Tenant Resources

The Toronto Rent Bank supports residents behind on their rent or who need help with a rental deposit. The partnership between the City of Toronto, Neighbourhood Information Post, and eight Local Access Centres, aims to ensure low-income individuals and families are more able to stay in their homes and avoid homelessness.

The program provides non-repayable grants up to $4,000 or three months’ rent, whichever is the lowest. However, applicants are not eligible for Toronto Rent Bank support if they have an RRSP balance over $6,000, or if they have received Toronto Rent Bank support within the last 12 months.

Further, applicants cannot be in receipt of social assistance such as Ontario Works (OW) or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) at the time of applying. However, applicants receiving social assistance should contact their OW or ODSP caseworker as they may qualify for the Housing Stabilization Fund.

Learn more about the Toronto Rent Bank.

Under Section 131 of the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), tenants are entitled to an automatic rent reduction when their landlord’s property taxes have been reduced by more than 2.49 per cent from one year to the next. The City is required to send notices of rent reduction to landlords by September 15 and to tenants by December 15. While the tenant does not have to get permission from the landlord to automatically reduce the rent, it is recommended that tenants talk with their landlords prior to the effective date on December 31. At the end of each year, a listing of rental residential properties is provided by the City. 

The RTA prescribes that if property taxes have been reduced by more than 2.49 per cent between two consecutive years, the rent reduction is equal to the percentage decrease in property taxes from one year to the next, and then multiplied by:

• 20 per cent for rental residential properties in the multi-residential property tax class, or
• 15 per cent for rental residential properties in the residential or new multi-residential property tax class.

City Council approved that Expanded Notices be mailed to landlords and tenants of eligible buildings where property tax decreases of more than 2.49 per cent occurred as a result of changes that happened after regular legislated notices were mailed. Property tax changes may result from assessment appeals, tax classification changes or supplementary or omitted assessment changes to a property tax account.

The Expanded Notices are not notices for the purposes of Section 131 of the RTA, they are provided for information only. As such, the City cannot determine whether a tenant is entitled to a rent reduction after receiving these notices. Tenants can either come to an agreement with their landlord, or make an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board to determine whether a rent reduction applies, and the amount of the rent reduction, if any.

For more information regarding rent reduction please go to this link

RentSafeTO is the first program of its kind in Canada and aims to improve the living conditions within apartment buildings. The program's objectives are to strengthen the enforcement of City bylaws, enhance tenant engagement and access to information, and promote proactive maintenance in apartment buildings to prevent the deterioration of critical housing stock.

RentSafeTO is a registration, audit and enforcement program enabled by Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, and applies to all apartment buildings with three or more storeys and 10 or more units. This accounts for more than 30 percent of Toronto's residents who live in approximately 3,500 apartment buildings across the City.

Under RentSafeTO, building owners and operators must:

• Register their buildings with the City, then renew annually
• Have a process for tracking and responding to tenant service requests
• Conduct regular inspections in common areas for cleanliness and pests
• Post plans for maintenance, waste, cleaning and disruptions to vital services such as water, heat and electricity on a Tenant Notification Board
• Notify tenants of service disruptions
• Undergo routine building evaluations
• Comply with all applicable City bylaws, including Chapter 629, Property Standards

As part of the program, Bylaw Enforcement Officers conduct building evaluations, audits and investigate service requests submitted to 311.

Evaluations: All apartment buildings registered under the RentSafeTO program are subject to a building evaluation at least once every three years to ensure that properties comply with City bylaws. This results in a final evaluation score (from 0 to 100%) that is used to determine the next steps, including the next scheduled evaluation and whether the building requires an audit.

Audits: Buildings that do not pass their evaluation are subject to a building audit. An audit consists of a more comprehensive inspection, additional enforcement action, and an engagement component for tenants to submit service requests for issues in their units. The current threshold is a score of 50 percent or less.

Service Requests: Bylaw Enforcement Officers (BEOs) respond to service requests received through 311 for in-suite and common area property standards issues within registered apartment buildings. BEOs will take progressive enforcement action if a violation is found, which nay involve fines, charges, or remedial action if required. If a concern is found that falls outside of the bylaw parameters that RentSafeTO enforces, such as structural concern. In that case, the file is referred to the appropriate division/agency to follow-up.