Hacker News Reader

Comment by zormino | Hacker News Reader

I don't know very much and can't speak to it's legality, but I do know Canada (at least Ontario) has very strong tenant protections, and the law tends to land on the side of the tenants instead of the landlords. I wouldn't be surprised if this was either illegal or if tenants could take the landlord to court if they though they were passed over because of this.

View on HN

My experience of Ontario tenant laws were very much the opposite. If you want to have a terrible housing situation, moving to Toronto is a good bet.

The LTB [1] in Ontario is heavily leaned towards the tenant and currently is blocking all evictions in the city regardless of payment of rent.

>COVID-19 Notice: Until further notice, the LTB is suspending the issuance of eviction orders and all hearings related to eviction applications — unless the matter relates to an urgent issue such as an illegal act or serious impairment of safety.

1. http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/ltb/

I've won a case in the LTB, and being on the winning side means basically nothing. The rulings are not enforced, and making them enforced means having to go to court a second time.

What stops them issuing a no-fault eviction notice as soon as the COVID-19 notice is relaxed, because on their preference for a more creditworthy tenant?

I'm in BC, not Ontario, but no-fault eviction isn't a thing here. You can evict a tenant for reasons such as:

- didn't pay rent

- late paying rent at least three times

- your family is planning to occupy the unit

- unit is uninhabitable

- major damage to property

- broke the terms of the lease

Family occupancy is the most common workaround that landlords use, and it takes a long time to make it happen. Followed by "renoviction" (leaving the unit in disrepair until they can force the tenant out for construction). That is also expensive and takes a long time. In any case, there has to be a reason.

all evictions require approval by the LTB ... Landlords are fine to file an eviction but it has to be approved and while no official policy has come out yet it's incredibly reasonable to expect that there will be provisions put in place to keep people from just being insta-evicted once the state of emergency is over.

that said those that can pay their rent SHOULD BE, because I imagine one of the critera for having the LTB rule in your favour is showing you were in a hardship at the time.

There is no such thing for a residential lease in Ontario (except in cases where the landlord rents a room in a house and lives there also, iirc).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com