Housing

Free webinar: Balancing Rights and Responsibilities for Housing Providers in COVID-19

July 2nd, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Update: a video of this webinar is now online. You can watch it below:

Join us Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 2 PM for a free webinar hosted by Neighbourhood Legal Services and Iler Campbell.

As emergency restrictions lift across Ontario, the medical community is alerting us to a so-called “fourth wave” of the pandemic: mental health and trauma. Supportive housing providers, residential care facilities, transitional or therapeutic homes, and non-profits and co-ops have had to quickly find ways to ensure the physical safety of staff and residents. While these precautions may prevent the spread of the virus, they can also lead to increased isolation and deteriorating mental health for residents. As restrictions begin to lift, organizations will be facing more questions about how to strike a balanced approach which fulfills their legal obligations to provide a safe living environment, with other legal obligations – including the Human Rights Code.

This webinar will talk you through some of these tough questions. Safia Lakhani (lawyer, Iler Campbell LLP) and Linette King (NLS staff housing lawyer) will discuss some of the common legal questions and concerns being raised by both housing providers and residents, and will provide perspectives on how your organization can strike the right balance.

Register to attend on Zoom.

We welcome your questions in advance. You can post them on the event page on Facebook or send them to the hosts privately.

**This event is for legal information only, and will not provide legal advice. No solicitor-client relationship is created with either Iler Campbell LLP or NLS Toronto by participating in this event.**

Landlord and Tenant Board Application Fees Increasing July 1

June 25th, 2020 by Iler Campbell

Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application fees were scheduled to increase on April 1, 2020 but were delayed due to COVID‑19.

Effective this July 1, 2020, most application fees for Landlords, Tenants and Non‑Profit Co‑operatives will increase by six per cent. Application fees are increasing for the first time since January 16, 2017. Fees for items such as copies of documents, hearing recordings, orders and Rules and Guidelines are not increasing. Application fees must be paid at the time an application is filed and the method of payment for applications filed with the LTB remains unchanged. Individuals (not corporations) may be eligible for fee waivers.  See Direction on Fee Waiver and the Fee Waiver Request.

The LTB continues to accept and process all applications during COVID‑19. When possible, telephone and written hearings are being scheduled for non‑eviction matters and urgent eviction matters. Orders are being issued for these matters only.

Though news of application fee increases doesn’t ring well with your pocketbook (especially during this current climate), our team is still providing cost‑effective and high quality service to respond to your goals. Please feel free to discuss any of your LTB needs with us.  We would be happy to assist you.

The right to know? Balancing health risks and privacy rights for landlords during COVID-19

May 29th, 2020 by Claudia Pedrero

This article was first published on rabble.ca

What is a landlord’s responsibility when a tenant in a multi-residential building tests positive for COVID-19? Is a landlord obligated to share this information with other residents so they can take extra precautions? On the flip side, what expectation of privacy do tenants have if they share this information with their landlord?

Many of our firm’s housing clients have had to grapple with this difficult balance over the past few months as they weather the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Continue reading “The right to know? Balancing health risks and privacy rights for landlords during COVID-19”

A New Consideration When Evicting for Illegal Activity

May 21st, 2020 by Karly Wilson

Due to the pandemic and the resulting lockdown, many individuals are spending more time at home. It’s unclear whether this has led to an increase in illegal activity or just an increase in witnesses, but either way our office is receiving more calls about how to handle illegal activity in a unit. As part of its response to the COVID‑19 pandemic, the LTB narrowed its scope for eviction orders and is hearing only those eviction applications that address urgent matters of health and safety or serious illegal activity. Housing providers looking to evict tenants or members who are causing serious problems may now be looking towards evicting on the grounds of illegal activity; but take heed, these are complicated and are always an uphill battle. Housing providers have to consider many factors before choosing this route, and often struggle to gather enough evidence.

New consequences of evictions for illegal activity

New changes to the Housing Services Act, which governs social housing in Ontario, came into effect in January of 2020 and further complicate evictions for illegal activity by raising the stakes even higher for tenants. A news release from the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing boasted improvements to safety in community housing thanks to a new regulation. The brief states that the government is “sending a clear message that dangerous criminal activity is not welcome in community housing.” The changes allow community housing providers to turn away prospective tenants who have been previously evicted from community housing for illegal activities in the past five years. Continue reading “A New Consideration When Evicting for Illegal Activity”

Operations and governance issues for non-profit and co-operative housing providers during COVID-19

May 21st, 2020 by Iler Campbell

This is part of a series of webinars we’re running all May long. Check out the other events here!

We’ve just posted a recording of Claudia Pedrero and Karly Wilson’s webinar, “Operations and governance issues for non-profit and co-operative housing providers during COVID-19.” Check it out below.

 

Continue reading “Operations and governance issues for non-profit and co-operative housing providers during COVID-19”

The cost of lost amenities in COVID-19

May 11th, 2020 by Karly Wilson

A young couple is renting a one‑bedroom plus den unit in a building. They both work from home, and when looking for a new place they were concerned about the cost of renting a place large enough for them both to have a workspace. They chose this building because of its amenities: a gym, a party room, and a common workspace with couches, large tables and free internet access. One of the tenants was able to use the den in the building as a home office and the other used the common workspace in the building. However, with the onset of the global pandemic, all of the shared spaces in the building have been closed, forcing them both to work in the apartment.

Amenities like gyms, pools, business centres, and party rooms are used to induce tenants to move to certain buildings, and often pay higher rents. Now in the age of COVID‑19, tenants have yet to receive any rent relief and are unable to access common spaces that encouraged them to accept these higher costs.

What options do tenants have for relief? And what will that mean for landlords? Continue reading “The cost of lost amenities in COVID-19”