Residential Tenancies Act (Ontario)

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This is the Residential Tenancies Act of Ontario. For other jurisdictions, see Residential Tenancies Act.

The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) is the law in the province of Ontario, Canada, that governs landlord and tenant relations in residential rental accommodations. The Act received royal assent on June 22, 2006 and was proclaimed into law on January 31, 2007. The Act repealed and replaced the Tenant Protection Act, 1997. It is believed that the new Act will better serve the interests of both tenants and landlords.

[edit] History

The Tenant Protection Act, 1997 was enacted by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris and proclaimed in June, 1998, retained selected rights and obligations contained in Part IV of the previous "Landlord and Tenant Act". (Parts I, II, and III were retitled the Commercial Tenancies Act.) The Tenant Protection Act removed the dispute resolution process, including evictions and rent increases, from the Ontario court system and placed it in the hands of the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal.

The Tenant Protection Act is, as the name implies, an act that protects tenants rights. The Tribunal that heard and ruled on complaints was well known for putting the onus on landlords. In all fairness this is to be expected as many tenants do not have the means nor the legal teams to prove their case in court. Unfortunately many tenants in Ontario are completely unaware of their rights and responsibilities which results in unscrupulous landlords taking advantage of tenants. This then creates an environment where tenants are afraid of exercising their rights due to fear of retribution.