r/OntarioRentals

Hi Everyone, I have a serious issue with utilities in my house. I live in the suite 2 of a house that has two suites. The sharing formula has been 45 for me and 55 for Suite 1. We are 4 in my suite and the upper suite had 5 tenants.

Now it’s over 3 months the other suite has been vacant and the Landlord is not planing to rent it cos he listed the house for sale. 

Now he expects me to cover 100% of water and gas, and 95% for electricity. He said he will pay 5% for the ongoing real estate showing that keeps going on. He said he turned of heating since it’s summer but I have absolute no control of what happens there and the suite remains connected to everything.

I did not agree and offered to pay 80% however I know there are only two ways approved for bills to be shared but I have spoken to two lawyers non of them have affirmatively told me that it was wrong or right.

Under my lease The exact words used in my lease says :

“ The Tenant shall be responsible for the payment of all utilities associated with the premises, including but not limited to Enbridge Gas, Alectra utilities, water , water heater rental and parcel of Land fees.

The Tenant shall pay 45% of the utilities bills, calculated based on the number of occupants residing in the property (55/45 split). In such cases, the utilities cost -sharing arrangement shall be adjusted to reflect the number of individuals living in the house at the time.”

He claims that since there is zero occupant in suite 1 i have to take all the responsibilities. Please is there any one that has had such experience?

Thanks

My basement apartment got flooded due to excessive rainfall four days ago. The water got up to 8 inches of water everywhere and the power of the house had to be turned off. My partner and I then had to move into an Airbnb that we are paying for. While the flood was happening, the landlord allowed us to put our expensive furniture upstairs in her living area.

After the flood ended, we asked her for our last month’s rent back because the place is inhabitable and we are forced to move out and pay for an Airbnb ourselves. She then refused to pay us and stated that the furniture she allowed for us to bring upstairs is worth the price of the rent, which is a lie.

For more context, we move out next month, the flood happened this month, so this months rent was the last months rent that we paid her in the beginning of the tenancy (first and last month).

Is this right? Does she need to give us our last months rent back? What can we do?

EDIT - I HAVE TENANT’S INSURANCE, didn’t even know people could rent somewhere and not have it so I didn’t think I needed to add that in the post. Also, this was supposed to be my last month living here, my lease ends July 31, 2026.

Update - thank you everyone for your help. The landlord ended up giving me the last month’s rent.

My basement apartment got flooded due to excessive rainfall four days ago. The water got up to 8 inches of water everywhere and the power of the house had to be turned off. My partner and I then had to move into an Airbnb that we are paying for. While the flood was happening, the landlord allowed us to put our expensive furniture upstairs in her living area.

After the flood ended, we asked her for our last month’s rent back because the place is inhabitable and we are forced to move out and pay for an Airbnb ourselves. She then refused to pay us and stated that the furniture she allowed for us to bring upstairs is worth the price of the rent, which is a lie.

For more context, we move out next month, the flood happened this month, so this months rent was the last months rent that we paid her in the beginning of the tenancy (first and last month).

Is this right? Does she need to give us our last months rent back? What can we do?

I normally don't write posts like this, but after everything I experienced at this property, I feel like other renters deserve to know before signing a lease.
Living here was one of the worst experiences of my life.
Throughout my tenancy, I dealt with repeated mice infestations, mould concerns, furnace problems, and what I experienced as a gas leak. At one point, I was left without heat and hot water for approximately 10–12 days during the winter. I repeatedly raised concerns about the condition of the unit, but I felt many of the serious issues were not addressed in a timely manner.
The conditions inside the home caused me constant stress and anxiety. During my time there, I experienced significant health problems that led to ongoing medical treatment. Living in those conditions had a devastating impact on my quality of life and health.
This wasn't just a matter of cosmetic issues or minor repairs. In my experience, these were serious health and safety concerns that made the home feel unsafe to live in.
There were complaints made regarding the condition of the property, and I ultimately had no choice but to leave.
If you're thinking about renting this property, I strongly encourage you to:
Ask detailed questions before signing anything.
Request maintenance records.
Carefully inspect every part of the property.
Don't ignore any signs of moisture, pests, unusual odours, or heating issues.
I am currently involved in legal proceedings relating to my tenancy, so there are certain details I cannot discuss publicly. Everything in this post is based on my own personal experience and is shared to help others make an informed decision.
I personally would never rent this property again.

Title: Ontario - Joint lease with roommate. She wants me to find a replacement, but I just want to move out.

My roommate and I are both on a joint lease in Ontario.

She recently told me that she’s planning to move out next month and said she’ll find someone to take over her room. She also expects me to find a replacement if I want to move out.

The thing is, I don’t want to continue the tenancy with a new roommate or sign a new lease. I simply want to move out and give proper notice. We both want to move out but she is finding a replacement so that she doesn’t have to give 60days notice.

Also, she told me about her moving out 2 days before she was due to sign the lease for her new apartment.

My understanding is that if I don’t agree to sign a new lease with a replacement tenant and instead provide the required notice to the property manager, then I shouldn’t be obligated to enter into a new tenancy with someone I don’t know.

Can my roommate require me to sign a new lease with her replacement? Or can I simply notify the landlord/property manager that I intend to move out and decline to sign any new lease?

If anyone has experience with joint leases in Ontario, I’d appreciate any guidance on how this normally works.

I rented from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2026 Ontario. My last month’s rent deposit was $2,300 and the rent never changed the whole time. My landlord never paid me any interest on the deposit.

Can someone tell me how much I should be owed in interest for those 3 years?