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The Tenant Protection Act

The Tenant Protection Act (TPA) was passed by the Government of Ontario in 1998. It is the main law that sets out rules for residential tenants and landlords in this province. A full copy of the TPA and its regulations can be purchased at the Government of Ontario Bookstore located at 880 Bay Street, between College and Wellesley Streets. The cost is approximately $25.00. The Government Bookstore can mail you a copy of the TPA for an additional Shipping fee. To order a copy, phone 416-326-5300.

Tenants can also download the TPA from the Landlord and Tenants Board’s web page at www.ltb.gov.on.ca.

The TPA deals with the main issues that concern tenants:

• How high can my landlord raise my rent?
• For what reasons can my landlord evict me?
• How can I make sure my landlord keeps my apartment and building maintained?

Sometimes a landlord may require you to sign a lease, which takes away a right set out under the law. However even if you have signed such a lease, you can’t be forced to give up your rights under provincial law: a lease cannot overrule the TPA. For example, if you move into an apartment and sign a lease stating that tenants cannot have pets, you still have the right to own a pet in that apartment because the provincial law grants tenants the right to own a pet.

Under the TPA, decisions about evictions, rent increases, and other issues are decided by a government agency called the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal (referred to from this point onward as the Tribunal). Landlord and tenant disputes no longer go (initially at least) through the Ontario Court.