Archive for the ‘Landlord and Tenant Board’ Category

100% Protecting Tenants And Promoting Good Landlords With This Great New Site – Ratethelandlord.org

Saturday, September 2nd, 2023

With vacancy rates so low and so many people seeking a home we need protections.  The biggest story these days is how a crazy small landlord shot his tenants due to to mold issues.

All we want is a safe and affordable home owned by a professional landlord who understands the Residential Tenancies Act and follows the Landlord and Tenant Board rules.

While landlords want credit and criminal checks, Tenants are just trying of find a safe and affordable home.

A Way For Tenants To Find The Best Landlords

Even landlords on the ontariolandlords forum agree that Tenants need a way to find them.

These are landlords who used to rent themselves and want to create the rentals and be the landlord they always wanted to find.

This new service gives Tenants a way to find the best landlords and reward them!

And punish the bad landlords who give them all a bad reputation.

There Are Great Landlords Out There…Make Sure You Find Them!

Let’s make sure this super excellent new website is a way we can protect each other!

Make sure to add comments on your experiences, especially if the small landlord is someone you want to warn others about. It’s exploding in popularity according to CTV NEWS,

The link is-

Ratethelandlord.org

SHARE THIS WILL ALL YOUR FRIENDS! LET’S HELP US ALL SURVIVE!

IT’S ANONYMOUSE!

This is a great way to protect Tenants and promote Good Landlords.

It’s win-win!

It’s Not “Lobbying” – LTB Asking For Landlord/Tenant Feedback From Our Community Members – Be A Pro Landlord & Keep Aware Of The Latest Changes

Saturday, July 15th, 2023

 MEMORANDUM

TO:                 Landlord and Tenant Board Stakeholders

FROM:           Ian Speers, Associate Chair

                         Lindiwe Bridgewater, Acting Registrar

DATE:            July 2023

RE:                  LTB Updates

We are writing to inform you about LTB updates to our forms, information about the new Videoconference User Feedback Survey and a reminder about email consolidation.

Forms Update:

These updates will help simplify the process and allow us to action certain requests more quickly.

Advance Resolution Request (ARR)

We have removed the Advance Resolution Request (ARR) section on our website and replaced it with a section called: Resolving Matters Without a Hearing.  The ARR form has been replaced with two forms,

  1. Request to Withdraw an Application This form can be used by the applicant if they want to withdraw the application.
  1. Request for a Discontinuance Order Without a Hearing Where the tenant has paid, in full, all arrears and the application fee, the applicant can file this form to request that the application be discontinued.  An L1/L9 update sheet is no longer required (and should not be provided) in support of a request for a discontinuance order. Instead, the applicant makes a declaration and completes a draft order for the Board to review for issuance.

Parties seeking a consent order under section 206 should upload the  Payment Agreement Form as a document type in the portal.  There is no longer a need to also use the ARR form.

As a transition measure, the LTB will continue to accept the current ARR forms until September 30, 2023, after which, any ARR forms submitted will be returned and the applicant will be directed to complete one of the two new forms as appropriate.

Issues a Tenant Intends to Raise at a Rent Arrears Hearing

The LTB has updated the Issues a Tenant Intends to Raise at a Rent Arrears Hearing form to include L10 applications.

Videoconference User Feedback Survey

The LTB has implemented a Videoconference User Feedback Survey for proceedings held on Zoom.

The survey, which is in place at all tribunals within Tribunals Ontario, asks hearing participants for feedback related to their technical experience using Zoom.

At the end of each hearing, or any proceeding on Zoom, participants will receive a pop-up message that asks if they want to complete the survey. If they want to participate, they will be redirected to a Tribunals Ontario webpage where they can complete the survey in either French or English. The survey is anonymous.

We note the survey is aimed at those participating in a Zoom hearing by video. Those participating by phone will not receive the survey link. We are currently working on a process for distributing a survey to those participating by phone.

The survey will provide valuable insight and will help Tribunals Ontario and the LTB improve the videoconference experience for those who come before our tribunal.

Email Consolidation

As reminder, effective July 10, 2023, the Landlord and Tenant Board regional email office addresses are no longer accepting emails. Parties can use LTB@ontario.ca to contact the LTB for file-specific inquiries or requests. An operational update will be added to our website on July 10 with more details.

Sincerely,

Ian Speers                                                   Lindiwe Bridgewater

Associate Chair                                           Acting Registrar

Warning! Don’t Sign A Long Term Airbnb Contract Without An Ontario Government Lease Agreement – If You Do It Can Destroy Your Life!

