IF YOU ARE AT THREAT OF EVICTION YOU SHOULD SPEAK TO A LAWYER. FREE LEGAL HELP IS AVAILABLE (see below).
You Don’t Need To Sign That Lease. In Ontario, residential tenancy leases automatically turn into month-to-month leases under the terms of the original lease after they expire; no need to re-sign, then you can stay as a month-to-month tenant.
“The end of an agreement does not mean the tenant has to move out or sign a renewal or new agreement in order to stay. The rules of the agreement will still apply and the tenant still has the right to stay” (p. 9, A guide to the standard lease for rental housing)
Before signing a new lease, you may want to ask yourself, “is there any benefit to me?” to signing the contract.
“Building Stack”, the website, is not recommended unless you keep a copy of each communication you send and the time and date you sent it. This is because your records in Building Stack disappear quickly while they remain available to the landlord. Then your evidence is gone. Emailing is recommended since it keeps a record; the email addresses of the Community Manager and the Property Manager are posted in the hallways of 66 Isabella.
Your Tenants Association. Feel free to CC: us on complaints (if you don’t get anywhere after your first complaint) or contact us for assistance.
3-1-1. In some cases, if you have repeatedly tried to work your issue out with the management and failed, and if the issue is covered in the City of Toronto By-laws, you can call 3-1-1 and ask to speak to a by-law enforcement officer for Building Standards.
Ontario Landlord-Tenant Tribunal. For cases where you have repeatedly tried to work it out with the management and require more quasi-legal action. Requires filling out detailed forms and attending a hearing. You may wish to speak to a lawyer for assistance (see below for free options). The Tenants Association may be able to help you out with the forms if it comes to this.
See also: Your Rights at the Federal of Metro Tenants’ Association.
We are not lawyers. None of this is legal advice.
If you wish to speak to a lawyer, you can try the Law Society of Ontario Referral Service or the 519 Legal Clinic, both free. Eligibility may be somewhat restricted and there are limitations.