Residential and commercial tenancy: Duty to accommodate

The duty to accommodate applies to tenancy situations. Accommodation means making changes to certain rules, standards, policies, and physical environments to ensure that they don't have a negative effect on a person because of the person's mental or physical disability, religion, gender or any other protected ground. Some examples of accommodations that a tenant might need are:

• transferring a family who has more children to a larger unit when one becomes available;
• installing a ramp for wheelchair access to an apartment;
• providing an indoor parking spot for caregivers of a disabled woman; or
• changing apartment rules and regulations that have a negative effect on people because of their disability, religious beliefs, family status, or any other ground protected in the area of tenancy.

For more information on how to determine if accommodation is necessary and what a landlord needs to do to accommodate a tenant, see the Commission human rights guide Duty to Accommodate, or contact the Commission.

For more information, see these pages:

What information can landlords require from tenants?
A discussion of protected grounds in the area of tenancy
Commercial tenancy
Related resources

Revised: March 9, 2010