Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

Today is #NationalHousingDay. Tenants are facing evictions during a pandemic. People are struggling to find affordable rental housing. Many are experiencing homelessness. Emergency shelters are full and encampments are growing. Meanwhile, corporate landlords continue to reap large profits during these unprecedented times. When will Canada truly recognize that housing is a human right? #cdnpoli

"What is at stake when individuals face the threat of homelessness can far exceed the consequences of a missed rental payment; the former is a matter of life and death." In this insightful article, the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, explains how low-income tenants are facing serious barriers to participating in Landlord and Tenant Board's (LTB) digital hearings owing to reasons of poverty, disability or living in remote parts of Ontario. The LTB is not offering mediation or facilitating resolution to resolve eviction disputes.

Angelica's eviction hearing went on without her bc she never received her Notice of Hearing as it was sent to the wrong address. ACTO and many legal clinics across Ontario are extremely concerned by the lack of access to justice for low-income tenants with the shift to digital operations at the LTB.

Ontario's rent freeze law is a minor step forward but doesn't nearly go far enough in protecting tenants. It has a significant exemption benefiting large corporate landlords and allows for the eviction of tenants into homelessness during a pandemic.

#StopUnsafeEvictions Renters living on lower incomes, racialized communities, lone-parent households, young people and people living with disabilities will struggle to find an affordable and safe home. An eviction may push them into already crowded shelters, informal and unsafe residences, or living in encampments during the cold winter months. https://act.newmode.net/action/stop-unsafe-evictions

JOIN US! Send a letter to Ontario leadership to #stopunsafeevictions by restoring the court-ordered moratorium on residential evictions that was put in place in March. https://act.newmode.net/action/stop-unsafe-evictions)

TAKE ACTION Over 100,000 renters are at risk of being evicted into homelessness. With a severe shortage of affordable housing across Ontario's communities, many will be forced into already crowded emergency shelters, informal and unsafe residences, or living in encampments during the cold winter months. We can't let this happen. Tell Premier Ford and Ontario leaders to Stop Unsafe Evictions.

These are unprecedented times. We call on our government to protect renters across Ontario and #stopunsafeevictions during this pandemic crisis - the health of our communities depends on it. SIGN THE LETTER: https://act.newmode.net/action/stop-unsafe-evictions

DO NOT agree to a repayment plan that you do not understand. DO NOT agree to a repayment plan you cannot pay off. DO NOT agree to a repayment plan that is unfair.

As part of Fairbnb.ca Coalition, we fought hard for the City of Torontos short-term rental regulation that will finally go into effect this Thursday. There are over 7,000 ghost hotels that will go back to the housing market.

The Ontario government proposed new legislation last week to freeze rents in 2021 for residential tenants, with some major exceptions that will continue to allow landlords to raise rents next year. Read our analysis of this Bill, which is being debated at Queen's Park today. The Bill is a minor step forward but does not nearly go far enough in protecting tenants with the immediate issues they are facing and to keep them housed.

We support this important call by Just Recovery Ontario to build an equitable post-pandemic society that provides adequate income support; decent work at safe workplaces with fair pay & benefits; access to affordable housing; investments in basic services like transportation, child and elder care, and internet connectivity; and tax policies that ensure the wealthiest earners pay their fair share.

As our staff lawyer Dania Majid explains, "When you rent an apartment, you're paying for the right to occupy that unit...you're paying for that space; the rent isn't set on the number of people that are living there". And make sure to find out your municipal overcrowding laws to ensure that you're not violating them.

Protecting tenants? Or protecting profits?

Are you a renter living in Ontario? Have you received a Notice of Hearing from the Landlord and Tenant Board? If so, sign up to get free legal advice with a Tenant Duty Counsel in your area before your hearing. https://tdc.acto.ca/

Parts of the proposed plan: City to lease & purchase old buildings/office spaces to be converted into permanent housing; transform existing emergency shelter spaces into permanent housing units; the rapid construction of modular housing; and the creation of a more robust network of harm reduction and addiction resources.

Use this tip sheet to get legal information on repayment plans and what to do if your landlord is pressuring you into signing a payment plan that is unrealistic and you cannot pay. https://www.acto.ca/documents/rent_repayment_plans/

The proposed legislation will set the rent increase guideline at 0% and freeze annual rent increases. But above-guideline rent increases (AGIs) will be considered while landlords can continue to rent gouge on tenant turnover. Stay tuned for our in-depth analysis on the legislation.

