Add your name to the petition to call on the Ford Government to protect tenants by banning Above Guidelines Increases (AGIs)

Ontario tenants are suffering because of loopholes in rental laws, especially Above Guideline Rent Increases (AGIs). Landlords exploit AGIs to hike rents for minor or cosmetic upgrades, even after years of neglecting basic maintenance.

The Residential Tenancies Act is clear: rent should fund upkeep. But poor enforcement lets landlords profit from disrepair. AGI applications have skyrocketed 250% in the last decade, hitting over 200,000 households, mostly benefiting Canada’s largest landlords [Source: Robin Lennox Website]

Sign the petition by clicking on the link below:

Ban AGIs - MPP Robin Lennox

 

BOARD UPDATE

Please be advised that effective immediately, Lori S. and Christopher S. have been appointed to the positions of Treasurer and Secretary respectively.

Judi K. and Chris H. have resigned (retired) from their Board duties. We wish Judi and Chris all the best and thank them for their years of service and dedication 

New Bylaw Affecting In-Suite Summer Temperatures

Posted 10/13/26

HAMILTON, ON – Hamilton City Council has approved a pilot program for a new Adequate Temperature Bylaw in Downtown Hamilton [Ward 2 only], a first-of-its-kind initiative in Ontario designed to help protect renters from unsafe indoor temperatures during periods of extreme heat.

The Adequate Temperature Bylaw is set to be piloted from June 1, 2027 to September 15, 2028.

What renters and landlords can expect

• The pilot is scheduled to begin June 1, 2027, allowing time for education and outreach before implementation.
• Landlords will be required to keep at least one habitable space in a rental unit at or below 26°C between May 15 and September 15 each year.
• The City will provide information and guidance to renters and landlords ahead of the pilot launch.
• An exemption process will be available where compliance is not feasible due to building or infrastructure limitations.

October Membership Meeting

Membership Meeting

October 15, 2026

Member Registration: 6:30 p.m. •  Meeting Commences at 7 p.m.

90 Duke (Social Room)

Note:

Current paid up members are eligible to vote on any motion that may arise. Non-members are not eligible to vote. Residents who are BGO Staff or any of their contracted services are not eligible to attend the meeting

What you need to know about membership dues:

Tenant Associations, “…may collect voluntary memberships dues if its members have agreed to them through a constitution, membership agreement, or properly approved resolution …”

Durand Village Tenant Association Constitution approved September 2, 2025 details the following:

Article 11. Membership:

a. All members must pay an annual $12.00 per unit membership fee, which may be waived by the Board in circumstances of financial hardship.

b. This annual membership amount may be changed by majority vote of the paid-up membership.

c. Paid-up members are required to provide address, email and phone number. Your privacy is protected by the Federal Privacy Act. Tenant is responsible to request removal due to vacating.

Dues Payment:

Our fiscal/financial year begins on April 1 and ends March 31 of each year. 

If you paid your  2026 membership fee, it is still active until March 31, 2027.

If you are a new resident or have not previously paid a membership fee for 2026, and you wish to become a member, you have two choices:

1. You can pay a 6 month prorated fee to expire on March 31, 2027. It is $6 or;
2. You can pay the 6 month fee along with the 2027/28 fee that will then expire on March 31, 2028. It is $6+$12 = $18.

Ways to Pay your Fees

1. Pay by cheque made payable to: Durand Village Tenants Association and bring to meeting 

2. E-Transfer your fee to dvtassociation@gmail.com. Be sure to enter your name, address email address and phone number in the bank transfer comments section. 

3. Pay during registration, by cheque, debit card or credit card prior to the start of the meeting.

4. Contact the Board at: dvtassociation@gmail.com to arrange other options.

—Durand Village Board of Directors 

 

NEW RULES
COMING SEPTEMBER 21, 2026

What to know: 

• The new rules take effect Sept. 21, following an earlier round of changes that came into effect July 1.

• Tenants who miss rent will have less time to pay: the N4 deadline for monthly and yearly tenants will drop from 14 days to seven days.

• Three late payments within six months could qualify as “persistent late payments” if the tenant fails to pay within seven days of the rent being due.

