Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board Seeks Public Comments on Rule Change

by | Jan 2, 2013 | Rental Property Management Tips

Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board is asking landlords to weigh in on a recent rule changes and new form that go into effect this year.

The Board is releasing a draft version of the proposed new Rules along with a new forms related to the L1/L9 Hearing Day and Requests for Consent Orders.  The rules and forms relate to applications to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent and to collect rent the tenant owes.  Because the rent figure may have changed between the filing of the application and the hearing, landlords are required to submit updated information at the hearing.

The Board is soliciting comments regarding this rule change from members of the rental community.  This feedback must be submitted to the Board by January 18.

Comments can be made regarding both the rule language and the form.  With regard to the form, the Board is asking for specific feedback, including:

Do you find the form easy to follow and fill out?
Do you think any other information should be included in the form?
Do you have any other suggestions or comments about improvements to the form?

Last fall, the Board implemented a new scheduling protocol, scheduling L1 and L9 applications on specific days in each office. The Board says that grouping L1 and L9 hearings on designated days has improved access to justice for landlords and tenants as it has led to a reduced time to hearing.

Along with the new protocol, the board introduced a policy requiring landlords involved in an L1 or L9 application to provide the “L1/L9 Information Update as of Your Hearing Day” form — the update form — to the Board and the other parties at the hearing. The Board says that, together, these changes have led to “more focussed and effective hearings”, and the Board is able to schedule and hear applications more efficiently.

Based on feedback received, the Board has condensed the update form, and re-formatted it in the hopes of making it easier to follow and complete. The Board is planning to release the revised form early in 2013.

The current draft of the rules and the form are available for review and comments at:

http://www.ltb.gov.on.ca/en/About_Us/STDPROD_101627.html

 

This post is provided by Tenant Verification Service, Inc., helping landlords reduce the risks of renting with fraud prevention tools that include Tenant Screening, Tenant Background Checks, (U.S. and Canada), as well as Criminal Background Checks, and Eviction Reports (U.S. only).

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual legal counsel or consulting your local, state, federal or provincial tenancy laws.

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