DO NOT agree to a repayment plan that you do not understand. DO NOT agree to a repayment plan you cannot pay off. DO NOT agree to a repayment plan that is unfair.

Too many people are experiencing homelessness, living in substandard housing, precariously housed, or paying unaffordable rents. They all faced far greater risks from COVID-19. We need our government to expand investment in new affordable housing that people can afford while preserving the affordable rents we currently have by ending the practice of rent gouging created through vacancy decontrol laws. TAKE ACTION: https://www.justrecoveryontario.ca/affordable-housing Just Recovery Ontario

A bold vision for a post-pandemic stimulus package prioritizes the building of affordable housing, which at a minimum should include: Implement an Indigenous housing strategy; Introduce a new Property Acquisition Program; Increase the supply of new affordable housing; Revamp the Federal Lands Initiative. https://ottawacitizen.com//f64017f3-683f-4504-89c0-a6c5b1/

If you werent able to pay your rent, your landlord may have served you with an N4 notice to end your tenancy for non-payment of rent. Use this tip sheet to learn about your options if you cant pay the full amount of rent you owe or if you disagree with the amount your landlord claims you owe.

Race & poverty play major roles in evictions - Black people are at a higher risk of being forced out of their homes. Our government must provide more affordable housing and must put an end to landlords rent gouging practices that are depleting the limited affordable rentals that are left in this city.

A new study by the Wellesley Institute finds that Toronto neighbourhoods facing high eviction filing rates are also facing higher COVID-19 infection rates. Poverty, precarious work, unstable and inadequate housing, and the lack of access to supports during the pandemic lockdown, are contributing factors. The pandemic has exposed systemic inequities - the most marginalized in a community are once again the hardest impacted.

Weve received multiple emails from tenants that corporate landlord Sterling Karamar is trying to illegally coerce tenants into paying for hydro with utility co...mpany Wyse Meter, even though the tenants do not have contracts with the company and hydro is included in their rent. This attempt to steal from tenants is against the Residential Tenancies Act and Ontario Energy Board rules and regulations. If your landlord is trying to coerce you into paying for hydro illegally, please call our hotline at 416-921-9494.

As part of Fairbnb.ca Coalition, we fought hard for the City of Toronto's short-term rental regulation that will finally go into effect this Thursday. There are over 7,000 ghost hotels that will go back to the housing market.

For many Canadians, their home is the only thing left to hold on to, and the only thing holding what is left of life together. In this time when there is so little certainty, when the challenges are compounding and the solutions are dwindling, we need to see the roof and four walls of a secure home as the life preserver that it is. This is what is required if dignity for human life is indeed at the centre of our governing principles.

Can I get Employment Insurance (EI) if I work for an app-based company doing work like driving or food delivery? http://ow.ly/W59E50zM30H

If you live in Guelph or Wellington County, contact your legal clinic to get legal help @ 519-821-2100 or 1-800-628-9205 (toll-free within Wellington County, outside of Guelph).

It is critical to get the Federal Housing Advocate and National Housing Council in place asap as part of the recovery out of #COVID19. Learn why in this op-ed from the networks Michle Biss: https://www.nationalnewswatch.com//reduce-impact-of-covi/

The Eviction Moratorium will be lifted on August 1st and it is estimated between 7-9% of tenants in Ontario werent able to pay rent during the pandemic. More ...than 6000 cases are with the Landlord Tenant Board Right Now! Join Ontario ACORNs online action to demand NO COVID Evictions and Rent Forgiveness for Tenants. Send a letter to your MPP, the Premier, Minister of Housing and the the Attorney General. Click here: https://acorncanada.org/take-/demand-no-covid-evictions-now

Neil Hetherington, chief executive officer of Daily Bread Food Bank, anticipated the situation may become more dire in the next two to four months. Prior to the pandemic, many in Toronto were living paycheque to paycheque, and were close to being unable to pay their rent, Mr. Hetherington said. Now, owing to lost jobs and reduced working hours during the COVID-19 crisis, we have this tsunami of evictions that is just months away. Moreover, he added: We believe that the road to recovery for people who are making use of food banks is going to be a multiyear recovery.

