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”