Manual

THE FEDERATION OF METRO TENANTS' ASSOCIATIONS		Tenant Survival Manual
Chapters Introduction The Residential Tenancies Act Landlord and Tenant Board Are You Covered by the Law? Private Market Housing Social Housing Before You Move In Tenancy Agreements Discrimination Information Package Last Month's Rent Key Deposit Illegal Charges Rent Rent Increases Above Guideline Rent Increases Rent Reductions Automatic Rent Reductions Rent Freezes Trouble Paying Your Rent? Rent in Social Housing Repairs and Maintenance How to Get Repairs Done Working Together Privacy Locks and Keys Harassment Ending a Tenancy Subletting Assigning Evictions Eviction Procedure Reasons for Eviction Conversion, Demolition or Renovation How To File an Application Hearings About the FMTA		Above Guideline Rent Increases In certain situations, a property owner may increase the rent above the annual guideline amount, even if the tenants do not agree. This is called an Above Guideline Increase (AGI). In order to increase the rent above the annual guideline amount, a property owner must apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board and there must be a hearing. A property owner may only apply for an AGI if they have: · Experienced an ‘extraordinary’ increase in municipal taxes or heat, hydro, and water costs · Done capital expenditure work on your building (like replacing the elevators or putting a new roof on the building) · Increased the security of your building If a property owner has applied for an AGI, they must submit evidence about their expenses to the Landlord and Tenant Board. After they have submitted their evidence, they must give you Notice of Hearing and a copy of the application (called an L5) 30 days before the hearing. The property owner must also make all the evidence about their expenses available to you by either having a copy of the file available at the management office, or providing you with a CD of the file (they can charge no more than $5.00). You have a right to challenge the increase! The Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (FMTA) is funded by the City of Toronto to help tenants fight Above Guideline Increases. If you have received a notice that your rent is increasing above the annual guideline amount, or would like more information, please call the Outreach & Organizing Team at 416-413-9442. For more information about Above Guideline Increases click here or see Section 126 of the RTA. We are currently testing this online version of the Tenant Survival Manual: If you notice something that needs to be clarified; if you want more information on a particular subject; or if you simply would like to comment on the Tenant Survival Manual, please click here to send us an email.