A number of proposed changes have alarmed tenants and tenant advocates. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has put forward a range of proposals such as:
Legalizing No Pet Provisions and No Smoking provisions in leases
Making changes to the way in which eviction appeals and reviews are handled
Re-opening the rent cap to see if it is working
Advocates feel that these and other proposals stand to further empower landlords while marginalizing tenants. The rationale put forward by the government is that these proposals would make it more attractive for small landlords to enter the market and that in turn would boost the supply of rental housing.
These proposals will be up for public consultation till June 30.
The FMTA and other allied organizations were quick to point out that these proposals reflect landlord demands going back several years and that there is no evidence whatsoever to support that these changes would result in the creation of a single unit of rental housing. The FMTA received a lot of press coverage for this issue. To read some of it, visit:
Ontario mulls changes to rental rules, prompting concern from tenants groups
Mike Crawley, April 21, 2016; CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/rental-changes-1.3546107
Tenant groups sound the alarm over proposed changes to rental rules in Ontario
Luke Simcoe, Apr 22, Metro News
Ontario launches public consultation on tenancy act changes
Luke Simcoe, Apr 28, Metro News
http://www.metronews.ca/news/toronto/2016/04/28/ontario-launches-public-consultation-on-tenancy-act-changes.html
To read over the proposals and find contact information to make submissions, visit:
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page14836.aspx