Province introduces legislation to make life easier for landlords and tenants
Published March 12, 2020 at 11:43 pm
The Province is working towards making rent more affordable by introducing new legislation it claims will improve situations for tenants and landlords.
The Province is working towards making rent more affordable by introducing new legislation it claims will improve situations for tenants and landlords.
The new legislation would better protect tenants by preventing unlawful evictions, and increasing tenant compensation for “no fault,” and “bad faith” evictions by one and 12 months’ rent.
As well, these new changes would also double the fine amount for offences under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 to $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for a corporation for unlawful evictions.
“Our government cares about the well-being of Ontarians and we want to ensure the system is fair for both tenants and landlords,” Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said in a news release.
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“We’ve heard the concerns from tenants who’ve been forced to leave their homes due to renovations. That’s why we are taking action to increase fines, raise tenant compensation and tighten the rules to encourage everyone to follow the law,” he continued.
Additionally, the legislation will make things easier on landlords by modernizing and streamlining dispute resolution processes with the Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) over time, and allowing alternatives to formal hearings to resolve certain issues and encourage negotiated settlements–one example includes shifting disputes related to unpaid utility bills from small claims court to the LTB.
“Ontario needs more rental housing, and our members applaud Minister Clark for the steps he has taken to improve the climate for operating and building rental housing,” Tony Irwin, president and CEO of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario, said in the same release.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to balance the needs of landlords and tenants by cutting red tape and promoting more rental construction in Ontario,” he continued.
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