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This is the first page of the T2 application form. It summarizes what will be asked on following pages, and the conditions it should be used for. This is the form Makiba-Nicole Francis would have submitted in her case.

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This graphic is a very broad overview of what Landlord's cannot do. Most importantly, the bottom left point about entry.

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This graphic elaborates on the second photo's bottom left point. There are exceptions to most rules, and these are the following exceptions for entry.

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Should the landlord violate any laws outlined in the Residential Tenancies act, a tenant would need to file an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board. This video instructs how the process works.

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Landlord and Tenant Board Filling an application

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Can a landlord change the locks on your unit? This video by Sam Saberikamareh elaborates on the question.

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Can My Landlord Change My Lock If I Don't Pay Rent?  - Toronto Tenancy Laws Explained #3

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The entry of units is covered by over 3 different sections outlined in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. Sam Saberikamareh explains the laws into layman terms.

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Can My Landlord Enter ANYTIME? - The Why, When and How Of Entry  - Toronto Tenancy Laws Explained #5

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What you need to know about 'rent abatements' in Ontario

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What you need to know about 'rent abatements' in Ontario

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If your application to the LTB is successful, an abatement to your rent may be applied. This article covers how abatements are calculated. Abatements are used to reward damages to the tenant.

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Ontario's Rental Tenancies Act (RTA) says that if a tenant is not being provided with all the services stipulated in a rental lease or their rights are violated in some way, they may be eligible for a 'rent abatement.'

An abatement is reimbursement of a portion of rent paid back to the tenant to compensate for what amounts to a breach of contract by the landlord, explains Elysha Roeper, staff lawyer at West Toronto Community Legal Services.

"For example, an illegal entry by the landlord without justifiable cause, harassment, discrimination, breaches in maintenance and repair issues - so if the landlord's not taking sufficient action to repair something that is their responsibility," she says.

A rent abatement is a formal order from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). A tenant must apply to the board in order to request and receive one, using either a T2 or a T6 form after which a hearing will be scheduled. Roeper suggests that tenants contact a local community legal aid clinic to help file any paperwork with the board and prepare for the hearing.

T2 form

Tenants can file a T2 form to have the board rule on issues relating to tenant rights under the following circumstances involving the landlord, landlord's agent or superintendent:

The unit was entered illegally

The tenant was harassed, threatened coerced, obstructed or otherwise interfered with

Vital services were withheld or interfered with

The locks were changed and the tenant was not given replacement keys

Reasonable enjoyment of the unit or complex was substantially interfered with

In addition, a T2 form can be used to have the board determine whether the landlord did not give the tenant 72 hours to remove their property after being evicted by a sheriff.

It can also be used if, in the case of a care home, the landlord did not provide the tenant with a written tenancy agreement for the unit or the agreement did not include information about services, meals or other charges that the tenant agreed to.

T6 form

Tenants can file a T6 form to have the board rule on issues relating to maintenance and repairs, specifically:

The rental unit or residential complex has not been repaired or maintained by the landlord

The landlord is not complying with health, safety, housing or maintenance standards.

"A lot of the times tenants are filing [a T2 and T6] jointly at the same time to make sure that they're covering all the issues. For example, cockroaches - if you have a pest problem that doesn't really clearly fit into maintenance or repair or tenant rights. And so I usually suggest that people file both and just expect that the landlord tenant board will address one of them," says Roeper.

Tenant dos and don'ts

Tenants have up to a year to file for a rent abatement.

DO: Collect sufficient evidence - the more, the better.

As far as possible, all communication between the tenant and landlord should be in written form.

For maintenance issues specifically, Roeper says tenants should ensure they have proof that the landlord was made aware of the problem, plus any other correspondence to support their claims.

"If you don't have a cloud-based storage system or a way to access it from two places, make sure you back up your evidence," she says.

"I can't even describe the amount of times that a tenant has come to me and said that they had all this evidence on their phone and they lost their phone."

When it comes to a violation of tenant rights, Roeper says it may not always be possible to inform the landlord of the issue.

"You're not required to go up to someone being racist to you and say 'stopping being racist to me,' ... you don't have to put yourself in a situation of danger, but if there is a reason why you're not going to the landlord with your concerns, you might want to prepare evidence as to why," she says.

Roeper says where possible, interactions between the landlord and tenant can be recorded to provide as evidence to the board.

As Canada follows the single-party consent rule, a tenant can record any interaction they are a part of in their own home or a public place, including phone conversations.

"If you are in somebody else's home, that is pretty clearly not allowed ... anywhere where someone has a reasonable expectation of privacy because they control the space or it's a more private area like inside of a religious institution or with your lawyer - those places should not be recorded," says Roeper.

