Posts Tagged ‘LTB’

Tenants now more vulnerable than ever – eviction at the Superior Court of Justice

August 24th, 2022 by Hunter Stone

The Landlord and Tenant Board (the LTB) is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O (the RTA), C.17, and hears matters brought by landlords and tenants regarding the rental property.

In March 2020, the world‑wide COVID‑19 pandemic hit the LTB like a ton of bricks, causing extreme backlog at the tribunal. The LTB responded by adopting an electronic approach to filing materials and hearing matters, eliminating in person hearings entirely. This electronic approach was an attempt to deliver service in a time conscious manner. Despite these efforts, the LTB was and is still experiencing backlog due to the pandemic, leaving many landlords feeling frustrated about the delayed hearing process and issuance of orders. With few avenues to turn to, landlords are utilizing the Superior Court of Justice (the Superior Court) to evict their tenants living in condo units. Continue reading “Tenants now more vulnerable than ever – eviction at the Superior Court of Justice”

Rent Increase Guideline for 2023

July 18th, 2022 by Hunter Stone

Earlier this year we wrote about the rent increase guidelines for 2022, which lists the current allowable amount a landlord can increase their tenants’ rent by 1.2 per cent.

On June 29, 2022, the Government of Ontario stated the rent increase guideline for 2023 will be 2.5 per cent, noting this rate is below that of inflation. The last time a rent increase guideline was 2.5 per cent was in 2013. Continue reading “Rent Increase Guideline for 2023”

Who can provide legal advice in Ontario?

February 4th, 2022 by Hunter Stone

In Ontario, only lawyers and paralegals can give legal advice. The Law Society of Ontario is the governing body for Ontario’s lawyers and paralegals. Continue reading “Who can provide legal advice in Ontario?”

New Landlord and Tenant Board developments – Navigate Tribunals Ontario, Tribunals Ontario Portal, remote hearings

July 14th, 2021 by Celia Chandler

The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) continues to be plagued with lengthy delays, frustrating landlords, co‑ops, tenants, and everyone involved in the process. We do see them making efforts to improve things. One of these recent developments, launched on July 2, is Navigate Tribunals Ontario (NTO).

Continue reading “New Landlord and Tenant Board developments – Navigate Tribunals Ontario, Tribunals Ontario Portal, remote hearings”

The other side of eviction — one co-op’s story shows the gaps in our system

March 25th, 2021 by Celia Chandler

 

It’s been a tough year to be a landlord-side housing lawyer with a social conscience. Our tenant-side colleagues post horror stories of evictions happening by the dozen without tenants getting notice or benefiting from other procedural fairness protections. Continue reading “The other side of eviction — one co-op’s story shows the gaps in our system”

The LTB has become slooooow. Is there relief on the horizon?

May 10th, 2019 by Celia Chandler

Many of our housing clients have been disappointed recently about the length of time it takes to conduct business at the Landlord and Tenant Board. Rest assured, we are doing our very best to push things along as quickly as we can. The LTB acknowledges the delay on its website:

Over past months, parties have experienced service delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). The LTB continues to work with the government to improve its services. A number of experienced adjudicators have recently been reappointed and recruitment is under way to fill other adjudicator vacancies. On January 1, 2019, the LTB became part of the newly created Tribunals Ontario organization. A review will be conducted of all tribunals, including the LTB, to identify areas for improvement to make services more streamlined, cost-effective and efficient.

This is not new – the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail both reported on the delay, and on the LTB admission of the problem, six months ago. We see no improvement since then.

Continue reading “The LTB has become slooooow. Is there relief on the horizon?”