Legislation and regulations

The Residential Tenancies Act

The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) is established under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) to:

• resolve disputes between landlords and tenants, and eviction applications from non-profit housing co-operatives, through mediation or adjudication
• provide information to landlords, tenants about their rights and responsibilities under the RTA
• provide information about LTB’s practices and procedures

The Statutory Powers Procedure Act

The Statutory Powers Procedure Act provides a general framework for the conduct of hearings before Ontario’s administrative tribunals including the LTB.

Regulations of the Residential Tenancies Act

A regulation provides details about how a part of the act is applied or interpreted. When the RTA says that something is “prescribed,” it means that more details will be found in a regulation.

• Regulation 516/06 contains rules about the application of the RTA including applications for above guideline rent increases, calculation, and payment of rent, and rent reductions.
• Regulation 517/06 describes the maintenance standards for a rental unit that are referenced in section 224 of the RTA.
• Regulation 394/10 sets out rules that apply when a suite meter is installed in a rental unit, including rules about rent reduction and what part of the utility costs the landlord pays and what part the tenant pays.
• Regulation 9/18 describes the types of tenancies that must use the standard lease form and contains rules for additional terms in the standard lease.

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Rules

The Landlord and Tenant Board Rules govern procedures at the LTB – last updated on March 8, 2022.

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Practice directions

Practice directions support the rules and provide guidance about what the LTB expects of the parties and what the parties can expect of the LTB. It helps parties to understand the rules.

Practice direction on representation before the LTB

The Practice Direction on Representation before the LTB provides guidance on who may act as a representative in a LTB proceeding and the obligations of representatives.

Practice direction on litigation guardians before Social Justice Tribunals Ontario

The Practice Direction on Litigation Guardians before Social Justice Tribunals Ontario explains how a person who does not have legal capacity can be a party to a case.

Practice direction on hearing formats

The Practice Direction on Hearing Formats outlines the approach to determining the format of the hearing that will be held, and how a party can request a different hearing format.

Practice direction on fee waiver

The Practice Direction on Fee Waiver outlines the fee waiver process in proceedings before the LTB.

Practice direction on case management hearings

The Practice Direction on Case Management Hearings provides guidance on participating in a Case Management Hearing.

Practice direction on evidence

The Practice Direction on Evidence outlines how parties to a LTB proceeding are to format and serve the LTB and the other parties with copies of the materials they wish to rely upon at the hearing, and how the LTB deals with this anticipated evidence.

Practice direction on applications involving non-profit housing cooperatives

The Practice Direction on Applications Involving Non-Profit Housing Cooperatives describes the LTB‘s process for hearing and deciding applications made to it by a non-profit housing cooperative (Co-op).

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Guidelines

Interpretation guidelines explain how the LTB might deal with an issue in an application.

• Guideline 1: Adjourning and Rescheduling Hearings
• Guideline 2: Payment into the Board
• Guideline 3: Costs
• Guideline 4: Abandonment of a Rental Unit
• Guideline 5: Breach of Maintenance Obligations
• Guideline 6: Tenants Rights
• Guideline 7: Relief from Eviction – Refusing or Delaying an Eviction
• Guideline 8: Review of an Order
• Guideline 9: Eviction for an Illegal Act or Business
• Guideline 10: Procedural Issues Regarding Eviction Applications
• Guideline 11: Rent Arrears updated on September 1, 2021
• Guideline 12: Eviction for Personal Use, Demolition, Repairs and Conversion updated on September 1, 2021
• Guideline 13: Other Powers of the Board
• Guideline 14: Applications for Rent Increases Above the Guideline
• Guideline 15: Amending an Order
• Guideline 16: Administrative Fines
• Guideline 17: Human Rights
• Guideline 18: Restricting Public Access to In-Person and Electronic Hearings
• Guideline 19: The Landlord’s Right of Entry into a Rental Unit
• Guideline 21: Landlords, Tenants, Occupants and Residential Tenancies

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Decisions

Some LTB decisions, also called orders, are posted on the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) website. CanLII is a non-profit organization that makes Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet.

After a hearing is completed, the adjudicator will write an order and the LTB will send to all parties listed in the applications. Log in to Tribunals Ontario Portal to view your application status or review the LTB’s current application and processing timelines.

For process-related information about LTB decisions, including what you can do if you disagree with your decision, see the order and challenging or correcting an order.

Requesting information from a file

If you wish to request information from an LTB file, you must make a request in writing by. completing the Tribunals Ontario Request for Records form , or you can send a letter to Tribunals Ontario. Your form or letter can be sent to Access.TO-TDO@ontario.ca or mailed to:

Tribunals Ontario
Access to Records and Information Office
15 Grosvenor Street, Ground Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2G6

If you send a letter, you must make it clear you are making a request for records. You should include your contact information and provide a detailed description of the information you are requesting. The records may be sent to you electronically if you provide an email address.

For more information and to make a request for records, see Request records in Tribunals Ontario files.