Tenant & Landlord Resources
Tenant Support Program
For more information about the Tenant Support Program and to share any other tenant-related concerns, contact [email protected].
The number and email are monitored Monday to Friday during regular business hours (8:30 am to 4:30 pm). All correspondence will be actioned as appropriate within a 48-hour response time.
If your concern requires immediate intervention and you or someone else’s health and safety may be at risk, please call 9-1-1.
In August 2023, the City of Hamilton approved the creation of the Tenant Support Program (TSP). This builds on the successful pilot of the Tenant Defense Fund (TDF). This program supports Hamilton residents, especially low-income residential tenants, understand their rights and prevent evictions. The TSP focuses on tenants who:
Receive a Notice to End Tenancy Because the Landlord Plans to Demolish the Rental Unit, Repair it, or Convert it to Another Use (N13), or because the Landlord, a Purchaser or a Family Member Requires the Rental Unit (N12).
Face a Rent Increase Above the Guidelines (AGI) set by the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).
Need to file T6 to LTB after landlord has not repaired or maintained the rental unit, and/or if landlord has not complied with health, safety, housing or maintenance standards.
The goal of the TSP is to prevent bad faith evictions and help tenants stay informed about their rights. This program is part of the City’s Housing and Homelessness Action Plan.
How the Program Works
The TSP is funded by the City and administered in partnership with three organizations:
- Housing Help Centre Hamilton & Area (HHCHA)
- Educates tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.
- Provides support to tenants displaced by an N13 notice to exercise their right to return to their unit if possible
- Assists with creating a housing plan for tenants who must vacate their units after receiving an N12 or N13 notice.
- For more information, contact Catherine French at 905-526-8100 Ext. 207 or email [email protected] . You can also visit the HHCHA website.
- Hamilton Community Legal Clinic (HCLC)
- Provides legal advice and representation to tenants facing N12 or N13 notices, AGIs, or maintenance issues (T6 applications).
- Helps tenants navigate the Landlord and Tenant Board process, including document preparation and representation.
- Can help tenants submit T5 applications to contest bad faith termination notices.
- For more information, call 905-527-4572, email [email protected] or visit their office at 100 Main St. East, Suite 203, Hamilton, ON L8N 3W4. More details are also available at HCLC website.
- Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now Hamilton (Hamilton ACORN)
- Works with tenants in low- to moderate-income households at risk of eviction due to renovictions, demovictions (N13), or AGIs.
- Educates tenants about their rights and helps tenant organizations build capacity to advocate for themselves.
- For more information visit acorncanada.org, call 905-393-5734 or email [email protected].
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the Tenant Support Program, you must:
- Be a Hamilton resident and tenant.
- Have received an N13 notice (landlord wants to demolish, repair, or convert the unit) or an N12 notice (landlord or family member needs the unit).
- Plan to submit a T6 application about maintenance issues with your rental unit.
- Have received notice of an Above-Guideline Increase (AGI) in rent.
The program mainly supports low- to moderate-income tenants living in affordable rental units in the private market.
Information Collection
TSP service providers may need additional information to ensure you get the right support.
For more information about the Tenant Support Program (TSP) please contact us at [email protected] or 905-546-2424 ext. 4557
Documents and Reports
Expansion of the Tenant Defense Fund into the Tenant Support Program
In August 2023, City Council approved the creation of the Tenant Support Program (TSP), building on the success of the Tenant Defense Fund (TDF), which was first introduced in March 2019 and expanded in Spring 2021 to include protections against renovictions (Report HSC19011(a)). Program expression details.
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