Rent Control in Toronto

I often have people reach out to ask if I know if a particular condo building is rent-controlled or not (I'm a realtor). If you're not familiar with the current Ontario rent-control legislation, I recommend you read the province's page on residential rent increases.

TLDR: New condo buildings first occupied for the first time after November 15, 2018 are not rent-controlled. It's important to note that this is based on the occupancy of the building itself and not the individual unit you may be looking to rent. This will not change until new legislation is introduced.

Now, how do you go about determining whether a condo unit is rent-controlled or not?

First, you can Google the name or address of the building. Search results such as Condos.ca or Strata.ca often list the year the building was completed. Typically, condo units are occupied before they are officially completed - this is known as 'interim occupancy'. Now, searching this way is not a foolproof method, as there could be inaccuracies or a building may be listed as completed in 2018... but it's good for the process of elimination.

Another option is to check sites that show rental histories of particular units, such as HouseSigma or Zolo. If you see there was a unit rented out before the rent control date, there's a good chance the building is rent-controlled - but keep in mind these old listings won't show you when the tenant actually occupied the unit.

Overall, the most reliable way to verify rent-control status is to reach out to the property management of the building. If you search almost any Toronto condo address with 'property management phone number' or 'concierge phone number', you're likely to find the building's contact info. A quick chat with the on-site manager should confirm this for you.

Hope this helps!

As always, this is not legal advice and you should always consult a paralegal or lawyer for professional advice on your individual scenario.