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Tenant Information

You have rights and responsibilities as a tenant, some of these include:

Paying your rent on time.
Taking care of your unit.
Telling your landlord about problems with your unit.
Being a good neighbour.

Your landlord needs to:

Give you rent receipts.
Let you know how you can contact them.
Do any needed repairs.

Find help

Are you are having problems with your landlord or your unit?

You can get help from:

Do you believe that your rights as a tenant or a landlord have been violated? You can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Learn more about your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or landlord:

If you have bedbugs, please visit the Insects, Rodents and Bites page to learn about prevention, cleaning and preparing for treatment.

Rent-geared-to-income (RGI) tenants and co-op members

If you live in an RGI unit, you have the same rights and responsibilities as other tenants. This applies if you live with a social housing provider or a private landlord. If you live in an RGI unit in a co-op, you have the same rights and responsibilities as all members in your co-op.

Learn about RGI and eligibility.

Reporting changes

You must tell your housing provider right away if your income or assets change, or if someone moves in or out of your unit. If you do not tell your housing provider right away you could become ineligible for RGI and have to start paying the full market rent for your unit.

Question or concerns

Contact your housing provider or property manager with questions. You can also contact the board of directors of your non-profit or co-op. Contact Housing Services staff if you cannot fix your issue. They may be able to help you.

Transfer requests

If you want to move to another social housing provider, you can apply for a transfer. We will put you on the DASH wait list. There are long waits for transfers. If you owe arrears for missed rent payments, you will not be eligible for a transfer.

You must complete the Application for Transfer Form. Give it to your housing provider to transfer.

You do not need to complete an application for transfer form to move to a different unit in the same place that you live now. Your housing provider may have rules about transfers. Contact them for more information.

Appeals

You can appeal to the Regional Review Panel if you disagree with a decision about your RGI.

Durham Regional Local Housing Corporation (DRLHC) tenants

If you live in a Durham Regional Local Housing Corporation (DRLHC) unit, we are your landlord.

Paying your rent

You must pay your rent on the first of every month. You can pay directly from your bank account by completing a pre-authorized payment plan form.

Maintenance and work orders

To request a repair in your unit, call Housing Services at 905-666-6222, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We will tell you least 24 hours before any work that will be in your home. An exception is if the work is urgent and you have given us permission to enter. Keep all pets away from the work zone. If you need pest control, you must remove all pets from your home for the stated time. Please do not smoke when maintenance staff and contractors are in your home.

After-hours emergencies

Call for maintenance after hours at 905-666-6222 if you have an emergency. The Answering Service will respond. We will only handle emergency repairs after hours.

Emergencies include:

Flooding
Lockouts
Fire alarms

Inspections

We will do an inspection of your unit each year, including:

Check the smoke detectors.
Clean the vents.
Make sure window locks are in place.
Check that taps are not leaking.

From time to time, there may be other reasons for us to enter your home, such as to inspect your furnace. We will tell you why we need to enter your home and give you at least 24 hours notice.

As your landlord, we have the right to enter your unit under section 27 of the Residential Tenancies Act. If you are concerned about the work or inspection, please contact your Property Manager at 905-666-6222 before the work starts.

Guest policy

You are responsible for the behaviour of your guests at all times.

You cannot have a guest in your unit longer than seven days without written permission from us first. To get permission, you must write to us stating:

Name of guest(s).
How long they will be staying.
Reason for them staying longer than seven days.

Your Property Manager will confirm in writing how long your guest can stay with you.

We can refuse your request. We can do this if we believe your guest will not leave at the end of the agreed-to term. This can also happen if their behaviour has disturbed other tenants.

We will consider the guest an illegal occupant if your guest stays longer than seven days without our written approval. Your guest must either leave your unit or be added to your lease. To do this, they must complete the application. Your guest will need to be eligible for rent geared-to-income (RGI) to be approved. You may have to pay market rent for your unit if your guest stays in your unit and is not on your lease.

Internal transfer policy

If you want to transfer to another unit, contact your property manager.

See the list of building locations managed by the DRLHC.

Special Priority tenants

Do you live with someone who is abusing you and you want to permanently separate from them? You may receive priority for a transfer to another DRLHC property or another social housing provider. You must complete the Special Priority application package.

Extraordinary situations

If you need to transfer for extraordinary health or safety reasons, your Property Manager may consider the request. You must not owe rent in your current unit. You may have to take the new unit in an "as is" condition. You cannot have damage in your current unit or a history of disturbing other tenants. We will consider Special Priority tenants and over-housed tenants for transfer first.

Overhoused tenants

If you live in a unit that is larger than you are eligible for under the occupancy standards, you must transfer to a smaller unit. We will put you on our wait list to transfer to a smaller unit in any of the DRLHC buildings in the municipality where you live now. You can also ask us to add you the Durham Access to Social Housing (DASH) wait list.

If you have not transferred to a smaller unit after one year, we will add you to the DASH wait list. If you turn down three offers to transfer, you will be ineligible for RGI, and your rent will be increased to the full market rate.

Underhoused tenants

If you live in a unit that is smaller than you are eligible for under the occupancy standards, you may apply for a larger unit by contacting your Property Manager. The day you made the request will be your application date.

Contacts

You can contact DRLHC staff and our property managers at 905-666-6222:

Eleanor MacDonald, DRLHC General Manager ext. 2477
Lynn Alexander, Property Manager ext. 2450
Kaye Banfield, Property Manager ext. 2486
Jackie Quinn, Property Manager ext. 3618