What information can a landlord ask me for when I apply for a place?

When you want to rent an apartment or house, you usually need to fill out an application or give some information to the landlord. Before they decide whether or not to rent to you, a landlord can ask:

what your income is
if you work, and where you work
how many people will be living with you
the names of people who will be living with you
if you have pets
if you smoke
permission to do a credit check
references from past landlords
in some cases, if you have a guarantor or co-signer

What a landlord is not allowed to ask

A landlord is not allowed to ask questions that could be used to discriminate against you. For example, they are not allowed to ask:

if you are pregnant or have children
if you plan to have children, or if you plan to have more children
if you are married, single, or divorced
your religion or ethnic background
your sexual orientation
if you get welfare or other public assistance
if you have a
your age (even if you are 16 or 17 as long as you are living away from your parents)
if you are a Canadian citizen

If the landlord asks any of these questions or won’t rent to you because of your answers, this could be discrimination.