Renter Rights and Responsibilities

Your rights as a renter in Brantford are protected by the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). Key rights include:

• To live in a safe and well-maintained unit: Landlords must keep rental units in good repair and meet health, safety, fire safety, and property standards.
• Protection from illegal lockouts: landlords cannot change the locks, block access to your unit, shut off utilities, or remove your belongings without a legal eviction order from the Landlord and Tenant Board.
• Protection from harassment or intimidation: landlords cannot threaten, pressure, or force you to move out.
• The right to challenge an eviction: you do not have to move out just because you receive notice. Only the Landlord and Tenant Board can issue an eviction order.
• The right to privacy: in most cases, landlords must provide at least 24 hours' written notice before entering your unit. However, if there is an emergency, a landlord is not required to give notice to enter a rental unit.
• The right to reasonable enjoyment: you have the right to use your home without unnecessary disturbance from your landlord or others under their control.
• The right to have guests: Landlords cannot restrict visitors or temporary guests unless legal occupancy limits or other legal restrictions apply.
• The right to have pets: While a landlord has the right to reject an application to rent a unit to a tenant who has a pet, in most cases, a landlord cannot evict a tenant for having a pet once they are living in a rental unit.

If you believe your landlord has broken any of the rules of the RTA, contact the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (RHEU) for help.

As a tenant, you are responsible for maintaining your rental unit and following the rules in the Residential Tenancies Act and municipal bylaws. Some key responsibilities include:

• Paying your rent on time, as outlined in your lease agreement
• Taking care of the unit, including keeping the unit clean, taking out garbage regularly, reporting maintenance issues promptly, and repairing or paying for damage that is beyond normal wear and tear.
• Following the rules and getting approval for changes:
  • use the unit for lawful purposes only.
  • avoid disturbing others and follow noise and nuisance bylaws.
  • follow building rules, including garbage sorting, parking, and occupancy limits.
  • do not change locks and keys without the landlord’s permission.
  • do not make major changes to the unit without approval from the landlord.