Tougher to evict Ontario tenants

September 18, 2017

Got bad tenants? It will be harder and more costly to evict them following recent changes in Ontario rental legislation that came into effect September 1.
When an Ontario landlord evicts a tenant in order to use the unit—either for  themselves or for a family member—they now have to give the tenant one month’s rent as compensation.
Alternatively, the landlord could offer the tenant another acceptable rental unit.
As well, the landlord is required to express intent to occupy the unit for at least a year, which the government says will discourage landlords from converting the unit into a short-term rental or immediately re-renting it at a higher rate.
If the landlord advertises, re-rents, demolishes or converts the unit within a year they could face a fine of up to $25,000.
The changes are part of the government’s housing plan announced this spring, which included expanding rent controls to all rental units, not just those built before 1991, as under the previous legislation.