Can I stop paying rent to get my landlord to do something?

Sometimes it might seem fair to stop paying some or all of your rent if your landlord isn't giving you what you are paying for. For example, your landlord might be harassing you, invading your privacy, or refusing to do repairs.

But it might be a bad idea to stop paying your rent in order to resolve problems with your landlord.

If you do not pay your full rent, your landlord can apply to the  (LTB) to try to have you evicted.

If your landlord applies to the LTB, you can tell the LTB about the problems you are having with your landlord. But you could still be evicted if the LTB doesn't believe you or does not think the problems are serious enough.

If you want to move

Even if you plan to move out because of the problems, it can still be risky to stop paying the rent.  Your landlord has up to one year after you move out to apply to the LTB to make you pay.

It might be hard to convince an  that you should not have to pay the rent. You will need strong  to prove that the problem was very serious.

An LTB to pay rent can affect your credit record. This can make it harder for you to rent another place, to borrow money, or to get a credit card.

And if you didn't give proper notice to move, you might owe even more rent.

A safer way

If you can't get your landlord to respect your rights, it is safer to apply to the LTB instead of holding back rent.

There are several kinds of  the LTB can order when landlords don’t do repairsdon’t respect your privacy, and in many other situations.

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