Wednesday, July 5th, 2023

I’m a Tenant who wants to make my voice heard for fairness for both Tenants and landlords. By communicating our concerns to each other I hope to help improve the Ontario rental industry. Thank you for this very fair platform to “make things better” in these trying times. I think all good landlords will agree that this situation is unfair and help us fix this “loop hole”.

The news was shocking!  Landlords can now “step aside” the Landlord and Tenant Board. And it’s so easy!

This is right out of the show Black Mirror!

It’s like you can use some “drivers ap” to drive and you can speed and even do hit and runs with no punishments!!!

Background

A family from Switzerland came to Toronto with their kids. They needed long term housing, as both Mom and Dad had proof of a work permit and their kids were in school.  They signed a one  year contract with Airbnb to live in a nice area and paid rent on time.

They only decided on this property because they signed a nearly one year agreement.

A few months into this long term contract the landlords ordered the Tenants to “move out” and eventually locked them out!

You can read more about this here.

Landlord Tenant Board Should Be Called The Landlord Board

The Tenants and the landlords both filed at the LTB

The result was shocking and unfair…and a HUGE WAKE UP CALL FOR TENANTS!

The Tenants lost because the adjudicator said they were just like “on vacation” like “living in a hotel”.

Facts Were Ignored At The Landlord And Tenant Board

The Tenants and landlords agreed to a long term agreement.

For a year.

It was a contract and the nice family wanted a year of stability and safety.

It Was A Long Term Rental From Day 1, Not A “Vacation Hotel”!

Tenants were not on “vacation” they signed the contract for a long term rental:

-they both had year long work permits

-were working

-their kids in a local school for long term education.

When The System Is Broken – And It is Broken

We hope the Tenant appeals, but they are still locked out of their home.

Harsh Results!

The Tenants signed for the long term. Now they are faced with horrific challenges. They need to find new housing, new schools, expensive moving their belongings, and even might have to quit their jobs.

The Emotional Toll Was Huge!

Imagine having your home taken away from you. All because of a loophole that allows landlords to use an “ap” as a weapon. We need more protections!

Good Landlords Will Understand Your Worries And Offer You A Real Lease That Protect BOTH Parties!

I’m not saying all landlords will use this “LTB/RTA LOOPHOLE” but based on this experience it’s important for all of us to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves and our family.

Good landlords will always be happy to get you to sign with the Ontario Government Lease.

How Can You Download The Ontario Government Lease To Sign With Your Landlord?

You can download it for free here.

When this is signed you get Tenant protections from the Landlord and Tenant Board under the laws of the Residential Tenancies Act.

Stay Informed And Stay Safe

With scorching rising rents and fewer and fewer affordable rentals out there make sure you are informed and make sure you protect you and your family.

LTB Update – Email Consolidation

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023

TO:                 Landlord and Tenant Board Stakeholders

FROM:           Ian Speers, Associate Chair

                       Lindiwe Bridgewater, Acting Registrar

DATE:            May 1, 2023 

RE:                LTB Update – Email Consolidation

We are writing to inform you about our plan to consolidate all regional email addresses into one centralized email address.

This initiative will help us to modernize operations and improve our service delivery standards. It will enable the LTB to streamline processes and to respond to inquiries in a more efficient manner, including ensuring that urgent submissions and file-specific inquiries are properly prioritized. This will also help minimize confusion among parties about which email address to use when contacting the LTB.

Effective July 10, 2023, parties can use LTB@ontario.ca  to contact the LTB. Emails sent to the regional email addresses on or after July 10, 2023, will receive an email bounce-back advising them that their email has not been received by the LTB and directing them to resend their email to LTB@ontario.ca.

We continue to encourage users to use the Tribunals Ontario Portal to upload evidence and submissions for their LTB file or to submit requests instead of using email. Using the portal will ensure your casefile is updated in real time and allows the LTB to address your requests in a timely way.

If you have any questions, please contact LTB@ontario.ca.

Sincerely,

Ian Speers                                   Lindiwe Bridgewater

Associate Chair                          Acting Registrar

Let’s Improve The Rental Industry For Good Landlords & Good Tenants – Share Advice, Tips & More

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023
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We want everyone to help out where you can! We are all about team work and people from around the country helping us make things better!
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Join our community association to share stories, advice and tips on how to improve the rental industry for both small landlords and tenants.
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.Share your stories with us, share your experiences, share your hopes and dreams.
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.Please email us at: landlordcommunity@post.com
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Please note that due the huge volume we can’t post every story but will try our best to get your voice heard!!!
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