Ontario tenants are being squeezed and loopholes in our rental laws like Above Guideline Rent Increases (AGIs) make it easy for big landlords to charge tenants even more.
Under the current rules, landlords are allowed to apply for AGIs to make significant renovations or repairs, but this system is being misused. Instead, landlords who fail to maintain their buildings are being awarded AGIs for cosmetic improvements that increase a building's value but not its living conditions.
The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) requires landlords to maintain their properties using rent for upkeep, but this law that is poorly enforced. As a result, landlords who chronically ignore maintenance requests and keep buildings in chronic disrepair for years can win an AGI.
Over the past decade, the number of AGI applications has surged by 250%, affecting over 200,000 households in Ontario, and it’s the biggest and most profitable landlords in Canada that benefit the most.
The AGI process needs to be reformed to protect tenants from exploitation. The Ontario government must take the necessary steps to close these loopholes and ban the use of AGIs on all buildings with six or more units. This ban would prevent big landlords from using the RTA to boost their profits at the expense of a renter's right to live in a safe and affordable home.
Add your name below to call on the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Premier Ford to ban AGIs on big buildings with more than six units today.
Printable petition available here: PRINT. Return signed petitions to 719 Bloor St West, Unit 102, Toronto, Ontario M6G 1L5.