最近房东群里讨论了一个很现实的问题：如果挑选租客。资深房东纷纷发言，大家从各方面都分享了自己的经验和教训。间或有人直联问我意见，说实话，Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 （以下简称“民租法”），并没有给出具体的规定来限定房东对潜在租客的挑选，只是在第十条给出了很简短的文字。

Selecting prospective tenants

10. In selecting prospective tenants, landlords may use, inthe manner prescribed in the regulations made under the Human Rights Code,income information, credit checks, credit references, rental history,guarantees, or other similar business practices as prescribed in thoseregulations.  2006, c. 17, s. 10.

这一条很明确地说，房东可以使用本法之规则中规定了的，援引《人权法案》中允许的条款，比如收入、信用审查、信用介绍、租务历史、担保，和其他规则中允许的在商业领域中惯常使用的方法，来挑选租客。

好像还不是很清楚，因为提到了《人权法案》中的相关条款。那么，我们不妨就去看看规则中援引的《人权法案》的相关条款到底是何方神圣。

Human Rights Code

ONTARIO REGULATION 290/98

Amended to O. Reg. 646/00

BUSINESS PRACTICES PERMISSIBLE TO LANDLORDS IN SELECTINGPROSPECTIVE TENANTS FOR RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION

Historical version for the period December 13, 2000 to June12, 2005.

1. (1)  Alandlord may request credit references and rental history information, oreither of them, from a prospective tenant and may request from a prospectivetenant authorization to conduct credit checks on the prospective tenant.  O. Reg. 290/98, s. 1 (1).

(2)  A landlord may consider credit references,rental history information and credit checks obtained pursuant to requestsunder subsection (1), alone or in any combination, in order to assess theprospective tenant and the landlord may select or refuse the prospective tenantaccordingly.  O. Reg. 290/98, s. 1 (2).

(3)  A landlord may request income informationfrom a prospective tenant only if the landlord also requests information listedin subsection (1).  O. Reg. 290/98, s. 1(3).

(4)  A landlord may consider income informationabout a prospective tenant in order to assess the prospective tenant and thelandlord may select or refuse the prospective tenant accordingly only if thelandlord considers the income information together with all the otherinformation that was obtained by the landlord pursuant to requests undersubsection (1).  O. Reg. 290/98, s. 1 (4).

(5)  If, after requesting the information listedin subsections (1) and (3), a landlord only obtains income information about aprospective tenant, the landlord may consider the income information alone inorder to assess the prospective tenant and the landlord may select or refusethe prospective tenant accordingly.  O.Reg. 290/98, s. 1 (5).

2.         (1) A landlord may require a prospective tenant to obtain a guarantee forthe rent.  O. Reg. 290/98, s. 2 (1).

(2)  A landlord may require a prospective tenantto pay a security deposit in accordance with sections 117 and 118 of the TenantProtection Act, 1997.  O. Reg. 290/98, s.2 (2).

3.         Inselecting a prospective tenant, a landlord of a rental unit described inparagraph 1, 1.1, 2 or 3 of subsection 5 (1) or subsection 6 (1) of the TenantProtection Act, 1997 may request and use income information about a prospectivetenant in order to determine a prospective tenant’s eligibility for rent in anamount geared-to-income and, when requesting and using the income informationfor that purpose only, the landlord is not bound by subsections 1 (3) and(4).  O. Reg. 290/98, s. 3; O. Reg.646/00, s. 1.

4.         Nothing in this Regulation authorizes alandlord to refuse accommodation to any person because of race, ancestry, placeof origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation,age, marital status, same-sex partnership status, family status, handicap orthe receipt of public assistance.  O.Reg. 290/98, s. 4; O. Reg. 31/00, s. 1.

5.        OMITTED (PROVIDES FOR COMING INTO FORCEOF PROVISIONS OF THIS REGULATION).  O.Reg. 290/98, s. 5.

其中最值得注意的是第四条，这一条提到了房东不能因为哪些原因，拒绝潜在租客的租房申请。这些不被允许的原因包括种族、祖籍、出生地、肤色、民族、国籍、信仰、性别、性取向、年龄、婚姻状况、同性伴侣的同居状况、家庭状况、残障或领取公共福利金的情况。

在实际的法律代理业务中，我遇到了哪些情况与选择租客有关呢？通常来自房东的问题是，有个潜在的租客，是某种情况（包括在了第四条中），我如何拒绝？首先，我的回答是不能因为这些原因而拒绝，但是，房东往往也在同时考虑若干个申请人的申请，也会综合考虑诸多因素，其中“先申请，先考虑”更是符合民租法第十条中所提到的“和其他规则中允许的在商业领域中惯常使用的方法，来挑选租客”。我理解，由于语言的障碍，房东的表达往往不能准确表达含义，如果是要用“先申请，先考虑”的原则，那么应该告诉租客，Iappreciate that you are interested in this property, but I have potentialapplicants visited here before you, I am considering all factors and will makedecision soonest.  I will contact you ifI choose you.  Thank you for visiting.这样就很体面地维护了一个房东应有的风度。注意，不要说假话。

曾经有一个房东，在电话里对一个询问的人说，你是黑人，不有愿意租给黑人。被这位非裔朋友告上了人权委员会，人委判决房东赔付若干罚款，而且责令不可再次使用如此理由拒绝租客，否则罚款加倍。

最后说一下如果租客的信用不够强，房东是否可以因此而多收一些押金来保障自己的利益，主动避免风险呢？回答是不可以。参考第一百零六条，简单地说，就是押金不可超过月租金。

Rent deposit may be required

106. (1) Alandlord may require a tenant to pay a rent deposit with respect to a tenancyif the landlord does so on or before entering into the tenancy agreement.  2006, c. 17, s. 106 (1).

Amount of rent deposit

(2) Theamount of a rent deposit shall not be more than the lesser of the amount ofrent for one rent period and the amount of rent for one month.  2006, c. 17, s. 106 (2).

那么面对信用不够强的租客，房东又如何保护自己呢？民租法中允许担保人对租客进行担保。但是担保人只担保一个租期，从新租期开始，担保人的担保责任即告自动终止，因为被担保人已经建立了信用。

至于其他的因素，比如在首次电话咨询中，房东问申请人是否有车、是否上夜班等等，都是允许的。至于和询问人如何沟通，就不完全是法律问题，而是物业出租管理问题了，故不在此赘述。

如上文字不做为我的法律意见，而只是对有关法律的基本理解，请与我联系咨询具体事，以便给出准确建议。敬请指导，谢谢大家。

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