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416-397-7368
TORONTO RENT BANK PROGRAM
The Toronto Rent Bank provides grants to eligible Toronto residents who are behind on their rent payments or need help with a first/last month’s rent deposit. The program operates as a partnership between the City of Toronto, Neighbourhood Information Post (NIP) and the following partner agencies (local access centres/housing hubs):
Program Criteria
Residents may be eligible for rental arrears or rental deposit assistance if:
- Behind on rent payment(s) or need help with the first/last month’s rent deposit
- Currently living in or are moving to Toronto
- Paying market rent for a rental unit covered by the Residential Tenancies Act
- Spend no more than 85% of their household income on rent
- Household is within low-income guidelines and is not in receipt of Social Assistance*
- Have a source of income
- Can satisfy other program requirements**
| Family Size | Maximum Annual Income | Maximum Monthly Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $46,500.00 | $3,875 |
| 2 | $52,000.00 | $4,333 |
| 3 | $58,000.00 | $4,833 |
| 4 | $66,500.00 | $5,542 |
| 5 | $78,500.00 | $6,542 |
| 6 | $84,531.67 | $7,044 |
| 7 | $91,366.66 | $7,614 |
*Residents in receipt of social assistance should contact their Ontario Works (OW) or Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) office as they may qualify for the Housing Stabilization Fund.
**Please note that meeting program criteria listed above does not guarantee a grant approval. Additional documentation may be required.
Steps to Apply
Frequently Asked Questions
We currently offer Rent Bank services in the following languages in addition to English: Arabic, Cantonese, French, Mandarin, Italian, Serbian, Spanish and Tamil.
The Toronto Rent Bank covers rental arrears, and first and last month’s rent. You can apply to the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) at 416-924-2543 or Emergency Energy Fund (EEF) at 647-727-8988 if you are behind with your gas and electricity bills.
We require a minimum of 5 business days to process an application. In urgent situations, we may be able to process an application within a shorter time provided the applicant has all the documentation ready.
Currently, applicants can apply once every 12 months.
You need to be on the lease as a lease holder or an occupant to qualify. You can still apply to the Toronto Rent Bank Program and our intake worker will work with you to find a way to address the situation with your landlord.
Our goal is to prevent eviction and if necessary, rent bank workers can mediate between you and your landlord throughout the process. In general, landlords are happy to have the Rent Bank intervene as it saves them time and efforts that they may have to put into eviction proceedings. In fact, many landlords encourage their tenants to seek Rent Bank assistance.
We can assist only if you are currently in rental arrears.
This will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Yes. You can contact with our Repayment Review Worker to follow-up on any questions or concerns about your repayments.
You can apply to the Toronto Rent Bank Program and our intake worker will work with you to find a way to address the situation.
Yes. However, if you are moving from Toronto to another municipality, you do not qualify for rental deposit program.
Yes, your personal information will be kept confidential. We require your consent to share your information with any other third party, including your landlord.
There are many other resources in Toronto that support low-income tenants. Please call 211 or 311 to get more information on other resources that can assist you.
If you are not able to cover the balance of your rental arrears, our intake worker will help negotiate a repayment plan with your landlord for the balance of our arrears.
Rent Bank cheques are payable to your landlord.