I currently live in a rented basement in Ontario. The landlord did not provide any written rental tenancy agreement when I moved in. The landlord and I, just had a verbal agreement on a month-to-month rental scheme, whereby I simply pay the monthly rent to the landlord at the beginning of each month.
I do acknowledge the presence of the standard lease form in Ontario, which compels all new tenancy agreements to use the standard lease form. However, my question is whether tenants can rent a place without signing any tenancy agreements.
In short, my question: Is it illegal for a tenant to stay in a rental accommodation in Ontario without any written tenancy agreement?
Steps to Justice provides users with legal information and options for next steps. For next steps on this issue follow this thread.
If you would like legal advice, you may wish to contact a Community Legal Clinic for more information. To find help in your area, go to Services Near Me. You may also wish to call the Landlord and Tenant Board at 1-888-332-3234 or 416-645-8080 (in the GTA) for information specific to your situation. The landlord and tenant board resolves disputes between residential landlords and tenants.
If you contact 211 and speak to a Community Resource Navigator, they may be able to refer you to community services in your area.
211 Ontario is a free, confidential service. Their phone service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here is a link to their live chat if you prefer to communicate online. Their live chat service is available Monday to Friday from 7am-9pm ET.
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