• N12 compensation rules are changing in some circumstances, while new provisions are intended to strengthen protections against bad-faith own-use evictions.

• New rules will also affect what tenants must do to raise certain issues during non-payment eviction hearings, while additional requirements are coming for renovictions. —NOW Canada BEATRIZ FERREIRA

 

Renting with roommates in Ontario? Here are the rights and regulations you should know.

April 19, 2023 Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

Are you one of the many people in Ontario living with roommates? The amount of roommate households in Canada has grown by approximately 54% since 2001 and is currently the fastest growing household type. In Ontario, there are several types of co-living arrangements you can be a part of; however, being able to tell which one you fall under can be difficult. Here are some of the most common roommate arrangements in Ontario

1. Joint Tenants

What they are

• A joint tenancy is the most common co-living arrangement landlords use when renting to two or more adults.

What to consider

• All tenants can be evicted for a breach of tenant obligations such as arrears or property damage.
• If any rent or other money is owed to the Landlord, all tenants listed under the lease can be considered responsible for paying the full amount. In the case that you and your roommate(s) agreed to split the cost, you can still be held responsible if you paid your share and your roommate(s) did not.

2. Tenants in Common

What they are

• Two or more tenants live in the same unit together, however they have separate leasing agreements. 
• Each roommate pays their individual rent to the landlord separately.

What to consider

• Unlike with a joint tenancy, if one of the tenants does not pay their part of the rent, the landlord can only hold that individual tenant liable.
• Landlords may have a difficult time working with these types of lease agreements, and typically prefer a joint tenancy agreement.

3. Tenant/Occupant

What they are

• Occupants are people who consider the unit their primary residence, but, unlike a tenant, are not on the lease. As they are not on the lease, they are not formally responsible for paying rent to the landlord – only those listed as tenants in the lease are. They may have an arrangement to pay the tenant part of the rent.
• Common examples of occupants include: some spouses (married or common law) and/or children. Anyone can be an occupant based on the leasing agreement and whether they have permission from the landlord. Many “Roommates” are occupants, although some may be joint tenants or tenants in common.
• Anyone under 18 who is a dependent of the tenant is an occupant by default.

What to consider

• In some cases, since the occupant may not be covered by the lease, the occupant has little to no rights or control over their living in the residence.
• Occupants are unable to bring issues they have with a tenant or landlord to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
• If a tenant is evicted, the occupant will need to leave as well.
• Tenants are solely responsible for paying rent to the landlord but can choose to divide rent with an occupant in the amount they see fit, or as agreed to in a separate contract. .
• In a scenario where the occupant is someone renting from the tenant, it is generally recommended that a contract be made. If a contract has been formed, the occupant can take the tenant to court if the terms of their agreement are not being met. Keep in mind that the judge will look at the case based on contract law, not based on the RTA.

Sometimes, a tenant can be incorrectly labelled as an occupant. It’s important to know how you are protected under the law, if you are unsure whether you are a tenant or occupant, seek legal advice.

RTA-exempt Arrangements

What they are

• In an agreement exempt from the Residential Tenancies Act, relations between the owner and those occupying the property are decided solely by the contract that has been made.
• Examples of RTA-exempt arrangements include living directly with the landlord or a family member of the landlord, living in a student residence, living in hotels, motels, and/or vacation homes.
• Unsure if your living arrangement is RTA-exempt? You can find a full list of RTA exemptions here. If still unsure, it is best to get legal advice.

What to consider

• RTA-exempt agreements do not need to follow rent control guidelines.
• The RTA provides timelines for eviction that won’t protect renters who are exempt from the RTA.
• If you are in a RTA-exempt agreement, you cannot pursue legal action against your landlord at the Landlord and Tenant Board, but you can take them to court if there is a breach of contract. The court will look at your case based on contact law, rather than the RTA.
• Landlords will sometimes falsely claim that a tenant is exempt from the RTA to undermine their rights. If you think your landlord might be doing this, seek legal advice.
• Being under an RTA-exempt agreement does not automatically mean you have no protections under the RTA. Seek legal advice to find out the ways in which the RTA applies to you.

