Residential Tenancy Definition: The lease of residential premises for residential purposes. Related Terms: Tenant, Landlord The contractual, lease relationship between a lessor of residential premises (landlord) and his lessee (tenant); a tenancy of residential premises. A written or oral contract, oral, express or implied, between a landlord and tenant in regards to the latter's occupation of residential premises. In Residential Tenancies, the authors defined it as: "... a tenancy of residential premises for primarily residential purposes." Many statutes are entitled residential tenancy and proceed to prescribe the law as regards to the rental or lease of residential apartments by landlords to tenants usually, but not always, excluding rooming houses or boarding houses. REFERENCES: Institute of Law Research and Reform of Alberta, Residential Tenancies (1977), page 11. Residential Tenancies Act, C.C.S.M. (Manitoba), Chapter R119 Residential Tenancies Act, Statutes of Alberta 2004, Chapter R-17.1 Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, Statutes of Ontario, 2006, Chapter 17 Residential Tenancy Act, Statutes of British Columbia 2002, Chapter 78 Categories & Topics: Real Estate and Tenancy Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!