Last Updated: August 22 2026
In Ontario, can my landlord stop me from installing seasonal holiday decorations if they might cause damage or safety concerns?
Freed Legal Services can help you understand when a landlord can limit or require changes to holiday decorations in an Ontario rental because the tenant must avoid undue damage and safety hazards under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, including Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, s. 34, Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, s. 62(1), and Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, s. 64(1), while the landlord must not unreasonably interfere with your reasonable enjoyment under Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 17, s. 22. If you want to keep your decorations while addressing legitimate risks, call (800) 716-1897 for practical next steps and help enforcing your rights as a tenant across Ontario.
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Understanding the Limited Reasons to Restrict Installation of Seasonal Decorations Including Safety or Damage Concerns
In Ontario, landlords are generally required to permit installation of religious decorations and holiday displays by a tenant; however, if the decorations or displays create safety hazards with liability risks or cause damage to the rental premises, then the landlord may forbid the decorations or displays or may impose reasonable measures that eliminate the safety hazards and prevent the damage.
Note: Please contact Freed Legal Services by phone at: (800) 716-1897 to discuss any specific questions that you may have.
The Law
The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, Chapter 17, is without explicit directives regarding seasonal holiday decorations such as Christmas lights, among other things; however, the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, contains various sections that are relevant to the safety concerns and the damage concerns of a landlord while also containing sections relevant to the rights of a tenant to enjoy the rental premises without unreasonable interference by the landlord.
The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, at section 34, states that tenants may be liable for undue damage that is caused to the rental premise. Furthermore, section 62 states that tenants may be evicted for willfully or negligently damaging the rented premises. Additionally, section 64 states that a tenant may be evicted for substantially interfering with a right, a privilege, or an interest, of the landlord, including conduct that creates safety hazards that pose significant liability risk to the landlord. These sections explicitly state:
Tenant’s responsibility for repair of damage
34 The tenant is responsible for the repair of undue damage to the rental unit or residential complex caused by the wilful or negligent conduct of the tenant, another occupant of the rental unit or a person permitted in the residential complex by the tenant.
Termination for cause, damage
62 (1) A landlord may give a tenant notice of termination of the tenancy if the tenant, another occupant of the rental unit or a person whom the tenant permits in the residential complex wilfully or negligently causes undue damage to the rental unit or the residential complex.
Termination for cause, reasonable enjoyment
64 (1) A landlord may give a tenant notice of termination of the tenancy if the conduct of the tenant, another occupant of the rental unit or a person permitted in the residential complex by the tenant is such that it substantially interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of the residential complex for all usual purposes by the landlord or another tenant or substantially interferes with another lawful right, privilege or interest of the landlord or another tenant.
Despite the above concerns regarding decorations installed by a tenant, it is also important to bear in mind that section 22 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 forbids a landlord from unreasonably interfering with the reasonable enjoyment of the rental unit by the tenant. In this respect, section 22 specifically states:
Landlord not to interfere with reasonable enjoyment
22 A landlord shall not at any time during a tenant’s occupancy of a rental unit and before the day on which an order evicting the tenant is executed substantially interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of the rental unit or the residential complex in which it is located for all usual purposes by a tenant or members of his or her household.
As detailed per the law shown above, although tenants may be forbidden from creating safety hazards that may cause injuries and correspondingly impose liability risk upon a landlord as well as forbidden from causing undue damage to the rental premises as property of the landlord, the landlord is also forbidden from interfering in the reasonable enjoyment rights of tenants. As such, the law requires that the rights that protect the landlord from unreasonable risks must be balanced with the rights that reasonably permit tenants to install decorations.
Summary Comment
A landlord must permit a tenant to enjoy the rental unit, including allowing installation of holiday decorations such as lighting displays, among other things, so long as the tenant avoids creating safety hazards and refrains from damaging the rental premises.
NOTE: A significant quantity of inquiries related to “lawyers nearby” or “top lawyer in” frequently indicates an urgent necessity for proficient legal representation instead of a particular professional designation. In Ontario, licensed paralegals are governed by the same Law Society that oversees lawyers and are empowered to act on behalf of clients in specified litigation matters. Skills in advocacy, legal analysis, and procedural know-how are fundamental to that position. Freed Legal Services provides legal representation within its licensed parameters, focusing on strategic positioning, evidentiary preparation, and persuasive advocacy aimed at securing effective and advantageous resolutions for clients.
