Housing Law
Halton is a great place to call home, but finding and keeping a rental unit that is affordable and in a good state of repair is a challenge.
Halton Community Legal Services helps tenants by providing advice about their rights and responsibilities regarding the place they rent.
We provide advice about:
- Maintenance and repair issues (including pests like bed bugs and mice)
- Rent increases
- Harassment from your landlord
- Paying your rent late
- Being evicted (for arrears of rent, landlord moving in, sale of your unit, renovations and demolition, and more)
- Landlord changing the locks
- Privacy issues (including landlord entering your unit without notice)
- Deposits and last month’s rent
- Damage claims
- Moving out before your lease is over
- Assignment and subletting
If you are having problems with the place you rent or have questions about your rights and responsibilities, you can contact Halton Community Legal Services to get advice.
Should you receive paperwork from your landlord about ending your tenancy, you should contact us as soon as possible to get legal advice about your options.
Landlords
We do not help landlords. If you are a landlord, you can seek help at the Landlord Self Help Centre: 416-504-5190 or toll-free: 1-800-730-3218
Tenant Duty Counsel Program
Halton Community Legal Services also provides Tenant Duty Counsel Services at Landlord and Tenant Board hearings which are currently held most days of the week. Hearings happen virtually by Zoom and telephone. Tenant Duty Counsel Services are available for tenants on the day that they have matters scheduled before the Board. Additionally, if a tenant has an upcoming hearing, they can contact us directly, in advance, for assistance before their hearing date. Contact us here.
The Tenant Duty Counsel program is funded by the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO).
Seven Steps to Solving Tenancy Problems
You can also use these seven steps to help you recognize and deal with tenancy problems.