Residential Tenancy Reform Consultation Paper

RESIDENTIAL TENANCY REFORM CONSULTATION PAPER
Making landlords and tenants aware
of their rights and responsibilities
To ensure that tenants and landlords are aware of their
rights and responsibilities, the government could
require that landlords of multi-unit buildings post a document
outlining these rights and responsibilities in a conspicuous
place on the rental property.
Background:
Previous legislation required landlords to post a summary
of specific sections of the law that described the rights
and obligations of tenants and landlords. This requirement
was limited to multi-unit buildings, and the document had
to be posted in a common area. This requirement was difficult
to enforce, and landlords needed to be aware of any
amendments to any section so they could ensure the most
recent version was posted. It was sometimes difficult for
landlords to comply with this requirement because of vandalism.
A requirement to post this type of document was not
included in the Tenant Protection Act, 1997 (TPA).
Questions for consideration:
1. Should landlords be required to post a document
that is easy to see in rental buildings, giving
information about the rights and responsibilities
of landlords and tenants?
A. Yes. Require landlords to post information about
the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
This option means that the majority of tenants would have
access to this information in their buildings.
B. No. Do not require landlords to post information
about rights and responsibilities of tenants and
landlords.
With this option, tenants would not have access to the
information in their buildings. However, it is possible that
many tenants would not read the document anyway, but
could continue to access all necessary information through
the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal (the Tribunal).
2. What should the text of the document be?
A. A copy of the sections of the new legislation that
describe the rights and responsibilities of tenants
and landlords.
With this option, landlords would be responsible for
ensuring that they replace the excerpt with an updated
version, should there be subsequent amendments to the
section.
This option would ensure that the relevant parts of the
legislation are available in a readily accessible location.
However, some tenants might find the legal nature of the
text difficult to understand.
B. A plain-language summary of the sections of the
new legislation that describes the rights and
responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
With this option, the government would issue an official
summary in clear language.
This option would make the text more readable and userfriendly.
The drawback of options A and B is that each would
require a multiple-page document. This is likely too long
to be effective in posted form.
C. A brief explanation of how the Ontario Rental
Housing Tribunal helps tenants and landlords, and
contact information such as the phone number
and website.
This option would produce the shortest and simplest
document. Tenants would still be made aware of how to
access the information, and could contact the Tribunal for
assistance with specific issues.
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