Bill 64, Housing Equity and Rental Transparency Act, 2025
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill strengthens tenant protections by requiring landlords to maintain cooling, security systems, elevator reporting, and maintenance transparency.
Key Changes
- Landlords must keep common areas at or below 26°C from May 15 to September 15, with municipalities empowered to investigate complaints and issue work orders
- Buildings with 100 or more rental units must install video surveillance systems in all common areas and employ at least one security guard
- Tenants can apply for a 20% rent abatement if a vital service (e.g., heat, water) is withheld for more than 24 hours over a three-month period
- Tenants can apply for a 5% rent abatement if an elevator is out of service for more than 48 hours over a three-month period
- Landlords of buildings with 10+ units or 3+ storeys must annually upload maintenance request statistics to a public government portal, and those resolving fewer than 90% of requests cannot seek above-guideline rent increases
- Elevator owners must use remote electronic monitoring and report outages longer than 24 hours to the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA)
Gotchas
- The cooling requirement (section 20.1) and video surveillance/security guard requirements (section 24.1) do not come into force until three years after Royal Assent, giving landlords time to comply but delaying tenant protections
- The digital visitor parking system requirement comes into force 12 months after Royal Assent, not immediately
- Landlords are prohibited from applying for above-guideline rent increases to cover the cost of installing mandatory video surveillance systems, meaning these costs cannot be passed directly to tenants through that mechanism
- The 20% rent abatement for withheld vital services does not count time when the service was cut off due to circumstances beyond the landlord's control, which could limit tenant remedies in some situations
- The maintenance statistics portal requires landlords to upload detailed records, but tenants are also allowed to post photos and comments, creating a public accountability tool whose moderation and accuracy standards are not fully defined in the bill
- The bill does not specify funding for municipalities to hire inspectors for temperature complaints, potentially creating an unfunded mandate for local governments
Who's Affected
- Tenants in Ontario rental buildings, especially those in large apartment complexes
- Landlords and property management companies operating residential complexes
- Tenants receiving Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works (OW) payments
- Local municipalities, which gain new inspection and enforcement responsibilities for indoor temperature complaints
- The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), which receives new elevator outage reporting duties
- Security companies and contractors who may be hired to fulfill new building requirements
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The cooling requirement (section 20.1) and video surveillance/security guard requirements (section 24.1) do not come into force until three years after Royal Assent, giving landlords time to comply but delaying tenant protections
- The digital visitor parking system requirement comes into force 12 months after Royal Assent, not immediately
- Landlords are prohibited from applying for above-guideline rent increases to cover the cost of installing mandatory video surveillance systems, meaning these costs cannot be passed directly to tenants through that mechanism
- The 20% rent abatement for withheld vital services does not count time when the service was cut off due to circumstances beyond the landlord's control, which could limit tenant remedies in some situations
- The maintenance statistics portal requires landlords to upload detailed records, but tenants are also allowed to post photos and comments, creating a public accountability tool whose moderation and accuracy standards are not fully defined in the bill
- The bill does not specify funding for municipalities to hire inspectors for temperature complaints, potentially creating an unfunded mandate for local governments
Summary
Bill 64, the Housing Equity and Rental Transparency Act, 2025, proposes several changes to Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 and the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000. It introduces new rules for landlords of residential buildings, including requirements to keep common areas cool in summer, install video surveillance and security guards in large buildings, use digital parking systems, and report elevator outages. Tenants would gain new rights to rent reductions if vital services are cut off, elevators are out of service too long, or landlords fail to meet indoor temperature standards. The bill also requires landlords of buildings with 10 or more units or three or more storeys to post annual maintenance request statistics on a government online portal, making it easier for tenants and the public to see how well landlords are maintaining their buildings. Landlords who resolve fewer than 90% of maintenance requests cannot apply for above-guideline rent increases. Additionally, the bill protects tenants on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works (OW) payments from being evicted for late rent when those payments go directly to the landlord. The bill was introduced by MPP Stephanie Bowman and appears aimed at improving living conditions, safety, and accountability in Ontario's rental housing market, particularly in larger apartment buildings.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses