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Residential Tenancies Act

Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) has detailed information on the new legislation at: http://www.cleo.on.ca/english/pub/onpub/PDF/landlordTenant/
tenantsaccess.pdf

Also, see ACTO’s Tenant Tip Sheets about your rights under the new law: http://www.acto.ca/english/acto_content.php?topic=5&sub=134

Under the RTA, if you get a Notice of Hearing from your landlord, a hearing will automatically be scheduled at the Landlord and Tenant Board (previously called the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal). If you miss your hearing, you will probably have to pay $50 to ask if you can have another hearing.

ACTO, legal clinics across the province, tenants’ organizations, community groups and dedicated individuals made detailed suggestions over the past few years about creating fair legislation for tenants. While the new Act is an improvement, rents are still not regulated and a landlord can charge any amount once a unit becomes vacant.

The new Act does contain some new protections against above guideline rent increases for sitting tenants. See “Rent Increases” on the Community Legal Edudcation Ontario website. The annual rent increase guideline will be tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For 2008, the rent increase guideline is 1.4%.

Background

ACTO and representatives of legal clinics from every region in Ontario developed a Statement of Principles for New Landlord/Tenant and Rent Control legislation to guide law reform activities and consultations with the government following the 2003 provincial election. The Ontario government held public town hall meetings on residential tenancy reform in May & June 2004. New legislation finally took effect on January 31st, 2007.

The Statement of Principles set out a number of law reform goals, including a fair eviction application process, a restructured Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal (ORHT), affordable rents, and security of tenure and relief against forfeiture for tenants.