"What I also suggest to people is that if you have any questions about whether or not you're able to record - back in days where people wouldn't use as much technology - I used to suggest people just keep a notebook with all of the issues and note down significant conversations. Because you have to think to yourself that if you have a hearing, it might not be for seven or eight months and how much are you genuinely going to remember? And your own recollection can be one of your strongest pieces of evidence at a hearing."

DON'T: Withhold rent.

As per the RTA, harassment, lack of repairs or inability to use the unit as intended is not reason enough to stop paying rent.

"Unless you have an order from the landlord and tenant board saying you do not owe X amount of dollars, the rent will be owed because it is a contract at the end of the day," says Roeper.

"I've seen a case where a landlord went after arrears that were six years old and that was allowed."

How rent abatements are calculated

If the LTB grants the tenant an abatement, it is usually a percentage of the rent based on the length of time the tenant had to live with the issue in question. The landlord's efforts to resolve the problem are also taken into account.

"There is also a bit of a principle in law where no one's expected to be perfect all of the time. And so if the landlord puts in an order for a stove and then the shipping company has [delays] the LTB would look at things that stood in the way of the landlord doing what they were supposed to do," says Roeper.

"If your fridge stopped working and the landlord ordered a new fridge and in the interim gave you a mini fridge, that would be kind of a reasonable reaction and you might not get a lot of rent abatement for that. But if there were other things like the fridge had been not working for a long time, the landlord didn't touch it, you asked several times, that might point towards a larger abatement. Getting all of your rent back - 100 per cent rent abatement - is usually only reserved for times where you couldn't physically occupy the unit."

Other remedies

T2 and T6 forms also have the option of requesting several other remedies apart from rent abatement, including asking the board to fine the landlord and asking for the cost of repairs or replacement of damaged property.

Another common remedy that can be requested is reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses.

"You can request that the landlord tenant board give you the right to actually go out and purchase the thing that you need. The safest way is always to make the request first and take action after," says Roeper.

"If the landlord's not taking action, you can request that you be reimbursed for expenses that you've incurred or repairs that you've done,"

However, Roeper says it is possible for a landlord to dispute the cost of repairs or a replacement appliance for example, and the LTB might award the tenant only a portion of the cost.

"So there's no guarantee you'd get a hundred percent of it back," she says.

"But people are just expected to be reasonable under the circumstances. If you can show 'this is why I came to the decision I came to' and the LTB agrees that what you did was reasonable, then often that can be a [fully] reimbursed expense."

RELATED STORIES:

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What you need to know about 'rent abatements' in Ontario | CityNews Toronto

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An abatement is reimbursement of a portion of rent paid back to the tenant to compensate for what amounts to a breach of contract by the landlord

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This article outlines what responsibilities the landlord needs to be failing to take them to the LTB.

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If you rent your home, it is your landlord's job to repair and maintain it. Your landlord must fix or replace anything that is in bad condition or does not work properly.

This includes things that came with your place, such as appliances like a fridge or stove. It also includes common areas, like parking lots, elevators, and hallways.

It doesn't matter if your lease or rental agreement says something different. It also doesn't matter if you knew about the problem when you agreed to rent the place. The law says your landlord is responsible.

Before you apply to the LTB

Before you apply to the LTB, you should make sure your landlord knows about the problem and has had a reasonable amount of time to fix it.

There are also other steps you can take to try to get your landlord to do the repairs.

If your landlord still does not fix the problem, you can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). If the LTB finds that your landlord has not followed the law, they can order the landlord to fix the problem.

The LTB can also order your landlord to compensate you by paying you money or reducing your rent.

You must follow the right steps to get the LTB to hear your case. And you will have to show evidence to the LTB to prove that there is a problem.

Time limit

It is usually best to apply to the LTB within one year after the problem started.

The LTB can order the landlord to give you money for problems going back only one year before you applied. For example, if a problem went on for a full year but was fixed 11 months before your application, you can only get compensation for one month.

The LTB won't be able to order any compensation if you apply more than a year after the problem stopped or more than a year after you moved out.

If you have more than one repair and maintenance problem, the LTB will look separately at each problem to figure out whether you have applied in time.

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Can I take my landlord to the LTB if they won't fix something? - Steps to Justice

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Important COVID-19 update about the Landlord and Tenant Board Because of COVID-19, the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) has changed some of its processes.

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Hamilton senior says landlord changed the locks while she was out at Tim Hortons

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Hamilton senior says landlord changed the locks while she was out at Tim Hortons

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It's important to know your rights. This woman in Hamilton, ON was lied to about the purpose of her landlord's visit. She had her locks changed, and was forcibly (illegally) evicted. The landlord did not follow the laws outlined in the RTA, and will likely be fined a hefty amount when this case concludes.

