Ontario Landlords Question – What Happens at the Landlord and Tenant Board?

Many new landlords in Ontario are not aware of what happens when you have a problem with your tenant. We have written about this before at the Toronto landlords site including how Ontario doesn’t allow a bad tenants list.

For example, what if the following things happen to you as a landlord:

1. Tenants Stop Paying Rent

Do you know what a N4 is? What can you do if your tenants stop paying?

2. Tenants Keep Paying Rent Late

Months on end your tenants are late paying. What are your options?

3. Your Tenants Are Complaining About Other Tenants

Your tenants call and say the people renting the unit downstairs are smoking. Or they are very loud. Or something worse. And they want you to fix it. What can you do?

4. There are Damages To Your Rental Unit

You see your tenants have broken things. How can you get them to pay for what they did?

5. Your Tenant Breaks The Lease

You signed a one year lease and your tenants want to move out with 6 months left. What are your rights as a landlord?

Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) Ontario

If you have problems with your tenants and your tenants are still living in your rental property you will need to go to the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board. It’s also called the LTB for short.

There’s a terrific write up at the Ontario Landlords Association blog site called the “Truth About the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB)” that is essential reading for all landlords.

Avoid The Landlord And Tenant Board?

The main advice is to avoid the Landlord and Tenant Board by screening your tenants carefully.

This means running a TVS credit check on your prospective tenants to make sure they are credit worthy, pay their bills on time, and have a history of respecting their landlords, their rental property and their lease agreement.

How Can You Prepare for a Landlord and Tenant Board Hearing?

Being prepared and knowing what to expect is extremely important for landlords. This is especially true for small landlords who are inexperienced because tenants get free legal aid at LTB to help them win their case.

Ontario Landlord Education

The Ontario Landlords Association has a fantastic CD series to help landlords every step of the way. This includes a CD to help you prepare for your Landlord and Tenant Board Hearing.

Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) Ontario

Landlords try to avoid the biased LTB by renting to good tenants by running credit checks.

If you do have to go to a Landlord and Tenant Board Hearing make sure you know what to expect and how to handle it by becoming a premium member of the Ontario Landlords Association and accessing their Education Centre.