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.
Tenant Defence Fund Budget Cut
On February 24th, 2011 City Council passed the new budget for the City, including a cut to the Tenant Defense Fund of $100,000 a fund that provides essential services to poor tenants. $25,000 was cut from the grant money that tenants can access in order to challenge above guideline rent increases, demolitions, and conversions, and $75 000 was cut from the tenant education and support services offered by the FMTA. The cuts will result in a reduction in services provided by each branch of the FMTA, that is, the Tenant Hotline, the Outreach and Organizing Team, and the Tenant Education Project.
Of the 45 city councilors, 23 supported the heartless cuts while 22 voted to keep the funding for providing these necessary city services.
Voting against the cuts and defending tenants rights:
Maria Augimeri, Ana Bailão, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Chin Lee, Josh Matlow, Pam McConnell, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Joe Mihevc, John Parker, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Jaye Robinson, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam
Voting to cut essential services to the poor and tenants:
Paul Ainslie, Michelle Berardinetti, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, James Pasternak, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson
Make sure if your councillor was part of this attack on tenants than your neighbors know about this.
Contact the enemies of tenants and get your friends to do the same to let them and their people know we won’t put up with this attack on the poor. You can find the contact info on these slimy politicians here http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp
There is great information on how the Metro Tenants helped an NDP minister win an illegal rent increase AGAINST the tenants because her government was funding their group Ken Hale Ontario lawyer