LMCH has the right to:
- Collect a rent deposit - It cannot be more than one month’s rent. This deposit must be used as the rent payment for the last month or week of your tenancy. It cannot be used for any other reason, such as to pay for damages. LMCH must pay interest on the deposit every year.
- Increase the rent - There are special rules that limit how often LMCH can increase the rent and by how much. In most cases, LMCH can increase the rent only once a year by the guideline that is set by the Ontario Government. LMCH must give a tenant at least 90 days notice in writing of any rent increase and this notice must be on the proper form. Exceptions: Non-profit and public housing units, residences at schools, colleges and universities, and certain other accommodation are not covered by all the rent rules.
LMCH is responsible for:
- Keeping the rental property in a good state of repair and obeying health, safety and maintenance standards.
- Providing you with a copy of your written tenancy agreement within 21 days after the day you signed it and gave it to LMCH. For most tenancy agreements first entered into on or after April 30, 2018, LMCH must use the standard lease form entitled Residential Tenancy Agreement (Standard Form of Lease).
LMCH is not allowed to:
- Shut off or deliberately interfere with the supply of a vital service (heat, electricity, fuel, gas, or hot or cold water), care service or food that LMCH must provide under your tenancy agreement. However, LMCH is allowed to shut-off services temporarily if this is necessary to make repairs.
- Take your personal property if you don’t pay your rent and you are still living in your rental unit.
- Lock you out of your rental unit unless LMCH has an eviction order from the LTB and the Sheriff comes to your rental unit to enforce it.
- Insist that you pay your rent by post-dated cheque or automatic debit. These ways of paying your rent can be suggested, but you cannot be refused a rental unit or evicted for refusing to give them.
What Happens if Tenant Responsibilities are not met?
LMCH works with tenants who fall behind in their rent payments to help them meet their responsibilities and, when possible, to keep their housing. Eviction is always a last resort. Your unit is your home, and we want to help you keep it by working together. If you are having trouble paying your rent, please let us know right away.
Under the Residential Tenancies Act, these are some of the reasons you can be evicted:
- Not paying your rent.
- Having more people living in your unit than is allowed by safety standards.
- Having people not listed on your lease living in your unit.
- Willfully cause serious damage to your unit or to the building.
- Not reporting your income or the income of anyone else living with you while you pay geared-to-income rent.
- Acting in a way that interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of other residents.
- Threatening the safety of another resident.
- Harassing, obstructing, coercing, threatening or interfering with a landlord.
- Breaking the law on LMCH property.
- Violating the terms of your lease.
