On January 1, 2018, two changes to the Residential Tenancies Act that relate to the landlord’s Application for a Rent Increase above the Guideline will come into effect:
- A landlord will no longer be able to apply for a rent increase above the guideline because utility costs (e.g. fuel, electricity or water) have increased.
- If a landlord has not complied with an order to fix an elevator (issued by the LTB, the municipality or the Technical Standards and Safety Authority), the LTB can dismiss the application or require the landlord to fix the elevators before ordering an above guideline increase.
A landlord can still apply to the LTB for an increase above the guideline if:
- the landlord’s costs for municipal taxes and charges have increased significantly
- the landlord has done major repairs or renovations (these are called capital expenditures), or
- the landlord has operating costs for security services performed by persons who are not employees of the landlord.
Changes to Form L5
The LTB has updated L5: Application for an Above Guideline Increase to reflect the changes. Begin using this new form immediately. Make sure you are getting the latest version of the form by clearing your browser cache. Old versions of this forms will be accepted until January 30, 2018.