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Understanding Rental Rights: Rent Control Guidelines by Tiana Row Heading

Updated: Jan 19

Rent. As students in a university town, it's a term we are all extremely familiar with. It is also a term that can seem extremely intimidating upon first glance- dealing with landlords, understanding tenant rights, and navigating the wide web of rent regulations. Among these regulations, rent control laws play a significant role in shaping the dynamics between landlords and tenants. It is important that all tenants, especially those in university, understand rent control is in order to protect their rights against potential schemes.


What exactly is rent control? Rent control refers to the guidelines set by the government in order to regulate the scope in which landlords can increase rent on residential properties. The Residential Tenancies Act is the law in Ontario that covers rent control. The Residential Tenancies Act:

  • Provides landlords and tenants with their rights and responsibilities.

  • Offers information about the Landlord and Tenant's Board's proceedings.

  • Resolves disputes between landlords and tenants.


The Residential Tenancies Acts supports the annual increase of rent within a limit. The guideline provides that the maximum increase that is allowed annually by landlords is 2.5%. If the increase is within the 2.5% range, then landlords are not required to consult and gain he approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board. A landlord can choose to incur an increase in tenants rent if there have been at least twelve (12) months since the last rental increase or twelve (12) months since the date of the tenancy began.


Rent control was put in place to establish a balance between a landlord's rental income and a tenant's need for affordable housing. It creates fair prices without sacrificing benefits of either side. As students, knowledge of rent control is essential, so we understand our rights and are able to defend them.


Under special circumstances, landlords may attempt to increase tenants rent beyond the rent increase guideline. These increases that do not align with the guidelines are called Above Guideline Increases. The Above Guideline Increases may be justified if they are needed to cover to cost of major repair or renovations - but this increase would need to be approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board, unlike the guideline increase. The landlord is required to give the tenant notice that they have requested approval for an increase that defies the guidelines. If a tenant deems that the increase is unjustifiable, they are within their rights to dispute the rent increase with the Landlord and Tenant Board.


Once a property has been voluntarily vacated, the landlord is allowed to set a new rent. Should the landlord choose to increase the rent for new tenants (prior to their lease signing), the landlord is no longer obligated to follow the rent control increase guidelines. This means that should the landlord increase the rent once the property has been vacated, the increase can be greater than 2.5%.


University students who rent are often viewed as naïve and unethical landlords view them as the perfect people to take of advantage of. They will use student tenant's miseducation as an opportunity to seek financial advancement, so it is important that students be educated on some of their rights as a tenant.



Works Cited


“How Much Can My Rent Go Up?” Steps to Justice, 24 Jan. 2024, stepstojustice.ca/questions/housing-law/how-much-can-my-rent-go/.


“LTB: Legislation and Regulation.” Tribunals Ontario, 29 Oct. 2021, tribunalsontario.ca/ltb/legislation-and-regulation/#.


“Residential Rent Increases.” Ontario.Ca, www.ontario.ca/page/residential-rent-increases. Accessed Mar. 2024.

 
 
 

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