Boarding houses are usually covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, which sets out special rules about things like how much notice to end the tenancy you have to be given, how often the landlord can raise your rent, and when they can come into your room, see “Boarding houses: Renting a room”. These rules and protections are mostly different from those that cover house or flat tenancies.
You’re protected by the boarding house rules in the Residential Tenancies Act if:
you’re staying in a place that’s for six or more boarders, and
you’re planning to stay there for four weeks (28 days) or more.
Some situations that are also sometimes described as “boarding” aren’t covered by those protections. For example, if you’re living with family or friends in their spare room, and paying them “board” for rent and food, you’re not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. In those situations, you’re not covered by the standard tenancy protections in the Act because they don’t cover you if you’re living with the owners, and you’re also not covered by the boarding house protections in the Act because they only cover places intended for six or more boarders.
Short-term renting doesn’t come under the boarding house provisions or other provisions of the Residential Tenancies Act. If you’re renting a room, the Act makes a basic distinction between short-term (“temporary or transient”) accommodation, like that provided by hotels and motels, and longer-term accommodation provided by boarding houses.