It depends on the jurisdiction, and the answer is usually no. Ontario bars collecting a fee from a prospective tenant unless a regulation permits it. British Columbia bars any application-stage charge. New York bars every pre-tenancy fee except a capped credit and background check. California is silent on tour fees but caps the screening fee that follows.
This is general information, not legal advice — confirm your own jurisdiction before charging anything.
Is a Showing Fee the Same as an Application Fee?
No, and the difference decides which rule applies. A showing fee buys a walk-through. An application fee comes after a prospect applies, covering a credit and background check. A jurisdiction can cap screening fees tightly and say nothing about tours — or catch a tour fee with a ban that never mentions tours.
What Do Ontario and British Columbia Say?
Ontario's rule is unusual in naming the prospect explicitly. Section 134(1)(a) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 opens "Unless otherwise prescribed," then bars a landlord from "collect[ing] or requir[ing] or attempt[ing] to collect or require from a tenant, prospective tenant or former tenant of the rental unit a fee, premium, commission, bonus, penalty, key deposit or other like amount of money whether or not the money is refundable." A charge to view a unit sits inside that unless a regulation carves it out — so check the current regulation.
British Columbia regulates the application step head-on. Section 15 of the Residential Tenancy Act says a landlord "must not charge a person anything for (a) accepting an application for a tenancy, (b) processing the application, (c) investigating the applicant's suitability as a tenant, or (d) accepting the person as a tenant." Section 19(1) caps a security and a pet damage deposit at half a month's rent each. BC's regulation does allow a short list of non-refundable fees — key replacement, an NSF charge, a $25 administration fee — but each is billed to an existing tenant, not to someone asking to see the unit.
Does New York's Pre-Tenancy Ban Reach a Tour Fee?
Yes, in substance — and it's easy to miss, because nothing in it says "showing." Real Property Law § 238-a(1)(a) bars demanding "any payment, fee, or charge for the processing, review or acceptance of an application," then adds a catch-all: or "any other payment, fee or charge before or at the beginning of the tenancy," except background and credit checks. Paragraph (b) caps those at actual cost "or twenty dollars, whichever is less." No US statute we're aware of uses the phrase "showing fee." New York doesn't need to.
How Does California Handle It Differently?
Civil Code § 1950.6 never mentions a tour fee. It caps the application screening fee at $30 per applicant — a figure the statute lets a landlord adjust "annually… commensurate with an increase in the Consumer Price Index, beginning on January 1, 1998." So $30 is a 1998 number, today's lawful ceiling is higher, and the statute doesn't publish the adjusted figure.
| Jurisdiction | What the statute regulates | The rule as written |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Any fee from a tenant, prospective tenant or former tenant | Prohibited "unless otherwise prescribed" — RTA s.134(1)(a) |
| British Columbia | Accepting, processing or investigating an application | Prohibited — RTA s.15; deposits capped at ½ month's rent each (s.19) |
| New York | Any charge before or at the start of a tenancy | Prohibited except a credit/background check, capped at cost or $20 — RPL s.238-a |
| California | The application screening fee only | Capped at $30/applicant, CPI-adjustable since 1998 — Civ. Code s.1950.6 |
Why Self-Showings Remove the Question
Landlords who float a showing fee are rarely chasing curiosity seekers — they want back the cost of an agent driving out, waiting on site, absorbing a no-show. Self-showings with bank-level ID verification remove that cost instead of billing for it: a verified prospect tours on their own schedule, on a smart lockbox or the offline lock already on the door. See our guide to self-showing lockboxes, or book a demo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landlord charge a fee just to show a rental unit?
In most jurisdictions named here, no. Ontario and British Columbia prohibit charges to a prospective tenant or applicant, and New York prohibits any fee before the tenancy starts. California doesn't address tour fees. Rules differ by province and state, so check your own statute.
Is a rental application fee legal in Ontario?
Section 134(1)(a) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 bars collecting any fee, premium or "other like amount of money" from a tenant or prospective tenant, refundable or not — which reaches an application fee. The section opens "unless otherwise prescribed," so exceptions live in regulation, not the Act.
Can a New York landlord charge an application fee?
Only for a background and credit check, capped at actual cost or twenty dollars, whichever is less, under Real Property Law § 238-a. Every other payment, fee or charge before or at the beginning of the tenancy is prohibited, and the fee is waived if the applicant supplies a recent check.
How much can a California landlord charge to screen an applicant?
Civil Code § 1950.6 sets $30 per applicant, adjustable annually for the Consumer Price Index since January 1, 1998 — so today's ceiling is above $30. It is also capped at actual out-of-pocket screening cost, needs an itemized receipt, and unused amounts must be returned.
