Information for Tenants

Organizations that can help you with your housing issues, or support your organizing:

If you live in Toronto-Danforth or East York you can access free legal services from Don Valley Community Legal Services or call the intake line 406.441.1764 ext. 1
- (Their catchment area is -> Lake Ontario to York Mills/the 401 and from Yonge Street/the Don River to Victoria Park Avenue)
If you don’t live in Toronto-Danforth or East York use this link to access Legal Clinics in Your Area - Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO).
Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC)- Housing law (tenants or co-op members only) 416-597-5831 or www.blacklegalactioncentre.ca
For general housing legal assistance Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) acto.ca
If you want to talk to someone on the phone familiar with tenant law, organizing, and issues — Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations. If you need information on your rights as a tenant, you can call the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations’ Tenant Hotline. While they cannot offer advice they can answer specific questions about your rights or options under the law. 416-921-9494
If you have questions that involve the Residential Tenancies Act or Landlord and Tenant Board — The Landlord and Tenant Board Contact Line
If you have questions about your human rights and/or discrimination in housing — Human Rights Legal Support Centre
If you have housing problems, or are facing an eviction and identify as part of the mental health community — Sound Times
If you need advice on the phone about tenant rights as soon as possible —Pro bono Ontario
If you have housing problems and live in Toronto Community Housing —Toronto Community Housing Help
If you are a senior with housing problems who cannot afford a lawyer — Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE)
If you have housing issues related to a disability or in which you require medical-related accommodation — Canadian Centre for Housing Rights formerly the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation
If you believe your unit is not up to the City of Toronto's Health and Safety and/or Building Standards — Toronto 311 and RentSafeTO
If you have questions or need support related to cooperative housing — Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada
If you are 2SLGBTQ and need support related to housing — The 519

Legal Clinics:

For racialized groups, elderly, people with disabilities - Specialty Clinics, Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
If you don’t live in Toronto-Danforth or East York use this link to access Legal Clinics in Your Area - Community Legal Education Ontario
If you do not qualify for Legal Aid but need low-cost/free legal support related to housing — Downtown Legal Services
If you need legal aid — Legal Aid Ontario

Organizing a Tenants' Association:

One of the best ways to secure your rights as a tenant is to form a tenants' association. If you want to organize a tenants' association in your building, please reach out to our office and we will connect you to support and fellow tenant organizers.

Here are some critical resources to support you:

Talk to our office – [email protected]
Tenant Organizing Best Practices Slides — courtesy of 280 Wellesley St. E. Tenants' Association
Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations Tenant Survival Manual
CLEO Connect -> Tenant Organizing Manual — Community Legal Education Ontario
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) Canada is a national organization of low- and moderate-income families. Toronto ACORN’s office is located at 715B Danforth Avenue (south side near Pape Ave.) 416.461.9233

If you have problems with repairs and maintenance in your unit:

311 and RentSafeTO
For issues such as pests, low or no heat, plumbing problems, leaky ceilings or problems in the common areas of the building, tenants need to contact their landlord first and submit service requests. Landlords need to respond to urgent service requests, such as no heat or water, within 24 hours. Non-urgent service requests need to be responded to within seven (7) days. If you get no action from your landlord and problems persist, you can contact 311 for a service request and for the RentSafeTO team.
Steps to Justice - Online Guide About Repairs and Maintenance
Steps to Justice Pest Problems (mice, cockroaches, bedbugs) in Your Unit
CLEO - Repairs and Maintenance Guide — Community Legal Education Ontario

If you have problems with rent increases and evictions

RenovictionsTO — A Community-Generated Website and Map tracking AGIs and Renovictions across Toronto -> Especially if you live in a larger building, or your landlords is a bigger corporation, this can be a useful resource to learn more about your landlord, and learn about what landlords are doing in your neighbourhood in general. They also rely on community input and information, and so if you have information about a rent-increase or eviction, you can share that with them on their website.
City of Toronto -> Eviction Prevention Handbook
Web tool for tenants who are roommates and share rental housing costs — Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Does your landlord want you to move out? Factsheet — Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Fighting an Eviction — Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Rent Increases — Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
COVID Evictions - If you are having trouble paying your rent due to COVID. Courtesy of the Akelius Tenants Network.

Toronto Rent Bank, a partnership between the City of Toronto and Neighbourhood Information Post, provides support and grants to Toronto residents who are behind on their rent or need help with a rental deposit. By doing so, the Toronto Rent Bank ensures that low-income individuals and families are able to stay in their homes and avoid homelessness. toronto.ca/RentBank

If you are facing harassment:

Peter Tabuns MPP, Toronto-Danforth

Information for Tenants