Can a Tenant Legally Withhold Rent As Means to Urge Repairs or Maintenance By a Landlord?

It Is Unlawful and Improper For a Tenant to Withhold Rent From a Landlord. Instead, a Tenant May Apply to the Landlord Tenant Board to Pay Rent to the Landlord Tenant Board.


Understanding That Withholding Rent From a Landlord Requires Payment of Rent Into the Landlord Tenant Board

Paying Rent Into Board Involves a Special Request Due to Maintenance Concerns A tenant with concerns or complaints about the state of repair of a rental unit acts improperly by withholding rent from the landlord. If the tenant wishes to motivate the landlord to address repair issues, then the tenant may initiate proceedings at the Landlord Tenant Board and apply to submit rent to the Landlord Tenant Board rather than the landlord.

The Law

If a tenant withholds rent in an effort to manipulate a landlord into addressing maintenance issues, the tenant does so improperly and unlawfully.  Rather than wrongfully withholding rent, the tenant may lawfully submit a Tenant Application About Maintenance (Form T6) to the Landlord Tenant Board and the tenant may also apply to the Landlord Tenant Board to remit rent that becomes due to the Landlord Tenant Board instead of to the landlord.

The cases of Haran v Westover, 2021 CanLII 101368, O.C. v. J.M.2018 CanLII 86120, D.P.J. v. A.C.2011 CanLII 26905, among others, address the impropriety of the withholding of rent by a tenant.  Specifically, per Haran, O.C., and D.P.J., the Landlord Tenant Board said:


14.  It is important to note that the Act does not provide any authority to the tenants to withhold rent payments in order to compel specific performance by a landlord. ...


3.  As I stated at the hearing, there is no legal justification for withholding rent.  If there are lingering maintenance issues, and the Landlord does not address them, the Tenant may apply for relief in a T6 application. ...


3.  The Tenant did not pay the rent for February and March because of maintenance issues in the rental unit. The Tenant further stated at the hearing that she did not intend to pay the rent until all maintenance issues are dealt with by the Landlord.

4.  I find that there is no provision in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (the 'Act') that allows a tenant to withhold rent because of outstanding maintenance issues. ...

As shown by the above cases, among many others, a tenant is without a right to withhold rent regardless of concerns for failure of maintenance by a landlord.  With this said, rather than improperly withholding rent from the landlord, when a tenant files a Tenant Application About Maintenance (Form T6), a tenant may apply to provide rent payments to the Landlord Tenant Board.  A tenant may apply to pay rent into the Landlord Tenant Board as per section 195(1)(b) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, Chapter 17, which states:


195 (1) Where the Board considers it appropriate to do so, the Board may, subject to the regulations,

....

(b)  permit a tenant who is making an application for an order under paragraph 1 of subsection 29 (1) to pay all or part of the rent for the tenant’s rental unit into the Board.

The process of applying to remit rent into the Landlord Tenant Board instead of the landlord, a tenant must commence a proceeding via the Tenant Application About Maintenance (Form T6) process and thereafter a Request to Pay Rent to the Board on a Tenant Application About Maintenance.

Summary Comment

Instead of withholding rent in an effort to pressure a landlord into addressing maintenance issues, a tenant with a legal dispute should apply to the Landlord Tenant Board to remit rent as due into the Landlord Tenant Board rather than to the landlord.

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