Human Rights & Rental Housing in Ontario - A Self-Advocacy Toolkit

In the context of housing accommodations, some landlords discriminate on the basis of family status by refusing to rent due to the presence of children, the composition of the tenant’s family (such as a gay couple with a child), and the absence of traditional parental figures. [...] 11 | Human Rights in Rental Housing in Ontario: A Self-Advocacy Toolkit The duty to accommodate The duty to accommodate is outlined in sections 11 and 17 of the Code. [...] Landlords have a duty to accommodate a renter’s disabilities up to the point of “undue hardship.” This means that a landlord is only discharged of their duty to accommodate if they can show that: • The costs of making an accommodation would be so high that it would affect the very survival or change the essential nature of the landlord’s business. [...] If a landlord refuses to accommodate a tenant’s disability, the tenant has the right to bring an application to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal to address the issue. [...] 13 | Human Rights in Rental Housing in Ontario: A Self-Advocacy Toolkit How to file a human rights application If you think your housing provider has violated your rights under the Code, and you cannot resolve the issue directly, you may wish to file an application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO).