The short answer
- Visa lists rentals as a service fee category. MCC 6513 covers real estate agents and managers, rentals. The cap is 1.5% on Visa Debit and 2.5% on credit and prepaid.
- Your acquirer assigns your MCC. You cannot choose it to qualify.
- Residential tenancy law comes first. Ontario's and BC's rules list the fees a landlord may charge a tenant, and a card fee is not on either list. Québec's Civil Code bars any amount other than the rent.
- Landlords cannot force a payment method. Ontario bars requiring automatic card or bank payments and post-dated cheques. Québec bars demanding post-dated cheques.
- Québec consumers may not be charged a card fee. Whether that covers a lease is a question for your lawyer.
The network rules in brief
The service fee guide has the full rules. In short:
- Visa allows a service fee in Canada in eight categories. Rentals (MCC 6513) is one. Visa's rules
- A surcharge, a convenience fee and a service fee are different things, and you cannot combine them. Three fees
- Mastercard has no Canadian service fee program like Visa's, and Visa Debit and Debit Mastercard cannot be surcharged. Mastercard and debit
- Québec bars card fees on consumers. Québec
No other real estate code is on Visa's Canadian list. If your acquirer has assigned a different MCC, the service fee rules do not apply to you. Credit card surcharging is a separate model, covered in our surcharging guide.
What tenancy law says about fees and payment methods
These laws cover residential tenancies. We checked three provinces; others have their own rules.
| Province | Fees beyond rent | Payment method |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Section 134 of the Residential Tenancies Act bars a landlord, or a property manager acting for one, from collecting a fee, premium, penalty or similar amount. Section 17 of O. Reg. 516/06 lists the exceptions, such as extra keys at cost, bank NSF charges and a $20 NSF cheque charge. A card fee is not on that list. | Section 108 bars requiring post-dated cheques, or automatic bank debits, automatic credit card charges or any other automatic payment for rent. |
| Québec | Article 1904 of the Civil Code says a lessor may not exact any money other than the rent, as a deposit or otherwise. The Tribunal administratif du logement says deposits, including key deposits, are not allowed. | Article 1904 bars demanding post-dated cheques. The tribunal says tenants and landlords may agree to them, and that rent can be paid by credit card if the landlord can process it. |
| British Columbia | Section 7 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation lists the non-refundable fees a landlord may charge, such as key costs, a returned cheque charge and a late rent fee of up to $25 if the tenancy agreement provides for it. A card fee is not named. | The Residential Tenancy Branch says the tenancy agreement must show the preferred payment method. We found no BC rule on post-dated cheques. |
These laws do not mention service fees on card payments by name. Whether a card fee counts as a prohibited charge in your province is a legal question. Check with your lawyer before charging residential tenants any card fee.
Commercial leases are outside these residential laws. For a commercial tenant, the lease and your province's commercial tenancy law apply, along with the card network rules.
How rent gets paid, and what Visa's channel rule touches
Rent is recurring, so most landlords collect it the same way each month. Visa's Canadian service fee rules say the merchant must accept Visa in every card-not-present channel where it takes payments. If you charge a service fee and take rent online, you must also take Visa by phone if you take phone payments.
| Channel | Card present or not | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant portal or online payment | Not present | The fee must show before the tenant pays, with a way to cancel at no cost. |
| Card on file, charged monthly | Not present | In Ontario you cannot require it. The tenant must choose it. |
| Pre-authorized debit | Not a card payment | Card fee rules do not apply. Ontario still bars requiring automatic debits. |
| Phone or virtual terminal | Not present | Counts toward Visa's every-channel rule. |
| Payment link or e-invoice | Not present | Common for commercial rent and one-off charges. See e-invoicing. |
| Office counter terminal | Present | Visa's channel rule names card-not-present channels only. |
Other ways to cover the cost
Pre-authorized debit
Card fee rules do not apply to bank debits. In Ontario, the tenant must agree to it, since a landlord cannot require it.
Interac e-Transfer
Tenants send rent from their own bank. Your bank sets any fees. It does not run through your card account.
A discount for another method
The Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry lets merchants offer discounts for different payment methods. Ontario's Act separately lists which rent discounts leave the lawful rent unchanged, such as up to 2% for paying on time. Ask your lawyer before offering a payment method discount on residential rent.
Lower card costs
You can absorb the cost and work on the rate instead. A statement review shows what you pay now. We do not promise savings.
Where CleverPays fits
Visa writes the service fee rules. Your acquirer assigns your MCC and tells you whether your account is eligible. Provincial tenancy law sits above both, and your lease sets the terms with each tenant. You decide whether to charge a fee. CleverPays does not set network rules or give legal advice.
We can review your statement so you know your real cost of card payments. We can check with you whether your account supports a service fee, and set up the fee display at checkout, where the product supports it. We can set up portals, virtual terminals and payment links, test them with you, and stay your contact in English and French.
Sources
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules, 18 April 2026 (section 1.5.1.11, section 5.5.3.1, Tables 5-6 and 5-7), read 8 October 2026
- Visa Canada: surcharging FAQ for businesses, read 8 October 2026
- Mastercard Rules, 2 June 2026 (rule 5.12.2), read 8 October 2026
- FCAC: merchant surcharges, service and convenience fees, and discounts, read 8 October 2026
- FCAC: Code of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in Canada, read 8 October 2026
- Interac: understanding fees, read 8 October 2026
- Office de la protection du consommateur: paiement par carte, frais interdits, read 8 October 2026
- Ontario: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (sections 108, 111 and 134), read 8 October 2026
- Ontario: O. Reg. 516/06, General (section 17), read 8 October 2026
- Québec: Civil Code of Québec (article 1904), read 8 October 2026
- Tribunal administratif du logement: paying the rent, read 8 October 2026
- British Columbia: Residential Tenancy Regulation (section 7), read 8 October 2026
- British Columbia: Residential Tenancy Branch, paying rent, read 8 October 2026
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