Bill 51 explained in plain English
Rent Stabilization Act, 2025
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 44th Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill 51, the Rent Stabilization Act, 2025, amends Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act and Legal Aid Services Act to implement measures for rent stabilization, including changes to landlord duties, tenant application rights, new tenant rent rules, a rent registry, and mandatory legal aid for tenants in specific rent increase disputes.
This bill, called the Rent Stabilization Act, 2025, proposes changes to Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, and the Legal Aid Services Act, 2020. It aims to stabilize rent by altering rules around landlord responsibilities, tenant applications to the Landlord and Tenant Board, rent charged to new tenants, and by establishing a rent registry. Additionally, it mandates legal representation for tenants facing certain rent increase applications.
- Amends the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, to update rules about landlord responsibilities for maintaining residential properties.
- Creates a process for tenants to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board if a landlord fails to complete repairs or other work as required by a settlement or a previous order.
- Establishes new rules for the maximum rent that can be charged to a new tenant.
- Expands the situations where a tenant can ask the Landlord and Tenant Board to determine the highest amount of rent they can legally be charged.
- Creates a rent registry to be managed by the Landlord and Tenant Board, requiring landlords to submit information and setting out rules for how this information is used and disclosed.
- Amends the Legal Aid Services Act, 2020, to require that legal aid services provide legal representation to tenants who are directly affected by an application for a rent increase that is higher than the guideline set by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006.
- Modifies existing sections of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, related to rent increases, applications to the Board, and landlord obligations.
- Tenants in Ontario.
- Landlords in Ontario.
- The Landlord and Tenant Board.
- Legal Aid Ontario (the Corporation).
- Landlords have a responsibility to maintain residential complexes and rental units in good repair and fit for habitation.
- Tenants can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board if a landlord fails to comply with a settlement or prior order regarding repairs or work.
- Landlords must file statements with the Landlord and Tenant Board for a rent registry, providing details about the rental unit and rent charged.
- Landlords must notify the Board of changes to rent charged.
- Tenants can apply to the Board to verify the accuracy of information in the rent registry.
- The Landlord and Tenant Board must maintain a rent registry and make certain information available to landlords, tenants, former tenants, and prospective tenants.
- The Landlord and Tenant Board must make certain rent registry information publicly available.
- Legal Aid Ontario must provide legal representation to tenants facing specific types of rent increase applications.
- Tenants can apply to the Board for an order determining the maximum lawful rent they can be charged in certain situations.
- This Act comes into force on the day that is six months after the day this Act receives Royal Assent. (Section 21)
- If a rental unit is rented when section 14 of this Act comes into force, the landlord must file a statement with the Board within 30 days of that day. (Section 14, Transition (8))
- The Board may order a landlord to pay an administrative fine not exceeding $1,000 per day for failing to comply with a settlement or prior order. (Section 6 (3) 1)
- The Board may order a rent abatement for tenants until a landlord complies with a settlement or prior order. (Section 6 (3) 2)
- The Board may order a rent abatement equal to the reasonable costs a tenant incurs to complete repairs. (Section 6 (3) 3)
- Failure to file a statement with the Board for the rent registry can result in the Landlord and Tenant Board staying or discontinuing an application filed by the landlord. (Section 15)
- Providing false information in a statement filed for the rent registry is an offence. (Section 17, Section 233 (g.1))
- Failing to file a statement with the Board for the rent registry is an offence. (Section 18, Section 234 (r.1))
- The Board may refuse to allow an application to be filed, stay proceedings, or discontinue an application if an applicant owes money to the Board or has not filed a required statement. (Section 196)
- The bill does not specify the exact content of 'prescribed information' required in the landlord's statement for the rent registry (Section 182.3.2 (2) 5).
- The bill does not detail the specific 'circumstances' under which an employee of the Board may refuse to allow an application to be filed if money is owed or a statement is not filed, beyond referencing 'the Rules'. (Section 196 (a))
- The bill does not detail the specific 'circumstances' under which the Board may discontinue an application if money is owed or a statement is not filed, beyond referencing 'the Rules'. (Section 196 (b) and (c))
- The bill refers to 'guideline determined under section 120 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006' for rent increases in relation to legal aid, but the specific details of this guideline are not within this bill text.
- The bill does not explicitly state what happens if a landlord fails to provide a copy of the filed statement or notice to the tenant, beyond the tenant's right to apply to the Board regarding accuracy.
Changes rules related to landlord maintenance responsibilities, tenant applications for rent disputes, rent limits for new tenants, and establishes a new rent registry.
Source: Section 1-20, 31.1, 113-117, 120, 123, 182.3.1, 182.3.2, 182.3.3, 196, 227, 233, 234, 241
Mandates the provision of legal representation before the Landlord and Tenant Board for tenants directly affected by certain rent increase applications.
Source: Section 4.1
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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