By Emily Nascimento

Amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) took effect through Bill 60 and Bill 97 on Sept. 21, raising concerns among student renters about housing security. 

Under the previous rules, tenants falling behind on rent were given a 14-day deadline to pay before landlords could evict. Under the new legislation, landlords can give just seven days notice before evicting if an N4 form has been filed. 

If the payment is not made within the timeframe, landlords can present an L1 form, beginning the eviction process.

In a report from the Housing Secretariat to Toronto City Council, the stated goal of these bills is “speeding up access to Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) decisions and increasing the supply of rental homes.”

However, the report also says the changes will “limit renters’ rights to effectively protect their tenancies, appeal decisions, access legal resources and obtain financial compensation to find new homes.” 

It also stated the changes could add pressure to city programs which provide financial support, eviction prevention services and housing stability supports. 

During the Nov. 24 debate in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario over Bill 60, the legislation passed its final vote 71-43 despite opposition from the NDP, Liberals and Green Party. Opposition members of provincial parliament (MPP) raised concerns about faster evictions, shorter appeal periods for tenants and changes that could weaken security of tenure. 

NDP leader Marit Stiles said tenants need stronger protections against rising rents and evictions during the debate.

“We need to bring back real rent control, closing the loopholes that are letting big corporate landlords jack up the rent above guidelines over and over again; to end bad faith evictions; to establish vacancy control; and to ensure fairness, finally, at the Landlord and Tenant Board,” she said. 

NDP MPP Catherine McKenney said they believe Bill 60 is not a housing plan, but rather a homelessness plan.

“Right now, people are frightened. We held town halls across Ontario, and we heard from dozens and dozens of renters living in fear—fear of renoviction, fear of eviction, fear that one missed paycheque will put them on the street,” they said during the debate. 

Previously, landlords could use an N12 form, which allows them or their immediate family to move into their rental properties within a 60-day window if they pay a tenant one month’s rent as compensation. Under the amendment, landlords will no longer need to pay compensation if they give at least 120 days’ notice.

Some students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) worry what the changes will mean for them and other renters. 

Talha Khan, a second-year aerospace engineering student studying internationally, said situations outside of his control may impact his ability to pay monthly rent with this new cut.

“My family sends me the money from my home country, so sometimes it gets delayed because of banks and the holidays,” said Khan. He said with the new changes, a small delay could be much more of a risk than before.

Fiona MacDonald, a first-year creative industries student, said the shorter deadline is a “slap in the face.” 

MacDonald said she wasn’t aware these changes had come into effect. “[I wish they’d] make it more obvious and also give more exposure to these new bills and everything coming in, so that everyone is made aware of them,” she said. 

The Toronto Community Housing Corporation reported 40,932 eviction applications from January to October 2025 in social housing alone. 

According to a report by Rentals.ca and Urbanation, rental properties in Toronto were averaging $2,571 as of this August. This was compared to the average of $1,917 in Oct. 2025, as previously reported by The Eyeopener.

Abeeha Mahmood, a second-year aerospace engineering student, said she’s worried that the new deadline could add more stress on her student life, making it harder to balance both studies and work.

“Right now the OSAP that I’m getting is not covering most of my expenses and I’m paying out of pocket…and on top of that, if something like this happens I think it’s gonna put a financial burden on myself,” she said. 

Daniel Tucker-Simmons, principal lawyer and founder of Avant Law Firm, explained the steps students can take when facing potential eviction and the LTB process. He said the seven-day deadline determines when a landlord can file an application to the LTB for an eviction, not meaning the tenant can be immediately removed.

“What students can do to fight that is just not move and then just keep an eye out for the [LTB], which will send a notice saying that a hearing will be held,” said Tucker-Simmons. 

He advised students facing eviction to prepare for the hearing by reading all notices and information provided by the LTB and following the required steps.

Bruno Dobrusin is co-chair of the Toronto Tenant Union, a city-wide organization bringing together multiple housing rights groups. He said the organization is working to “put the word out” and publicize the importance of collective organization. 

Dobrusin said he has seen an “explosion of cases” with the addition of N12, but the union was able to intervene in many instances.

“Often what landlords will say is ‘my kid is coming back from Vancouver and they’re going to move in so I need the unit’ and then the unit goes out for rent in the market two months later for double the [rental price],” he said. 

Dobrusin added that even in cases where the landlord intends on the individual moving in, there should be “an element in this fight of fairness”.

“They have to consider that there is a tenant there, that person has a life and their housing is a key part of their life,” he said. 

Dobrusin encourages students to get involved within a union or community organization to help challenge these changes. 

He said tenants should educate themselves on their rights as renters in the legal system and “get talking to each other” to contribute to building knowledge on the situation. 

“These are very difficult to defeat at the individual and also at the legal level. It requires putting the landlord on the spot, it requires mobilizing your neighbours, but it is possible and we have had a lot of wins,” he said. 

With files from Milena Tesfay