additional wear and tear on the unit and building; and
- excessive administrative work.
The difficulty is that tenants have an automatic right to sublet
their unit pursuant to the Residential Tenancies Act.
A landlord may only deny a tenant's request to sublet a unit
if the denial is reasonable and not arbitrary in the circumstances.
More specifically, s. 9B of the Act states:
