.png)
Made for: Landlords or housing providers
Length: 5 minutes and 59 seconds
RTA? LTB? RHEU? SCC? Wow, so many acronyms - why you gotta do this to me Weiting?
In this video, I tell you about the basic functions of these four as a landlord operating in Ontario.
Hi - I’m Weiting Bollu. I’m the CEO of Openroom.ca. I purchased my first property at 23. My thought was: I’d live in my parent’s basement and rent out my property until I was ready to move in. When I rented out my property, I did not know any of these laws or guidelines - I mean, isn’t it just passive income being a landlord?
WRONG.
I learned the hard way as many small housing providers did. In my case, I had tenants who decided not to pay rent to the tune of over $35,000 and I landed in court many many times. You can see all of my orders on my website when you research my name. So now, it’s my mission with Openroom University that I share knowledge of what I wish I knew so you don’t make mistakes like I did.
—
Ontario’s residential tenancy compliance is based on the Residential Tenancies Act also known as the RTA for short. (RTA). It’s a A provincial law that governs rental housing, defining rights and responsibilities for tenants and landlords.
In Ontario, the lease is just the beginning. Once the keys are handed over, the RTA becomes your long-term relationship counsellor, whether you like it or not. To protect yourself as a landlord, the first rule is simple: follow the RTA to the letter, even when your tenant does not.
Professionalism is your shield. Everything you say or write may be used against you in the future if something goes wrong.
Tenants may yell, threaten, send unhinged texts at 2 a.m., or occasionally cross the line into behaviour that would get them banned from polite society.
Your job is to stay calm, factual, and boring.
The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) is an administrative tribunal that resolves disputes between residential landlords and tenants, handling issues like evictions, rent payment problems, and maintenance complaints, governed by the Residential Tenancies Act.
When your tenants are throwing profanities at you, your boring can help you win at the LTB.
If behaviour escalates into threats, harassment, or spitting, which is never a “tenant right” no matter what they say, call the police.
Will they solve the tenancy issue? Rarely.
Will they create a paper trail that shows you acted responsibly? Absolutely—and that paper trail can be gold later. You want evidence showing that you acted professionally when you bring the dispute to the LTB.
Another underused resource is the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (RHEU).
While its primary mission is keeping landlords in check, it does enforce specific tenant-related offences too. Think illegal lock changes, utility interference, or intimidation. They won’t rush in like superheroes, but occasionally, they do show up.
When you file a complaint, have these pieces of information ready:
If you call in, you may also want to write a letter OR an email so you have it on record.
You should also:
The Small Claims Court comes in handy as it handles post-tenancy financial claims (unpaid rent/damages) and enforces LTB orders for money.
Yes that's right, the paper you got from the LTB doesn't actually do much just yet....
unless you're using Openroom's rental debt ledger to negatively impact the credit history of your tenants (the Debtors). More on that in the description below. But I sidebar.
Sometimes, you want to go further so you’d go for enforcement methods such as wage garnishment or examination hearing after an LTB order to try to get money back.
I warn you, it can take a while...like sometimes 2 years…but it can be faster.
I’ve made videos on garnishment and some guidelines on how to do an examination hearing if you were to do-it-yourself. Check it out.
Okay, it’s time for our rental trio: the top 3 takeaways of this video.
Speaking of which, I’ve got a template on what an evidence package could look like. Download it for free to prepare for the LTB if you end up there.
If you found this helpful - please share with another housing provider to make sure they know the basics. Send me some questions in the comments, or hit subscribe to this channel to stay in the loop.
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next week!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional regarding your specific circumstances before taking any action.
.png){kind=avatar}
Weiting's entrepreneurial journey began with a costly lesson in rental property management, where she experienced losses exceeding $35,000 due to non-paying tenants. Determined to prevent others from facing similar challenges, she built Openroom to pave a future towards a transparent and connected rental ecosystem.
Drawing from her extensive background in software product management spanning education, telecommunications, insurance, and artificial intelligence, Weiting has become a trusted advisor to founders of venture-backed companies. Beyond the tech sphere, Weiting managed properties for over a decade and made significant contributions to community leadership. She’s served on the Board of Rotary District 7070 and chaired various organizational committees.
Weiting balances her professional endeavours with being a parent of two kids under two. Alongside thousands of other parents, she was awarded participation trophies in innovative improvisation, ever-changing expectations management, daily roadmap planning, and hardcore patience!
.png)
