SFG Paralegal Services

07/21/2026

🏠 ATTENTION ONTARIO LANDLORDS: Two brand-new Court of Appeal decisions just showed how one "small" omission can destroy your entire eviction case.

In two cases released July 16 (Miller Estate v. Arguelles and Shafiq v. Ramsay), landlords filed applications to evict tenants so they or their family could move in. Sounds routine, right?

Here's the problem: the law (s. 71.3 of the Residential Tenancies Act) says you MUST disclose details of every similar notice you've served in the past two years. Both landlords left out an earlier notice. One honestly thought it didn't matter since he never followed through on it.

The Court of Appeal disagreed — strongly. It ruled the disclosure rule is mandatory, and an application that skips it is void. It can't be fixed after the fact. Not even if the tenant already knew about the old notice.

The fallout for these landlords:
👉 Eviction orders thrown out
👉 Applications quashed completely
👉 Original notices expired — useless now
👉 Years of hearings and appeals down the drain
👉 Ordered to pay the tenants' legal costs

Both have to start the whole process again from scratch.

💡 THE LESSON: A trained legal representative would have known to ask about prior notices. And even if they didn't, when you retain a lawyer or paralegal, disclose EVERYTHING — every notice served, every prior attempt, every document — whether or not YOU think it matters. What seems trivial to you may be legally fatal to your case. Let your legal representative decide what's relevant. That's what they're there for.

In law, the detail you leave out is almost always the one that sinks you. Don't learn this lesson the expensive way. ⚖️

01/28/2026

YOU BE THE JUDGE ⚖️

Landlord Tenant Edition, Winter Evictions

A landlord applies to the Landlord and Tenant Board for an eviction in January due to ongoing rent arrears.

At the hearing, the tenant argues:
“It’s the middle of winter. The Board is not allowed to evict me right now.”

The landlord proves the rent arrears and proper notices were served.

🤔 QUESTION

What authority does the Landlord and Tenant Board actually have in this situation?

A. The Board must refuse the eviction because winter evictions are illegal
B. The Board can only evict between April and October
C. The Board may issue an eviction order but delay the eviction date using discretion
D. The Board must dismiss the application entirely until spring

👇 Comment below
YOU BE THE JUDGE 👇

For more information, have a look here:
https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/other-issues/eviction-during-winter

01/23/2026

❄️⚖️ YOU BE THE JUDGE ⚖️❄️
Slip and Fall Notice Gone Wrong

A tenant receives a written notice from someone who slipped on ice outside the rental property.
The notice says the injured person may sue.

The tenant assumes it is not their problem and throws the notice away.
The landlord is never told.

Months later, the landlord is served with a lawsuit and says the tenant’s silence ruined their ability to defend the claim.

🤔 QUESTION

What can legally happen to the tenant?

A. Nothing. Only landlords deal with slip and fall claims
B. Nothing. There is no penalty for ignoring the notice
C. The tenant may face eviction for interfering with the landlord’s legal rights
D. The tenant must personally pay the injured person

👇 Comment below
YOU BE THE JUDGE 👇

For more information, have a look here:

https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/other-issues/legal-duties-report-slip-and-fall-claims

01/21/2026

YOU BE THE JUDGE

Improper Withdrawal of Services

A landlord has provided free on site laundry to tenants for years.
The lease never mentioned laundry but everyone used it without issue.

Now the landlord decides to remove the machines and install coin operated laundry to offset rising costs.

Tenants complain and say this is illegal.

🤔 QUESTION

Can the landlord legally switch from free laundry to paid machines?

A. Yes. If it is not written in the lease, it is not protected
B. Yes. Landlords can change amenities with notice
C. No. Long standing amenities can become implied lease terms
D. No. Laundry is always considered an essential service

👇 Comment below
YOU BE THE JUDGE 👇

For more information, have a look here: https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/common-concerns/improper-services-withdrawal

01/16/2026

Winter Slip and Fall at a Rental Property ❄️❄️❄️🥶

A visitor slips on ice at a rental property and sends a written notice saying they may sue.

The notice is delivered to the tenant, not the landlord.

The tenant reads it… and does nothing.

Weeks later, the landlord finds out about the potential lawsuit after evidence is gone and the snow has melted.

🧐 QUESTION

What happens if the tenant never tells the landlord about the slip and fall notice?

