Owner guide · Insurance and rules
Insurance, distance and property managers in Ontario.
Do you need a property manager if you live far from your rental? What the rules actually say, and where your insurance policy comes in.
By Pickdex
General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and policies change, and your own lease and insurance policy decide what applies to you. Sources checked Oct 14, 2026.
Is there a distance rule?
Not as a law. We found no Ontario law that makes you hire a property manager because you live a certain distance from your rental, and no law requiring landlord insurance either, although mortgage lenders commonly make insurance a condition of financing.
Distance still matters, though, because of three real rules: your insurance policy’s conditions for empty properties, tax rules for owners who live outside Canada, and local rules about how quickly tenants must be able to reach you. Each is covered below.
Your insurance policy is the rule that usually matters.
A home you rent out generally needs a rented dwelling (landlord) policy rather than a homeowner’s policy for that address. It typically covers the building, your liability as owner and, on some policies, lost rent while the unit can’t be lived in after damage.
Policies change once a property is empty. Intact warns that coverage may change or be limited even during a short vacancy and asks owners to tell their broker as soon as a property becomes vacant. Square One, for example, excludes water damage once a home has been vacant for 30 days, and advises having someone check an empty home at least weekly, and daily in the heating season. Other insurers set different conditions.
That is where distance bites. Between tenants, during repairs or in a cold snap, someone has to be able to get there. If you can’t, a property manager, a trusted neighbour or a paid check-in service can fill the gap, as long as it meets what your policy asks for. Hiring a manager doesn’t replace your own landlord policy.
Questions for your insurance broker
- Is this a rented dwelling policy that matches how the property is actually used?
- How does the policy define vacant and unoccupied, and after how many days do conditions change?
- Who must check the property while it’s empty, how often, and should the visits be recorded?
- Is loss of rental income included, optional or excluded?
- Does it matter where I live, or who manages the property?
If you live outside Canada, tax rules involve an agent.
You’re a non-resident for tax purposes if you permanently live outside Canada. For rent from a Canadian property, the Canada Revenue Agency says the payer or agent, such as a property manager, must withhold 25% non-resident tax on the gross rent, and an agent must be a resident of Canada. If the CRA approves a Form NR6, the agent can withhold 25% of net rent instead, and you must then file a section 216 return.
That isn’t a rule that you must hire a manager, but it’s why many owners abroad use a Canadian agent to handle withholding, remittances and the NR4 return. Living in another province doesn’t make you a non-resident of Canada.
Your tenants must be able to reach you, or your manager.
Ottawa’s Rental Housing Property Management By-law requires landlords to give tenants up-to-date contact information for the landlord or property manager, including a mailing address, phone number and at least one way to send electronic messages. Landlords must respond to urgent service requests, such as a loss of vital services, within 24 hours, and to other requests within 7 days.
Ontario’s standard lease also records the landlord’s address for service, where tenants send formal notices. Neither rule says you must live nearby, but a 24-hour response is hard to keep from far away without someone local.
Some Ontario cities go further through rental licensing. Windsor’s residential rental licensing pilot (Wards 1 and 2 only), for example, asks owners who don’t live in Windsor to give contact details for someone local who is responsible for the unit, such as a property manager. The pilot was paused in 2025, wasn’t accepting new applications when we checked, and the city has decided not to license rentals citywide. If your rental is outside Ottawa, check that city’s licensing rules.
Tenant insurance and your manager’s own cover
Under section 11 of Ontario’s standard lease, you and your tenant can agree that the tenant must carry liability insurance, and the tenant must show proof if you ask.
If you hire a manager, its insurance is separate from yours. Ask what it carries and whether that covers its staff and contractors.
Questions for a property manager
- What liability and errors-and-omissions insurance do you carry, and can I see a certificate?
- Who visits the property when it’s vacant, how often, and do you keep a record?
- Do your leases require tenant liability insurance, and do you collect proof?
- How do you make sure urgent requests get a response within 24 hours?
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