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LuxOasisOS

The LuxOasis Journal

Notes for Canadian landlords

Practical guides on the operational side of landlording — written by people who manage a real portfolio, not just software.

CRA Tax & Bookkeeping for Landlords

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CRA & bookkeeping

The CRA bookkeeping checklist every Canadian landlord needs

What to track month-to-month so tax season is a formality, not a scramble — the exact structure we use for our own 19 doors.

Liliana · 6 min read

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CRA & bookkeeping

The landlord chart of accounts built around Form T776

Most landlord spreadsheets use categories the CRA form doesn't recognize. Here's a chart of accounts mapped line by line to Form T776, tracked per unit.

Liliana · 6 min read

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Tax deductions

Deductible rental expenses in Canada: what the CRA accepts and denies

A plain list of deductible rental expenses, the categories the CRA denies every year, and the current-versus-capital test explained.

Wilson · 7 min read

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Capital cost allowance

Capital cost allowance on a rental building: classes, rates and the catch

Capital cost allowance lowers your rental income today and raises your tax bill on sale. The CCA classes, the rules, and when to skip it.

Liliana · 8 min read

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Form T776

Form T776, explained line by line

A line-by-line walkthrough of Form T776, Statement of Real Estate Rentals — from ownership percentage to the capital cost allowance schedule.

Wilson · 7 min read

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GST/HST

GST/HST for short-term rental hosts in Canada

When Airbnb income triggers GST/HST registration, the $30,000 threshold, and the rule denying deductions to unlicensed short-term rental hosts.

Liliana · 8 min read

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Business structure

Sole prop, corporation or partnership: how to hold Canadian rentals

Corporate rental income faces roughly 46.67% tax in Alberta with no small business deduction. When incorporating actually helps — and when it costs.

Wilson · 7 min read

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Year-end close

The landlord year-end close: a December checklist

A December checklist for Canadian landlords — twelve steps to finish the books, catch the deductions with deadlines, and make filing a transcription job.

Liliana · 6 min read

Provincial Tenancy Law & Compliance

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Tenancy law

Provincial tenancy notices, explained province by province

A plain-language rundown of notice periods and required forms across Alberta, BC, and Ontario — kept current as rules change.

Liliana · 7 min read

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Tenancy law

Notice periods and forms in Alberta, BC and Ontario

The exact notice periods and form numbers for ending a tenancy in Alberta, BC and Ontario, including the BC rule change most landlords still get wrong.

Liliana · 9 min read

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Tenancy law

What happens after the notice: the eviction process end to end

A notice does not remove anyone. The full path from notice to order to bailiff in Alberta, BC and Ontario, with filing fees and realistic timelines.

Wilson · 8 min read

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Rent increases

Rent increase rules for 2026: Alberta, BC and Ontario compared

BC caps 2026 rent increases at 2.3%, Ontario at 2.1%, Alberta at nothing. The notice periods, forms and timing rules for each, plus the exemptions.

Liliana · 7 min read

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Tenancy law

Condition inspection reports and deposits: AB, BC and Ontario rules

In BC and Alberta a missed inspection report costs you the right to claim the deposit. In Ontario deposits work differently. What each province requires.

Wilson · 7 min read

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Human rights

Landlord human rights obligations: screening, pets and accommodation

What to ask a rental applicant in Alberta, BC and Ontario, what to leave out, why rent-to-income ratios are discriminatory, and what accommodation requires.

Liliana · 8 min read

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Short-term rentals

Short-term rental rules in Canada: provincial and municipal, 2026

BC's principal residence rule now covers 80-plus communities. Toronto caps entire-home rentals at 180 nights. A current map of STR rules for Canadian landlords.

Wilson · 8 min read

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Tenancy law

Saskatchewan and Manitoba landlord rules: notices, rent and deposits

Saskatchewan needs 12 months notice for a rent increase with no cap. Manitoba caps 2026 at 1.8% with three months notice. A side-by-side guide for prairie landlords.

Liliana · 9 min read

Tenant Sourcing & Screening

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Tenant screening

How to screen a rental application without slowing down your listing

The screening details that actually predict a good tenant, and how to review them in minutes instead of days.

Wilson · 5 min read

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Listings

Listing copy built to fill the unit

Most rental listings read like a spec sheet. The structure, the photo order and the pricing approach that turn views into booked showings.

Wilson · 8 min read

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Scheduling

Showings and scheduling without the back and forth

The average vacancy loses days to scheduling email. How to batch showings, cut no-shows, handle occupied units legally and stay safe doing it.

Liliana · 8 min read

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Applications

The rental application form: what to collect and what to leave off

You are covered by privacy law the moment you take an application. What to collect, what to leave off, how to word consent, and how long to keep the file.

Wilson · 9 min read

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Credit checks

Credit checks in Canada, and how to read one

A 620 score does not mean a bad tenant. How Canadian credit reports work, what R1 to R9 means, what the report leaves out, and your notify-on-refusal duty.

Liliana · 9 min read

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References & fraud

Reference checks and catching application fraud

Application fraud in Canada now includes AI-generated pay stubs and fake credit reports. The reference questions worth asking and the checks catching most of it.

Wilson · 9 min read

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Screening decisions

Criminal checks, bad-tenant lists and the screening decisions to avoid

Criminal record checks and shared bad-tenant lists feel like due diligence. Both carry real exposure in Canada. What the law allows and what a defensible process looks like.

Liliana · 8 min read

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Onboarding

Tenant onboarding: the first 30 days

Renewal rates are set in the first month, not the twelfth. A move-in checklist covering the lease, the keys, the welcome pack and the habits that keep tenants longer.

Wilson · 8 min read

Portfolio Operations & Self-Management

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Time management

The landlord time audit

Nobody publishes credible data on hours per door, so measure your own. A two-week time audit, the four categories your hours fall into, and which ones to cut.

Liliana · 7 min read

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Rent collection

Rent collection built to run without you

Ontario bars requiring automatic payments. BC caps late fees at $25. Alberta has no cap and no authorization. The rules, the methods and the escalation ladder.

Wilson · 9 min read

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Maintenance

Maintenance from request to closed

Most landlords act as a message relay between tenant and contractor. A triage system, response standards, and the preventive calendar cutting emergency calls.

Liliana · 8 min read

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Vendors

Building a vendor bench

Hire an uninsured contractor and you risk liability for their unpaid workers compensation premiums. The clearance, insurance and permit checks worth five minutes each.

Wilson · 9 min read

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Retention

Communication and retention after month one

Turnover is the most expensive event in a small portfolio. The communication habits, the annual cycle and the renewal conversation that keep good tenants in place.

Liliana · 7 min read

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Scaling

What breaks at 2, 5, 10 and 19 doors

Every portfolio has a size where the old system stops working. What fails at each stage, what to fix, and the honest read on where self-managing stops.

Wilson · 8 min read

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PM vs. software

Property manager or software: the honest comparison

Canadian management fees run 6% to 12% plus leasing fees, renewal fees and maintenance markup. The real annual total, what you get for it, and when it is worth it.

Liliana · 10 min read