What happens when tenants are evicted from rooming houses?
• The tenant cannot pay the rent. • The tenant behaves in a disruptive manner. • The landlord declares bankruptcy or goes out of business. • The rooming house loses its license and the City closes it down. Most evictions (75 to 85 percent) are for non-payment of rent. Under the new Tenant Protection Act, tenants have five days to reply in writing when a landlord files a Notice of Application to carry out an eviction. Tenants who cannot write easily in English or French, or who do not understand what is required of them, may fail to reply in time. If they do not reply, the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal proceeds without hearing their side of the issue. City of Toronto housing staff tries to help tenants who have been evicted when a rooming house closes. In 1998, the City’s Homeless Initiatives Fund contributed $15,000 to help tenants cover moving expenses and first and last month’s rent when they face relocation at short notice. However, given the shortage of affordable housing, staff
