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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

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OLA Community Association Members – “BEAT THE HEAT” For Our Valued Tenant Clients

Saturday, July 15th, 2023

In the summer of 2022 we launched our “Beat The Heat” campaign.

Many in our community association used to be renters before and were upset when they saw that some corporate landlords tried to evict long term tenants just because they wanted to keep the air conditioners to create a comfortable living environment.

With climate change and rising temperatures our community disagreed with what these corporations were doing.

In fact, many in our community association used to be renters and were furious! This was just not fair and just not right. And also bad business practices.

The System Is Improving, But Not Fast Enough

There have been some changes in 2023 thanks to our individual community members and the great work from some really great Tenant groups who work hard for fairness and justice.

Tenants want to live in safe and comfortable housing?….Of Course! 

There’s nothing “mysterious” about it: everyone wants to live in a safe and comfortable home.

There are rules for minimum temperatures in winter, so many in our community have been calling for rules for maximum temperatures.

OLA Community Wants Win-Win Relationship With Our Tenants

Our community had a great discussion on this and keep trying to make things better

We have made it clear that providing safe and comfortable housing is the key to success. Tenants appreciate landlords who make sure our rentals are the best on the market. We stressed that landlords should be “the landlords they always hoped to find” when we were renting.

Join Our Community And Become A Successful Landlord In 2023!

Join us in helping tenants “Beat The Heat” as small ‘mom and pop’ landlords in our community continue to lead the way to improve the rental industry for landlord-tenant fair relationships.

Make sure your valued Tenants are safe and comfortable and become the landlord you always wanted to find! 

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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.

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Posted in airbnb, Good Tenant Tips, Landlord and Tenant Board, Landlord and Tenant Board Appeal, Landlord and tenant board hearing, Landlord and Tenant News, Ontario standard lease | Comments Off on Warning! Don’t Sign A Long Term Airbnb Contract Without An Ontario Government Lease Agreement – If You Do It Can Destroy Your Life!

Ontario Landlords Can Raise the Rent 2.5% in 2024

Sunday, July 2nd, 2023

 

Ontario Landlords Can Raise the Rent 2.5% in 2024

Most Ontario landlords will be able to increase rent by up to 2.5 per cent next year.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark says the rent increase guideline for 2024 is set at the same rate as for this year, and he notes that it is below the average inflation rate of 5.9 per cent.

The cap does not apply to rental units first occupied after Nov. 15, 2018.

Landlords can also apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for increases above 2.5 per cent.

They must also give tenants at least 90 days’ written notice of a rent increase and they are not allowed to increase the rent more than once a year.

NDP housing critic Jessica Bell says 2.5-per-cent rent increases will make the housing affordability crisis worse.

“(It) is a huge increase, especially when you consider that rent is already so high, and most Ontarians’ wages haven’t kept up,” she wrote in a statement.

“And if you’re in a rental first rented on November 15, 2018 or later, the sky’s the limit as far as how high your rent can go up, thanks to the Ford Conservatives’ massive loophole.”

The government set the rent increase guideline at zero in 2021 during the pandemic and raised it to 1.2 per cent for 2022.

 

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Public Consultation on the Next Edition of The Ontario Fire Code – OLA Community Association Members Want To Help Make Rentals “Fire-Safe” And Protect Our Tenants!

Saturday, July 1st, 2023

OLA Community Association Members have played a key role in saving lives by educating small landlords to ensure their rentals are up to code and “fire safe” for over a decade.

We continue to make sure Tenants are safe and tragedies are avoided by educating landlords on the importance of making your rental units safe, legal and you take a super active role in ensuring your renters are are not in danger.

Let’s keep working (as we have for over a decade) on the importance to make your rents safe and secure!

Please make sure our community members continue to work hard to create super safe homes for our tenant clients and work hard for rules and policies that protect good landlords and those who rent our properties.

Share your individual experiences and advice and recommendations and let’s improve the Ontario rental industry and protect Tenants!

—–

Ministry of the Solicitor General     

Office of the Fire Marshal

25 Morton Shulman Avenue

2nd Floor

Toronto ON  M3M 0B1

Dear Stakeholders:

RE:     Public Consultation on the Next Edition of The Ontario Fire Code

The Ministry of the Solicitor General is currently seeking input on proposed changes for the next edition of the Ontario Fire Code, O. Reg. 213/07 made under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997.

The proposed changes to the Ontario Fire Code focus on improving harmonization with the 2020 National Fire Code, aligning with recent changes to the Ontario Building Code, strengthening fire safety by addressing known fire safety risks, and addressing administrative, consequential, and minor technical issues in the code.

Between May 29 and July 13, 2023, stakeholders are invited to participate in the public consultation and provide feedback on the proposed changes, as well as on potential costs and impacts related to these proposals.

Proposed changes are available for review and comment via the Ontario Regulatory Registry at the following link: 2023 Ontario Fire Code (ontariocanada.com)

We encourage you to share this message and the enclosed link with individuals or organizations within your sector.

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