The groups — the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now — say landlords are taking advantage of rules that allow them to apply for government permission to increase rent beyond the legally permitted amount. Advocacy groups are calling on the Ontario government to close what they call loopholes in the province’s housing law that they say allow landlords to off-load maintenance costs onto tenants. As a result, they say, lower-income tenants are being pushed out of their homes. The groups say the province must clarify what work is deemed necessary and require landlords to notify tenants before they start any repairs for which they plan to apply for an additional rent increase. Last year the province extended rent control to all residential properties, setting an annual cap on rent increases tied to the Consumer Price Index.

Source: thestar February 13, 2018 21:11 UTC