Landlords have a right to choose who lives in their property, but those rights aren’t absolute.

Suburban house in Oshawa Credit: Dillon Kydd / Unsplash

Finding the perfect tenant can feel like a high-stakes matchmaking game. If you’re a landlord in Ontario’s bustling rental market—for example in Toronto—you’re likely looking for someone reliable and respectful to make your property their home. But how much freedom do you really have to say “yes” or “no”?

Continue reading “Can a landlord refuse to rent to someone? Understanding Human Rights in housing”

What implications does intimate partner violence have on a shared rental lease.

I recently had two different clients approach me with very similar issues – both were non-profit housing providers that wanted advice on how to deal with a situation where there had been incidents of domestic violence in their residential complexes. In such situations, the alleged assailant is typically prohibited from returning to their home, at least temporarily until the charges have been dealt with and they are either found guilty or acquitted. However, the question before me was what could be done for a victim of domestic violence who wanted to remain in their home and wanted the assailant to be removed from the rental unit permanently. In short, I was asked what the housing provider could do to evict the assailant, but only the assailant.

Continue reading “Your safety or your home: Domestic violence in residential tenancies”