It’s not always clear what roommate agreement applies to you. It’s important to know where you stand legally to best protect yourself. We recommend that you pursue legal advice to get more information and guidance on your specific situation.

Do you want to learn more about your rights as a renter? ACTO has developed tip sheets and guides, which can be accessed here.

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Updates

Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) is a specialty community legal clinic, funded by Legal Aid Ontario, with a province-wide mandate to serve low-income tenants across the province. The clinic also coordinates the Tenant Duty Counsel Program (TDCP) across Ontario, which provides legal information and assistance to self-represented tenants appearing at the Landlord and Tenant Board.

 

The real reason Ontario’s rental market is broken? Lack of effective rent control.

February 9, 2023 Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

Ontario’s rental market is broken. Vacancy rates have reached historic lows in 2022 for many Ontario cities, according to CMHC’s recently published annual Rental Market Report. A majority of cities saw vacancy rates drop dramatically to 1.9% or lower; the lowest rates have been since 2001. Average rents in major Ontario cities have risen anywhere from 5 to 12% compared to last year. That figure soars higher for condiminiums. To put it simply: we don’t have anywhere near enough rental housing supply and what is available is eye-wateringly expensive.

For the first time ever, the CMHC report shows the impact vacancy decontrol has on the rental market. Vacancy decontrol is a policy that allows landlords to charge any rent they want for a unit that is unoccupied, regardless of what the previous tenant paid. The report noted that the average rent across Canada for a two bedroom unit that turned over saw an 18.2% increase. When compared to units with existing tenants, however, the increase was only 2.8%.

How does rent control currently operate in Ontario?

Existing tenants in Ontario are protected by rent control; meaning the landlord can only increase their rent each year up to the limit set out by the province. It used to be that rent control applied to all units, even ones that were turning over. However, in the mid-1990s, the policy of vacancy decontrol was introduced. Rental prices have soared ever since. The CMHC report found that in 2022, vacancy decontrol sharply increased rents for two bedroom apartments that had turned over by 26% in Hamilton, 17% in Ottawa, and 29% in Toronto – compared to 1.2% for existing tenants.

Rent control also doesn’t apply to rental units that were first occupied on or after November 15th, 2018. For those unfortunate tenants, they have no protections at all. Their landlords can raise the rent by however much they want. And raise it they do – we’ve had tenants coming to us in crisis because their landlords have demanded increases of 20% or higher and they can’t afford to pay it.

Policy-makers justified vacancy decontrol and the 2018 loophole because they claimed it would increase supply. These changes also came at a time when governments largely stopped investing in co-ops and other forms of affordable housing. Thirty or so years later, we still don’t have enough supply. Ontario needs to build at least 10,000 new rental units each year to meet the demand of a growing population. However, we’ve seen an average of only 5,500 rental completions annually over the period from 1990 to 2020. That’s approximately half of what we need. After decades of these policies, there is no evidence to suggest vacancy decontrol increases supply at all.

The real cost of vacancy decontrol

What is clear, however, is that vacancy decontrol and the 2018 loophole are a total disaster for housing affordability. It has become so dire that even a major Canadian bank is calling for Canada to double its supply of subsidized housing, sharing that Canada has one of the lowest rates of subsidized affordable housing of all the OECD countries – a paltry 3.5% of housing stock.

What does this tell us, in practical terms? Instead of creating more supply, these policies have incentivized landlords to evict tenants from their homes so they can make more money off a new tenant. It also means even if we do build more supply, anything new entering the rental market is going to be unaffordable, because it’s exempt from having any rent control at all. Renters will be forced to cut back on other basic necessities (like food) just to stay housed. Evictions (both formal and informal) will continue unchecked. It means more renters will be at risk of homelessness.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The right policies can correct the mistakes of the past. Eliminate vacancy decontrol and close the 2018 exemption to new units. It’s time to bring back true affordability for Ontarians. It’s time for real rent control.

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Housing

Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario

The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) is a specialty community legal clinic, funded by Legal Aid Ontario, with a province-wide mandate to serve low-income tenants across the province. The clinic also coordinates the Tenant Duty Counsel Program (TDCP) across Ontario, which provides legal information and assistance to self-represented tenants appearing at the Landlord and Tenant Board.