CLEO Resources
If you need to inform yourself, consider reading the CLEO brochures, as they do a great job at explaining the law in accessible language (and not just one language):
Can your landlord take your stuff?
(November 2012)
This resource explains what landlords can do with personal property that tenants leave behind when they move or are evicted. It describes when it is legal for a landlord to take a tenant’s belongings, what a landlord can do with the belongings of a tenant who dies, and what some of the rules are for a tenant who lives in a mobile or land lease home.
Does your landlord want you to move out? (Fact sheet)
(January 2010)
This resource offers basic information about what tenants need to do if they do not want to move out or be evicted, what happens at a Landlord and Tenant Board hearing, and where to get referral information in many languages.
(July 2013)
This resource explains what tenants need to do if they do not want to move out or be evicted, what happens at a Landlord and Tenant Board hearing, and what tenants can do if they get an eviction order from the Board. There is also contact information to get more information or legal help.
(February 2013)
Tenants have a legal right to be free from harassment and discrimination by their landlords or by other tenants. This resource explains these rights as well as tenants’ right to privacy in their homes. It describes what tenants can do if these rights are not respected.
(February 2012)
Every tenant has the right to a home that is well maintained, in a building that is clean and safe. This resource explains the types of maintenance and repairs that landlords must do, steps tenants can take to get things fixed, and ways tenants can get help.
(September 2012)
This resource describes what tenants have to do if they want to move out, and what can happen if they do not follow the rules. There are sections dealing with ways to move out early: making an agreement with a landlord, assigning, subletting, and applying to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
(September 2013)
To increase a tenant’s rent, the landlord must follow the rules set by the Residential Tenancies Act. This resource explains those rules. It also talks about agreements that a landlord and a tenant can make to increase the rent, rules about deposits and other charges, and steps tenants can take if they have paid an illegal rent or charge.
Renting a place to live (Fact sheet)
(January 2010)
This resource offers basic information to tenants about how much rent a landlord can charge, deposits and payments a tenant might have to make before moving in, and other rules landlords and tenants must follow. There is also information about discrimination, moving out, taking legal action if a landlord breaks the rules, and where to get referral information in many languages.
Web tool for renters with roommates: Sharing rental housing?
Interactive web tool to help people in different kinds of shared rental arrangements find out which laws apply to their situation and what their rights and responsibilities are.
What tenants need to know about the law
(July 2013)
This resource describes some important things about the Residential Tenancies Act and some ways it is different from the law it replaced. Topics covered include rent increases, deposits and other charges, repairs and maintenance, discrimination, privacy, moving out, and eviction.
If you would rather talk to a lawyer or paralegal for free, there's Getting Legal Help (PDF).