Q&As for MMAH’s Municipal Services Offices and Service Managers on RESIDENTIAL RENT FREEZE FOR 2021

Social Services Relief Fund money to local Service Managers and Indigenous Program Administrators.

This funding is being used to help people stay in their homes by providing funding for rent banks and utiiity banks, as well as providing emergency loans for those in need.

The province has also passed Btil 184, the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, 2020 this past summer, which introduced new and increased tenant protections and other changes to make renting fairer and easier.

8. What about support for landlords?

The provincial government appreciates the landlords who have supported tenants and asks att landlords to be as flexible as possible when it comes to coltecting rent at a time when many people are struggling. and it is critical that they are able to stay in their homes.

The provincial government continues to work with other levels of government and our partners in the rental market sector to explore additional supports during this unprecedented time and will continue to ask the federal government to step up its support for Ontarians.

Where landiords have incurred costs for capital expenditures such as repairs to their properties or improvements to security for tenants, they will still be able to request approval for an above guideline rent increase to recoup these costs, however these increases would be subtect to approval by the Landlord and Tenant Board.

9. What is the rent increase guideline?

A landlord can only increase rent in accordance with the RTA. The guideline is the maximum a landlord can increase most tenants’ rent during a yearwithout the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board.

In most cases, a landlord can increase rent by the annual rent increase guideline, and oniy if proper notice has been given at teast 90 days’ in advance and 12 months has passed since the test increase (or since the tenancy started).

The rent increase guidetine for 2020 was 2.2 per cent. Bill 204 revises the guideline for 2021, which was previously set at 1.5 per cent, to make the 2021 guideline 0 per cent.

10.What is an Above Guideline Increase (AGI)?

Special increases or AGIs may be approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board in certain circumstances. These include when a landlord has incurred: