Your first Canadian home is usually a rental — a basement suite, a condo unit, an apartment you found online and signed for before you ever saw it in person. You don’t know the neighbourhood yet, packages arrive at a shared door, and you may not even know who else has a key. Most of the security basics cost little or nothing. The part newcomers get wrong is the legal side: what a tenant is actually allowed to change, and what a camera is allowed to record.
Quick Answer
As a renter, don’t change or re-key the locks without your landlord’s consent — in Ontario, BC and Quebec the law says so directly, and it can be grounds for eviction. Instead, ask the landlord to re-key when you move in, get tenant insurance, use removable (no-drill) devices, and point any camera only at your own entrance. If you buy a home, change or re-key every exterior lock on day one, because you can’t know how many copies of the old keys exist.
This guide explains general rules. It is not legal advice. Tenancy and privacy rules differ by province and by building (condo and strata bylaws can add their own restrictions).
First Week in a Rental: A Checklist
- Ask whether the locks were re-keyed after the last tenant. If not, ask the landlord in writing to do it. Many will, especially if you offer to pay a locksmith’s modest fee.
- Get tenant insurance before you move in. It covers your belongings after a break-in or fire and gives you liability coverage, and many landlords require it. Ask the insurer whether locks, alarms or cameras affect your premium.
- Do a move-in inspection with photos, including doors, windows and locks, so you are not blamed later for damage you didn’t cause (renting in Canada as a newcomer).
- Check that windows lock, especially in basement and ground-floor units, and that the entrance door has a working deadbolt and a viewer or window.
- Save the landlord’s and building’s emergency contacts, and learn where the main water shut-off and electrical panel are.
- Get to know a neighbour. Someone who notices a stranger at your door or a pile of packages is still the best security system there is.
What Renters Can and Can’t Change
| Province | The rule on locks |
|---|---|
| Ontario | A tenant must not alter the locking system of the unit or building without the landlord’s consent (Residential Tenancies Act, section 35). The landlord can’t change it without giving you new keys either. |
| British Columbia | A tenant must not change the locks to the unit without the landlord’s written agreement or an order from the Residential Tenancy Branch, and must not change locks to common areas without the landlord’s permission (RTA, section 31). |
| Quebec | No lock or device restricting access to a dwelling may be installed or changed without the consent of both the landlord and the tenant (Civil Code, article 1934). |
| Other provinces | Similar principles apply; check your provincial residential tenancy office before touching a lock. |
Interpretation: devices that don’t touch the lock or walls — battery cameras on a shelf, adhesive door and window sensors, smart plugs for timed lamps — are generally fine. Products that clip over the inside of an existing deadbolt, where the original key still works, are a grey area. They don’t replace the lock, but a strict reading could still count them as altering the locking system. Practical suggestion: mention it to your landlord by email and keep the reply. Most say yes, and you avoid any argument later.
If that’s your situation, IoTiq’s renter and condo package is built around these limits. It uses a battery camera, a clip-on adapter for the existing deadbolt and smart plugs, all removable when you move out, with a listed starting price of $349 at the time of writing.
Cameras and Doorbells: Where Privacy Law Comes In
- Point cameras at your own space. Your door, your balcony or your parking spot — not a neighbour’s door, windows or yard.
- Common areas belong to the building. In condos, apartments and strata buildings, hallways and lobbies are usually controlled by the landlord or the corporation’s rules. Ask before installing a camera that sees them.
- Be careful with audio. Recording conversations you are not part of raises more legal issues than video. Many people turn audio recording off by default.
- Know where your footage goes. Some systems store video in the cloud behind a monthly subscription; others keep it on a local device. Read the privacy settings before you set it up, and choose strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
Package theft from doorsteps and shared lobbies is a common complaint in Canadian cities. A video doorbell helps you see deliveries and visitors without opening the door. Smart doorbells that store footage locally, without a required cloud subscription, are one option worth comparing with the subscription models from large brands. If you rent, check that the doorbell can be battery-powered or mounted without wiring.
If You Buy a Home
- Change or re-key every exterior lock, including the garage and side doors. Previous owners, contractors, cleaners and neighbours may all have had keys.
- Reset garage door openers, alarm codes and any smart devices the seller left behind, and remove the seller’s accounts from them.
- Light the outside. Motion-activated lights on entrances and the driveway are one of the cheapest deterrents.
- Tell your home insurer about locks, alarms and monitoring — it can affect your premium and claims.
For buyers who want the essentials set up in one go, IoTiq’s new homeowner starter set combines a video doorbell, a smart lock with separate codes for family and visitors, and motion lighting for three rooms on one app (listed from $899 at the time of writing). As an owner you can change locks freely, so the rental restrictions above don’t apply.
Scams That Target Newcomers at Home
- Door-to-door “inspections” or “upgrades” (furnace, water heater, alarm) that turn into expensive contracts. You don’t have to let anyone in. Ask for ID and call the company or your landlord yourself.
- Calls pretending to be the CRA or IRCC threatening arrest or deportation. Neither asks for payment by gift card, crypto or wire transfer.
- Rental scams that ask for a deposit before you see the unit — see the red flags in our renting guide.
FAQ
Can my landlord enter my apartment without notice?
Generally not, except in emergencies. Most provinces require written notice, usually 24 hours, and entry at reasonable times.
Can I install a security camera in my rental?
Inside your own unit, usually yes, if it doesn’t involve drilling or wiring that your lease prohibits. For anything covering a hallway, lobby or shared entrance, ask the landlord or condo board first.
Does tenant insurance cover stolen packages?
Sometimes, but the theft usually costs less than your deductible. Check your policy, and contact the retailer or carrier first.
Disclosure: IoTiq is operated by the same team as Canadianow. We mention it where it fits the situations above; prices and products are as listed on its website in October 2026 and may change.