Next month, there will be a flood of evictions in Ontario in the middle of a pandemic crisis. This comes at a time when so many tenants are struggling to make ends meet due to income loss and fear for their health and safety. https://www.thestar.com//more-than-6000-ontario-tenants-co

The expedited passing of Bill 184 coincides with the lifting of the eviction moratorium at the end of July and re-opening of the LTB in August. This means that evictions, and their enforcement, will resume in August while the pandemic still poses a threat to the health of Ontarians. In this new climate, it is vital that tenants learn about their legal rights, form tenant associations to raise their collective voices, and seek legal supports from their local legal clinics and other legal services that provide pro-bono advice and information.

My landlord says I have to start paying rent by automatic charges to my bank account or credit card. Do I have to do this? http://ow.ly/tDHM50zM22s

The incentive for evictions and rent gouging in Ontario is very high. Thats why we worry that Bill 184s new changes to the law support landlords who will present deliberately unaffordable repayment plans to tenants, knowing that the renters would default especially during todays economic turmoil. Bill 184 makes it easier for those tenants to face evictions without being able to explain their case and circumstances before the board.

The eviction ban is being lifted & tenants could start being evicted as soon as August 1st. Join ACORN members and allies for an action to demand No COVID Evictions. We will meet at College & Bay then march! Social distancing rules in effect, bring a mask, stand 6 feet apart. Hand sanitizers and masks will be available.

There is still time to tell the ON government that Bill 184 is out of touch with the challenges faced by tenants, especially during this pandemic crisis. Click on this link to tell the Minister of Housing to scrap Bill 184

The Ontario government did not appoint enough adjudicators at the Landlord and Tenant Board and in turn has restricted peoples access to justice. This shortage of adjudicators, alongside the cuts to legal aid funding and the recent eviction Bill 184 will create a disastrous situation for many tenants.

$$$ for private security but not housing supports?! Government priorities across Ontario must shift to support people to live with dignity in safe, secure and affordable homes.

Do you have questions about your legal rights during COVID-19 pandemic? Heres a fantastic resource by our friends at CLEO to help you during these uncertain times: https://stepstojustice.ca/legal-topic/covid-19

The value of community justice support is also explored in a recent report from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO), which found that front-line workers, w...ho often provide services in specialized areas such as resettlement, housing or violence against women, already offer critical help to clients with law-related problems some of which may not need to be solved through the formal legal system. The client might need help writing a letter, or filling out applications for a restraining order or tenant maintenance, the report said. And they want help from someone they already trust, and who understands their experiences. When people need help with problems that affect their basic needs and rights, they need it urgently. They often turn to community workers they already know and trust, the report said. Access to justice is best served when community justice helpers and licensed legal service providers are connected in communities and can draw on one anothers specific areas of expertise to meet clients needs. https://www.thestar.com//a-criminal-charge-even-minor-can-

A good place to start is to look at what your tenancy agreement actually says about air conditioning and electricity.

An illegal lockout occurs when your landlord or someone acting for your landlord (e.g. the superintendent) prevents you from entering your home. If you or someone you know is illegally locked out, follow these immediate steps to get back into your home.

Get the facts! Renter households account for 29% of all Ontario households, but they comprise 64% of households in core housing need - meaning they struggle with housing adequacy, affordability or suitability standards. https://www.acto.ca//tenant-protection-and-rent-regulatio/

Heres a quick guide on what to expect at a phone hearing and how to present evidence. Remember, if you have a hearing date scheduled this month, our free Tenant Duty Counsel Program is here to help. https://www.acto.ca/documents/t2andphonehearing/

In rural Ontario, short-term rentals are taking away long-term housing options for residents and disrupting communities. In Toronto, were seeing a slow return of some Airbnb units back on the high-end condo rental market. But rents remain extremely unaffordable for most tenants.

There will be less access to justice across the province if both levels of government dont step up and deal with this COVID-related emergency. There will be people going unrepresented across courts and tribunals across Ontario.

Nowadays, many people are sharing apartments with nonfamily members, since Ontario lacks affordable housing. But tenants who share a kitchen or bathroom with their landlord or the landlords family are exempt from the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). This gap in legal protection for tenants is highly problematic and leaves many in a vulnerable position without housing security. https://www.thestar.com//pandemic-highlights-gap-in-ontari

This is what affordable rental housing that uses public $$ should look like: through rent supplements provided by the City, tenants of these 22-unit purpose-built rentals will be able to rent their units for about half of the average private market rate in Toronto; roughly $524 per month.

Do you have a phone hearing this month at the Landlord and Tenant Board? Make sure to sign-up with our Tenant Duty Counsel for free legal representation at your hearing. Make an appointment: http://tdc.acto.ca or call 1-877-374-0391