Ontario Tenant and Landlord Rights

Landlord and Tenant Rights are the fundamental building blocks for development of legal protections and/or standards in housing and housing accommodations in the private rental market.

In Canada, these rights vary from province to province, differing in unique ways based on their historical and geographical context. To keep things simple, we are going to focus on landlord and tenant rights in Ontario.

For further details, please click here.

Immigration and industrialization contributed to increases in population, combined with post-war economic and social conditions contributing to population booms and busts and the need to compete in the global market — Canada has developed a perpetual need for housing.

Canadian governments have intervened in the private housing market to stimulate the economy and help Canadian citizens in need, but it’s a delicate balance that often tilts in favour of the economy.

For further details, please click here.

Rental housing policy was first introduced to Ontario under the National Housing Act (1944) to protect low-income families and veterans returning from WWII.

Though after lobbying by developers and the private market, the NHA was repealed in less than a decade, but as we learned above, the act would make it necessary reappearance in Canadian law, largely excluding the legislative regulations governing rental housing.

For further details, please click here.

This section is a brief overview of the Residential Tenancy Act currently governing landlord and tenant relations in Ontario.

The goal here is to develop an understanding of landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities as outlined by the Act as it relates to residential rental accommodations.

For further details, please click here.

Interestingly enough, housing cooperatives are included in the residential tenancy act - for obvious reason including the fact that they are a form of residential housing - despite being generally governed by a different set/combination of federal and provincial legislation, specifically the Canada Cooperative Act (1998) and the Co-operative Corporations Act (1990).

For further details, please click here.

Such as:

Provincially standardized lease agreement

Residential tenancy act

Landlord and tenant board

Ontario tenant FAQS

Tenant and housing history archives

Rental housing and the Ontario human rights code

For further details, please click here.