When is a rental contract enough as proof of residence for an ARC application?

Chinese-language community posts repeatedly ask whether a lease alone is enough when applying for or updating an alien registration card. Kapy has reconstructed that need as an open question because the answer can change when the applicant is not the named tenant, lives in a dormitory, stays with a friend, or has recently moved. If you completed this process recently, please share which office handled it, whose name appeared on the housing document, what additional residence confirmation was requested, and when the document had to be dated. Do not upload a lease, full address, passport, ARC number, landlord ID, or signature. Readers should verify their exact housing arrangement with 1345 and the competent immigration office rather than treating one accepted document as a universal rule.