Tenant’s Rights
The law may change at any time. The information and answers to the questions below contain general information and are not a substitute for getting legal advice for your particular situation. For free legal advice, contact us at 613-632-1136 or 1-800-250-9220.
The clinic assists tenants only. If you are a landlord, you can contact the Landlord and Tenant Board at 1-888-332-3234 or the Landlord Self-Help Centre at 1-800-730-3218.
The clinic gives legal advice to tenants on a variety of subjects, such as:
- Eviction;
- Maintenance and Repairs;
- Harassment;
- Moving out;
- Rent increases;
- Problems concerning the Social Housing Reform Act;
- etc
The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) became law in Ontario on January 31, 2007. It replaced the Tenant Protection Act which had been in effect since 1998. The RTA gives residential tenants and landlords specific rights and responsibilities. The RTA applies to most rental housing in Ontario, such as rooms, apartments, houses, mobile home parks, and retirement homes.
But some rental housing is not covered by the RTA. For example, you might not be covered if you live in a place that is supposed to be used for business, share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner or a close family member of the owner or live in some types of temporary or seasonal housing.
Also, the RTA does not cover some types of shared living. If you share your unit or you rent from another tenant, you should contact us to find out if you are covered.
If your housing is not covered by the RTA, the information below does not apply to you. Please contact us for free legal advice regardless of if the RTA applies to you or not.
Don’t hesitate to call us for free legal advice concerning your rental unit.
Other resources :
Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) www.cleo.on.ca
Landlord and Tenant Board www.ltb.gov.on.ca