Legal Information
Residential Tenancies
Recently our office has received reports of tenants in the Fort Frances area being pressured to sign new lease agreements after their landlord has sold the building to a new owner.
A residential tenant does not have to sign a new lease or a new tenancy agreement when the building or rental property is sold and they have a new landlord. In fact, you likely do not need to sign any new documents at all. The new landlord cannot make you do this, and if they try to or threaten you with eviction, they are acting contrary to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006.
If your building is sold and you did not have a written lease with the prior landlord, the same rules may apply. The new landlord cannot make you enter a new lease with different terms.
If the new owner wants you to move out of the rental property, they are required to give you a legal reason and must comply with the proper notice period. You are entitled to dispute the reason. A legal reason can be that the landlord, a member of their family, or a caregiver are moving into your rental. In that circumstance, the landlord must offer you another acceptable unit to move to or pay you at least one month's rent.
A landlord cannot make you leave the building because it has been sold. That is not a legal reason.
To learn more about the rights of tenants and the responsibilities of landlords, check out stepstojustice.ca.
We can act for both landlords and tenants. We also encourage low-income persons who qualify for services to contact the Northwest Community Legal Clinic.
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