Fill and Sign General Tenancy Agreement Form 18a Rtaqldgovau

Okay next we are going to talk about The Residential Tenancies Act.So I'm going to go through this somewhat quickly because you can get more of thesedetails later and they're not going to be essential to your search foraccommodations to begin with.So The Residential Tenancies Act is a law andit gives landlords specific rights and responsibilities, provides rules forincreasing rent or evicting tenants and it creates something called a LandlordTenant Board which is like a court it's a tribunal.So next we're going to talk about the Landlord and Tenant Board.So what the landlord tenant boardit's that tribunal it's kind of like a court that informs landlords andtenants about the rights and responsibilities under the ResidentialTenancies Act which is I'll call it the RTA and it results disputesbetween tenants through mediation, adjudication or just by providing information.So they can make decisions about whether or not a landlord canevict a tenant and they make decisions about disputes between landlords andtenants should those disputes happen.Most of the time you will never have anyinteractions with the landlord and tenant board it's very rare but it'sjust good to know about in case you find yourself in that situation.So next we're going to talk about does the RTA apply to me?So if you share a kitchen or bathroomwith a landlord or a member of the landlord's family you are not covered byThe Residential Tenancies Act.So please be aware of that becausethis means that for a lot of students if they live in a home and they share abathroom or a kitchen with the people who own the home then the lawI'm going to discuss right now it doesn't apply to you.So please make sure you understand whether or not you're in this situation.For more information seek legal advice around whether or not your accommodationswould fall under this act.Next, Tenant Rights.So under the law in Ontario, you have the Right to Security of Tenancy.So this means you can continue to live in your rental unituntil you give the landlord proper notice, the landlord and you agree thatyou can move or your landlord gives you notice to end your tenancy for reasonsthat are allowed under The Residential Tenancies Act.Next, Right to Privacy.Your landlord can only enter your rental unit for the reasons allowed under the act.Usually your landlord must give you 24 hours notice. It should be a written noticebefore entering your unit. There are exceptions in case of emergency forexample: fire, a pipe burst, flooding something like that those are extremely rare.Next, Tenant Responsibilities.You need to pay your rent on time, you need to keep your unit clean andyou need to repair any damage caused by you or yourguests whether on purpose or by just not being careful enough.Note: you're not allowed to have the locks changed without the permission of the landlord.Next, Choosing to End your Tenancy.If you're on a fixed term so if you're within that twelve month period of a 12-month leasethat's what fixed term means.Then you need to give at least sixty days notice before the end of the lease.The termination date cannot be before the last day of the end of the fixed term.So it can't be before the end of your lease unless you otherwise agree on that.If you don't give notice and you're on a 12-month lease the landlord assumesthat their rental continues so please be aware of that.If you've lived in a place for more than a 12-month leasethen you can pay under paying rent month-to-monthyou can give 60 days notice.So for more about this please goonline to CLEO, Community Legal Education Ontarioor talk to a licensed legal professional.Next, Landlord Rights.They have the right to collect the rent deposit but it cannot be more than lastmonth's rent and they should not be collecting a deposit that's sometimesreferred to as a damage deposit.That's actually not we go under The ResidentialTenancies Act and that deposit that you do pay should just be used for pay last month's rents.So please be aware of that.Next, landlord does have the right to increase rent.So this is limited by special rules.So they can't just increase your rent suddenly by like a hundred and fiftydollars or by 50 percent of your total rent.There are specific rules.So if your landlord gives you notice that your rent is going to increase it should beat least 90 days notice and it shouldn't be a massive increase.So if your landlord is telling you they're going to increase your rent and you're not surewhether or not it's legally permitted talk to a legal professional and alsoyou can come talk to me the International Transition Coordinator forbasic information about this.Alright. Next, we're going to talk about Landlord Responsibilities.So they have to keep the rental property in a good stateof repair and they have to obey basic health and safety and maintenancestandards including making sure that there's smoke detectors in the house.They need to provide you with a written copy of your tenancy agreement within 20days after you signed it. Ideally though you should try to get your lease or yourtenancy agreement right after you sign it that is the most ideal scenario.Next, Landlords cannot shut off or interfere with supply of vital services such as your water.They cannot take your personal property if you don't pay rent or if you're late on payment.They cannot lock you out of your rental unit unless your landlord has an eviction orderthrough the Landlord and Tenant Board and a sheriff comes to your rental unit to enforce it.So if you are renting an apartment they can't just tell you leave tomorrow.The process for an eviction takes a few steps andusually one of the steps will involve a hearing so you have to go to anappointment at the landlord and Tenant Board.Again this is very specific information that you probably hopefully will never need to know or use but justknow that when it comes to being asked to leave the unit it's not like yourlandlord if you're renting an apartment can send you an email saying leave tomorrow.So if you ever find yourself in a situation where your landlord iseither hinting or directly saying then they need you to move out prior to the1end of your lease then please make sure you seek out legal advice through the1Legal Protection Plan.1Your landlord do not insist that you pay rent by post-dated1checks or an automatic debit so that's another thing.1Next1So there are reasons they can end a tendency- not paying your rent in full, causing damage, disturbing1other tenants or illegal activity.1So those are reasons they could evict you1that are considered "for cause".1There are other reasons that are maybe not your1faults they could evict you as well.1So next we'll talk about other reasons.1So if they plan to do major repairs and renovations that require a1building permit, then the work and the work cannot be done unless the unit is1empty that's a reason they can ask you to leave.1If they are wanting to live in1the unit themselves or have a member of their family move in or if they sell the1home and the person who bought the home wants to move in or have their family move in.1They could ask you to leave for those reasons and those are nothing1to do with you they're not your fault but they are legally permitted reasons1why landlord can ask you to leave they have nothing to do with you.1Next1Legal Protection Plan.1So I mentioned this a few times but under your CSI health and dental plan,1there is access to a free helpline where you can access1advice around many different areas of law and you can also get representation1in the areas of housing, employment or academic concerns.1So for more information about the Legal Protection Plan you can just search the CSI health1and dental plan website and you'll get more information about this at1orientation as well just know that there's legal help that's available to you.1Alright. Next.1Remember, you should start your housing search as soon as possible.1It takes time and it does take a lot of1sometimes a fair bit of energy to find a place that suits you but there's help1available and guidance if you're looking for something make sure you're1contacting landlords directly to find housing and maybe not just putting1general messages out on Facebook groups.1I do see a lot of that and maybe you1will get some helpful leads if you put out messages on Facebook groups but1that's not the most effective way to look for housing.1You have to be contacting landlords directly and booking appointments.1Ask questions if you're not sure.1You can contact me, Kendra through internationaltransition@conestogac.on.ca1and keep in mind that just it takes time and effort but I know you can do it and1you'll be very proud of yourself once you have.