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A Hamilton senior says her landlord changed the locks on her rented home unannounced, then began moving her family's things out a few days later.

The woman has been drawing from her limited income to rent a hotel room since Saturday, when she was locked out, she said.

Crys is 67 and works as a nurse. CBC Hamilton has agreed to withhold her last name, as the woman fears her employment and future housing options may be at risk due to the eviction.

Crys rented a downtown townhouse, living with her husband and adult son, on Cathcart Street.

She said she had been told to expect a visit from a plumber Saturday, so her husband was trusting when someone - seemingly a contractor - arrived.

She says the worker said he had recently had COVID-19 and suggested they leave the house while he worked. They complied - going to a nearby Tim Hortons for something to eat - and found their locks had been changed when they returned. Their possessions, including medications and pet cats, remained inside.

They were shocked and Crys's husband started crying, Crys told CBC Hamilton on Tuesday, as she stood outside her home, surrounded by concerned neighbours, hoping to be eventually let back inside.

According to Crys, several people with U-Haul truck arrived Tuesday morning and started to move items out of the house - whipping up a furor on the close-knit street that saw neighbours gathered on the sidewalks for much of the day, while police officers present tried to mediate conversations between Crys and the homeowner.

"We don't have enough money to stay in hotels all the time," Crys said, noting her husband lives with a psychiatric disorder and both of them need medication that's still inside the house.

"I give the beds at the hotel to my husband and son because they are the most sick in the family. I am sleeping in the car," she said.

"I haven't had my proper bed; my orthopedic bed," Crys said, adding she was also fearful of how her cats were managing. "I am full of pain. And I worry about my cats."

According to property records, the building is owned by a company called 2714099 ONTARIO INC. and registered to two people, including Ruth Lewis.

CBC Hamilton spoke to a woman in front of the property Tuesday who Crys' family and several neighbours identified as Lewis. Lewis said she hoped CBC would tell both sides of the story, and declined to give further comments.

Phone calls to Lewis for comment have also not been returned.

Police say removal of property can be considered theft

It was a chaotic scene on the narrow, dead-end street Tuesday: a passing garbage truck barely made it past the numerous police cruisers and the U-Haul truck.

Neighbours watched the scene from front stoops, driveways and sidewalks, while volunteers from Hamilton Tenants in Unity stood with a banner blocking the U-Haul loading ramp.

Crys told CBC Hamilton she knew the landlord had sold the home and that she'd likely have to leave eventually. But she says she wasn't presented with any eviction documentation from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), so the sudden urgency on the landlord's behalf came as a surprise.

She says she had been waiting for the landlord to fumigate the home - which she says is infested with ants, bedbugs and cockroaches - before moving to a new place, so she wouldn't bring the pests with her to a new place.

Hamilton Police Const. Indy Bharaj told CBC Hamilton that officers arrived at the scene at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, "in response to a tenant having their property removed... without properly being evicted."

He said officers were able to get an agent from the LTB on the phone, and facilitated a call that included the landlord.

"The landlord was advised of the repercussions... if they were to follow through" with removing Crys' possessions from the house, Bharaj said.

"Officers did advise that if they didn't return the property it could result in theft and possession [of stolen property] charges.

"The landlord was going to be moving the property back inside."

As of about 3 p.m., that hadn't happened yet, Crys told CBC Hamilton in a phone call Tuesday afternoon.

She was hopeful that discussions between her paralegal, Joseph Kazubek, and the landlord would lead to fumigation of her belongings and access to the house.

Paralegal warns of 'new way of evicting people'

Kazubek says tactics like these - where landlords lock out residents and deal with the repercussions later - are increasingly common, and used as a way to circumvent the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) proceedings.

He says such proceedings can take up to a year, and many tenants will give up on the process if they have already been pushed out of their homes and don't expect to get back in.

"It's the new way of evicting people," he says, lauding Crys for her getting help right away, before her things had been moved out.

He said it appears that Crys did not receive an eviction notice, which should have been required.

He also noted that while breaching the Residential Tenancies Act can come with a fine of up to a $50,000, it can be hard to stop such evictions in the moment because the police have limited power to interfere with landlord-tenant affairs.

"The police are only here to keep the peace," he said Tuesday.

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Hamilton senior says landlord changed the locks while she was out at Tim Hortons | CBC News

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A Hamilton senior says she's been drawing from her limited income to rent a hotel room since Saturday, when she says her landlord changed the locks on her rented home unannounced, then began moving her family's things out on Tuesday.

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A full list of all sources used.