Bill 60 Passed in Ontario — Here’s What Tenants Need to Worry About Now

 Written by chatgpt

Bill 60 Passed in Ontario — Here’s What Tenants Need to Worry About Now

Ontario quietly pushed through Bill 60 — the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025 — and most people have no idea what it actually does. Tenants especially.

Let’s cut through the noise: this bill shifts power even further toward landlords and makes eviction easier, faster, and harder to fight. If you rent in Ontario, you need to know what just changed.

1. Faster Evictions for Late Rent

Under the old rules, tenants had 14 days to fix a late rent payment before a landlord could apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).

Bill 60 cuts that down — in some cases to 7 days.

That means:

• One late payment can spiral fast.

• There’s less room for error if your paycheque is delayed or your hours get cut.

• The buffer that helped tens of thousands of renters avoid eviction is basically gone.

2. “Persistent Late Payment” Will Be Defined — And Weaponized

Before Bill 60, the term “persistent late payment” was vague, and tenants had some wiggle room.

Now the government is defining it through regulation — and early analysis suggests it won’t take many late payments to brand you “persistent.”

Once you’re labeled persistent?

• Landlords can push for eviction even if you’re fully paid up right now.

• Past lateness becomes grounds to boot you.

3. Harder to Raise Maintenance or Safety Issues in a Hearing

Historically, tenants could show up to an arrears hearing and say:

• “The unit has mold.”

• “The heat doesn’t work.”

• “My landlord ignored repair requests.”

Those issues could reduce or offset arrears.

Bill 60 changes that.
Now, tenants may have to pay 50% of the alleged arrears upfront before they’re even allowed to raise those issues.

Most low-income renters can’t do that.
In practice, this means:

• Bad landlords get away with neglect.

• Tenants lose leverage.

• Eviction becomes a near-certainty once arrears are filed.

4. Shorter Appeal and Review Deadlines

Tenants used to have 30 days to request a review if the LTB issued a wrong or unfair decision.

Bill 60 cuts that down to 15 days.

If you miss the window?
Too bad. The eviction stands.

Tenants working long hours, dealing with illness, or without legal support are the ones most likely to get hit.

5. Reduced Compensation for “Landlord’s Own Use” Evictions

Before Bill 60, landlords who evicted tenants because “my family needs the unit” usually owed the tenant:

• One month’s rent compensation
  or

• A comparable unit at similar rent

Bill 60 weakens that.
Landlords can now give notice with far less financial consequence.

This matters because “landlord’s own use” is one of the most abused eviction loopholes in Ontario.

6. Less Security of Tenure Overall

Bill 60 doesn’t blow up rent control directly.
Instead, it undermines the piece tenants rely on most: the right to stay in your home unless you’ve done something seriously wrong.

The message to tenants is clear:

• Less protection.

• Faster process.

• More reasons landlords can push you out.

• Fewer tools to fight back.

We’re drifting into American-style tenancy rules — in the middle of the worst affordability crisis in Ontario’s history.

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So What Should Tenants Actually Do?

You can’t control the law, but you can protect yourself:

1. Keep proof of ALL rent payments.
Download receipts. Screenshot e-transfers. Save emails.

2. Document every maintenance issue.
Send repair requests in writing. Keep photos. Keep dates.

3. Don’t ignore any LTB paperwork — deadlines are now shorter.
If you get a notice, contact someone immediately:

• ACTO (Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario)

• Legal Aid Ontario

• Local community legal clinics

4. Avoid late payments at all costs.
Even one late month can be used against you.

5. Learn the eviction types.

• Non-payment

• Persistent late payment

• Landlord’s own use

• Reno/demo
  Knowing which one you’re dealing with changes everything.

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Final Word

Bill 60 tilts the playing field.
It’s not catastrophic if you’re informed — but it is dangerous if you’re unaware.

Tenants don’t need fear; they need strategy.

If you want, tell me your exact situation — rent costs, payment timeline, type of landlord, past maintenance issues — and I’ll tell you exactly where your risk points are, and how to protect yourself under this new law.