June 4, 2013 Residential Tenancies Amendment Act (Rules Relating to Rent Increases) What the Bill does: This

Private Members Bill removes a loophole in the Residential Tenancies Act which allows landlords of rental units built after November 1, 1991 to annually increase rents by any amount meaning they are exempted from the maximum allowed guideline increase of 2.5% annually. Why the Bill is needed: Rents are unaffordable. Almost half of Ontario renters pay more than 30% of their income on rent. Rents are increasing. According to the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association, between 1990 and 2008, average rents in Ontario for one- and two-bedroom apartments in private rental units increased by twice the level of median tenant incomes and well above the overall rate of inflation. There is a lack of affordable, social housing. There were 156,358 low-income households across Ontario on the active waiting lists for social housing as of December 31, 2011 an increase of 2.9% or 4,281 households in one year. Thousands of tenant households are not protected by rent regulation. According to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, over 50,000 Ontario households living in the private rental market are affected by the exemption of post-November 1, 1991 units. -30Media contact: Andrew Schwab, 416-325-2756