A. Nothing. Only landlords have legal duties
B. The tenant can ignore it because they did not cause the fall
C. The tenant may be interfering with the landlord’s legal rights
D. The notice is invalid if not sent directly to the landlord

👇 Comment below
YOU BE THE JUDGE 👇

For more information, have a look here:

Recent Changes to Slip & Fall Liability Law Imposes a Mandate Duty Upon a Tenant to Inform a Landlord, among others. With changes to occupier liability law that now imposes a duty to inform the landlord of a Notice of Slip & Fall incident, what may happen if the tenant fails to do so?

01/14/2026

⚖️ YOU BE THE JUDGE ⚖️
Tenant Gets a Roommate Who Is Legally Responsible

A tenant signs a lease with the landlord.
A few months later the tenant’s partner or friend moves in as a roommate.

The landlord is not happy and wants to collect rent directly from the roommate or hold them responsible for damages.

QUESTION

Does the roommate become legally obligated to the landlord the same way the tenant is

A. Yes anyone living there is responsible for rent
B. Yes after 30 days they automatically become a tenant
C. No the roommate is an occupant not a tenant
D. It depends landlords can choose who they sue

👇 Comment your answer below YOU BE THE JUDGE

For more information, have a look here: https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/other-issues/obligation-of-occupants

01/13/2026

⚖️ YOU BE THE JUDGE ⚖️

Don’t Quit Your Job, Read This First!!!!!!!!!!

Your employer doesn’t fire you…But suddenly your pay is cut. Your hours change. Your role is downgraded. You’re relocated.
Or the workplace becomes toxic.

You feel pushed out.

QUESTION:

👉 Is this just a bad job situation, or could it be constructive dismissal?

A. You have no choice but to quit, no legal claim
B. It depends, but quitting immediately is best
C. This may be constructive dismissal and could be treated like wrongful dismissal
D. Only applies if you were formally terminated

👇 Comment below, YOU BE THE JUDGE

For more information on this topic, have a look here: https://sfg.legal/EN/small-claims-court/areas-of-focus/employment-law/constructive-dismissal

01/07/2026

YOU BE THE JUDGE

A landlord includes this clause in a residential lease:

👉 “Tenant is responsible for snow shoveling, lawn mowing, and general outdoor maintenance.”

The tenant later refuses to shovel the snow and says the clause is illegal.

⚖️ What do YOU think the Landlord Tenant Board will decide?

A) The clause is valid because the tenant signed the lease
B) The clause is void and unenforceable under the RTA
C) The tenant must shovel but not mow the lawn
D) The Board will enforce the clause if rent is reduced

💬 Drop your answer below...... this one surprises a LOT of people 👇

For more information on this topic, have a look here: https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/landlord-services/maintenance-responsibility

01/05/2026

Wait... you can’t actually evict someone in the winter in Ontario, right?

❄️⚖️” . It’s one of the most common myths I hear as a paralegal. Many people believe that between December and March, the law just stops, but the reality is more nuanced than a simple "yes" or "no". .

The Truth:
👉 The Residential Tenancies Act does NOT prohibit winter evictions.
👉 However, under Section 83, the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) has the power to delay an eviction based on “hardship and fairness”. .

This means the Board looks at the specific situation, like extreme weather or family circumstances—before deciding when the sheriff can actually show up. .

YOU BE THE JUDGE: 👨‍⚖️ If a tenant owes 6 months of rent but it’s -20°C outside, what’s the fair call?
1️⃣ Evict now
2️⃣ Delay until spring
3️⃣ No eviction at all . Comment your verdict below! 👇

For more information on this topic, have a look here: https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/other-issues/eviction-during-winter

01/03/2026

❄️ YOU BE THE JUDGE! ❄️

A landlord brings an eviction application to the Landlord Tenant Board in January.
The tenant argues:
👉 “You can’t evict anyone in the winter. It’s illegal.”

⚖️ What do YOU think the law says?

A) Evictions are illegal during winter under the Residential Tenancies Act
B) Evictions are always allowed in winter, no exceptions
C) Evictions are allowed, but the Board may delay or refuse based on discretion
D) Evictions are automatically postponed until spring

💭 Think carefully this is one of the most common landlord-tenant myths in Ontario.

Post your answers in the comments and for further information on this topic, have a look here:

https://sfg.legal/EN/landlord-tenant-services/other-issues/eviction-during-winter