In our work with landlords and tenants, one challenge we face is the regular introduction of new legislation that changes the rules and regulations around renting.

We’ve previously written about Bill 184, which updated the Residential Tenancies Act and was designed to make it easier to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.

Since then, we’ve had a few new pieces of legislation introduced that changes the rules around certain aspects of the rental relationship between landlords and tenants.  Whenever the rules change, it takes a while for people to wrap their heads around the new reality, so we thought we’d do a summary of what’s new and where we’re at now, focusing on Bill 60.

Fighting Delays, Building Faster, Jumping Higher, Dancing with Abandon

We do miss the good old days when legislation didn’t all come with pithy marketing subtitles, but it appears that approach is here to stay.

On October 23, 2025, the Ontario government introduced Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025. The Bill received Royal Assent on November 27, 2025.

It is important to note that the changes related to landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities are located in Schedule 12 of Bill 60, and that only comes into force when it is named by Order in Council at the provincial legislature.  There has been considerable opposition to this part of Bill 60 but the Ford government has largely followed through on planned legislation, so it is believed that at some point soon, Schedule 12 will be named by Order and be in effect.

If you’d like to read the entirety of the Bill, you can find it on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario site here.

The stated goal (for the RTA/LTB aspect at least) is to reduce delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board and limit tactics that slow files down.

Below is a practical summary of what’s changing – and what’s positive for landlords and for tenants.

Who wins with Bill 60?

Schedule 12 of the Bill 60 has faced considerable opposition from tenant advocacy groups and organizations such as the United Way, who view the new legislation as a step backwards for the rights of tenants.

Let’s review specific elements and who benefits most.

Better for Landlords

• Faster non-payment eviction notice timelines (N4): the minimum termination date on an N4 for many tenancies is reduced from 14 days to 7 days, letting a landlord file an L1 sooner if rent isn’t paid.
• Fewer last-minute tenant “counter-issues” at arrears hearings: tenants face new hurdles to raise maintenance/harassment/other issues within a rent-arrears hearing—most notably a requirement to pay 50% of the arrears claimed before raising those issues, plus stricter notice rules.
• Shorter internal review window at the LTB: the timeframe to request a review of an LTB order is reduced from 30 days to 15 days, shrinking the period where files can be held up by review requests.
• “Own use” (N12) option with no compensation if notice is longer: if the landlord gives at least 120 days’ notice (instead of the typical 60), the usual requirement to pay one month’s rent compensation or offer another unit may not apply (subject to the exact criteria and the in-force date).
• More rule-making flexibility around “persistent late payment”: the province can define what counts as “persistent failure” to pay rent on time via regulation, which could change how those cases are argued.

There is no question that the above changes would substantially benefit landlords, particularly with how long it takes to evict a tenant who uses the system to slow down the process.  We’d argue that good tenants who are following the rules will largely not be impacted by the changes, with the exception of the change to the N12 notice.  While landlords may rejoice at the fact that they can (with enough notice) evict a tenant without payment of one month’s rent for use by landlord or their immediate family, tenants who are asked to leave for this reason may encounter difficulties in covering moving and other costs without this payment.

Better for Tenants

• Clearer separation of issues (in theory): Bill 60 pushes many tenant complaints (maintenance, harassment, interference with enjoyment, etc.) toward being raised through proper processes rather than being introduced at the last second in an arrears eviction hearing—this can make outcomes more predictable, though the trade-off is reduced flexibility for tenants in arrears matters.
• Security of tenure is not removed: despite earlier public discussion about changing lease expiries, the adopted Bill 60 (as summarized by City of Toronto Legal Services) indicates it does not remove security of tenure—it focuses on procedure/timelines around LTB disputes.

The second point above is an important one, as initial presentations of Bill 60’s Schedule 12 included a substantive change to how lease renewals work in Ontario.  The change to make end of lease effectively the end of the tenant’s time in the unit (rather than automatically continuing on a month to month basis) would have been onerous to administer and cause significant confusion. We’re glad it wasn’t included in Bill 60.

While Schedule 12 is not yet named by Order and in effect, it is likely that will happen in the next few months.  We keep up to date with changes that impact our landlord and tenant clients to make sure that we can best represent their interests.  If you need assistant with renting out a unit (or buying an income property) or finding a rental to live, then we’d love to put that expertise to work!  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to talk further.