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Nothing on this site should be construed to be legal advice. I am not a lawyer, I am simply sharing what I have learned as a public service. Seek professional advice and assistance if you think you need it.
This part of my web presence is dedicated to empowering tenants to stand up for their rights here in Kingston. Most of this information will be applicable to other municipalities in Ontario as well. I have rented in Ontario, Canada for many years and continue to be amazed at how little some tenants seem to know about the rights granted them under the law and how to defend themselves against exploitation and abuse at the hands of unscrupulous landlords.
Learn what your rights and obligations are according to the law.
Read and understand the Tenant Protection Act. If you need help translating some of the legalese into plain-speak, get it. There are people who are being paid by your tax dollars to answer your questions. Make them earn their keep!
Your neighbourhood Legal Aid Clinic and the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal information number are a good start. If you are lucky (?) enough to live in Kingston, Ontario, Queen's University has a Legal Aid service that specializes in rental issues for both students and non-students. Other universities with law faculties may have similar services.
If you think you're too busy to read the whole Act (it's really not that bad), at least read the notes under "TPA Highlights". These are the most commonly abused parts of the law based on my recent rental experiences and anecdotal stories I've been told. Think about it... these laws didn't get written "just in case" a situation arose, they came into being because the behaviour they prohibit existed and was injurious to the tenant or landlord.
Before I get too far into the demon side of the rental housing scene, I'd like to clarify the fact that I do not believe that *all* landlords are unscrupulous slumlords out to make a buck at everyone else's expense. Far from it. Most of my landlords have been great people who conducted business in a professional and considerate manner. But then again, not all landlords are equal. Some are at the low end of the scale. Observing first hand how tenant ignorance can be exploited by unethical property managers and landlords was the motivation for this part of my web site. Here in Kingston, as well as other college towns no doubt, the most naive tenants are the students who are renting for the first time in their pseudo-adult lives. The information here is offered to "forewarn and forearm" tenants so they will not be taken advantage of by the minority of landlords who do so.
In the end, whether or not you are taken advantage of is determined by your willingness to inform yourself and then take steps to defend your rights when and as you see fit to do so.
Check back once in a while, this part of the site is just getting started.