Archive

The one-year lease is almost up, and the landlord has announced they will not be renewing it. For many tenants, that sentence sounds like a moving deadline. Here is what Ontario law actually says: there is no such thing as a landlord refusing to renew a lease, because there is nothing to refuse. When a… Read More

A new job in another city. A relationship change. A rent that no longer fits the budget. Life does not wait for lease end dates, and every year thousands of Ontario tenants find themselves needing to leave a rental before the term is up. The good news is that Ontario law provides several legitimate paths… Read More

The judgment is in your hands, the deadline to pay has come and gone, and the debtor has decided that ignoring you is a strategy. For debtors with jobs, that strategy has a serious weakness: their paycheque. Wage garnishment is one of the most reliable enforcement tools available in Ontario Small Claims Court, because it… Read More

The trial is over, the deputy judge ruled in your favour, and the judgment says the other side owes you money. Congratulations are in order, but so is a reality check: the court does not collect that money for you. If the debtor does not pay voluntarily, enforcement becomes your responsibility, and knowing which tools… Read More

There is a tool buried in the Rules of the Small Claims Court that costs nothing to use, takes minutes to prepare, and can dramatically increase what a winning party recovers at the end of a case. It is the formal Offer to Settle, and it remains one of the most underused strategic tools in… Read More