Toronto Star columnist Joe Fiorito recently spent a day at the Tenant Hotline, operated by the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations, and wrote this article.
According to Mr. Fiorito, nightmarish stories poured through the phone line on that fateful morning. Highlights included: illegal entry by the landlord, flood caused by faulty toilets, heating deficiencies, overcharged utilities bills. His conclusion: “And you still don’t think landlords should be licensed?”
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Landlord-tenant disputes are a special breed of legal problems because they affect tenants intimately. Homes are more than shelters; they give us a sense of security and stability. Accordingly, what may seem seemingly minor problems to a landlord may lead to major headaches for the tenant.
Many cases that have landed on my desk indeed out as minuscule deficiencies of the unit.
What can be solved privately between the landlord and the tenant grow bitter litigation before the Landlord and Tenant Board.
How can you, as a tenant or a landlord, avoid having small disputes turning into full-blown hearings? You need to know your rights and obligations.
A good place to start is the internet. On the Landlord and Tenant Board’s website (www.ltb.gov.on.ca/en/index.html) , information in plain language is available for tenants and landlords.
For small-scale landlords, the Landlord Self-Help Centre (www.landlordselfhelp.com/frontpage.asp) provides services.
Tenants can talk to the duty counsel at all Landlord and Tenant Board locations free of charge. Duty counsels provide summary legal advice to tenants. However, the shortcoming of this service is that you have to attend in person.
If you prefer to talk on the phone, you may contact the Tenant Hotline operated by the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations at 416 921 9494. (This is the one that Mr. Fiorito particpated in.) The staff there will listen to your problems and provide answers or referrals.
Finally, if you think substantial legal assistance may be required for your matter, you can always call me at 416 433 5531.
