Electronic Signature Legitimateness for Roommate Rental Agreement in Canada

How to eSign a document: electronic signature legitimateness for Roommate Rental Agreement in Canada

Ontario's residential tenancies act gives landlords and tenants various rights and responsibilities and also affords renters many protections but there are some situations where the RTA safeguards simply don't apply even if you're paying rent I don't believe uh the phrase roommate agreement appears in the RTA Benjamin Reese from South Etobicoke Community Legal Services explains that roommates of Elise holder are not covered by the RTA because the ACT states that a person cannot be both a landlord and a tenant in the same rental unit at the same time that means that if anyone signs a lease and becomes the we call them the capital T tenant under the residential tenancies act and they have those rights that they get from that law if they turn around and make an agreement with other people to move in with them and maybe pay part of the rent part of the utilities whatever that agreement can't be covered by the RTA because that would make the tenant also a landlord in the same unit Reese says the deal between a leaseholder and a roommate is a simple contract and there is no law requiring a notice period to end it any disputes cannot be taken to the landlord and tenant board they have to go through small claims court we make contracts all the time when we buy things when we rent things but you don't get the same special protections that the RTA offers so it can break down much more more easily people can be kicked out or removed much more easily under those types of contracts and if you're the tenant and your name is on the lease you're on the hook for the entire rent and so you know you could also be left holding the bag if you have a roommate who says you know what I found I'm moving I'm leaving uh tomorrow the RTA also doesn't apply in certain circumstances when the tenant leaves with the homeowner the ACT doesn't apply to you if you are required to share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner not a property manager not a superintendent but the owner or the owner's spouse or either of their parents or either of their kids so that has to actually be the arrangement when you move in you can't be living somewhere and all of a sudden your your own the owner of the property says guess what I'm moving in and now you've lost all your rights but once again the tenant is free to move out whenever they choose or can be asked to leave without notice the owner owner can call the police and say I don't want this person here and then you're sort of have the same status as if you crashed on a friend's couch for the night and then overstayed you're welcome the next day on the other hand those renting a single room in a multi-room home do have protections under the RTA even though the ACT doesn't specifically mention rooming houses you'll find separate sections for a certain kind of retirement Care Homes you'll find separate sections for mobile home parks but but nothing about rooming houses we've got more on tenants rights in that situation on our website citynews.ca dilshad Berman City news