Toronto tenants fight rent increase, argue landlord is partially using it to cover redevelopment costs [Video]

Tenants of a Toronto apartment complex are fighting an application for an above-guideline increase to their rent, because nearly half of it is covering an environmental assessment that’s typically used to help the landlord sell or redevelop the property.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Amy Nyp, who has lived in one of 115 units in the three low-rise buildings near Black Creek Drive and Eglinton Avenue for nearly nine years.

“Why are we paying for something that doesn’t actually pertain to the tenants?”

Without approval from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), landlords in Ontario are only allowed to increase rent for most existing tenants by the province’s annual rent increase for inflation. (This year, that guideline is set at 2.5 per cent.)

Above-guideline increases, or AGIs, allow landlords to tack on up to an additional three per cent per year to help cover the cost of capital expenses like major repairs …