Don’t Fill Out a Form, Lose Your Home

What Happened

Mr. V lives in Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) in a rent-geared-to-income apartment. In August, TCHC told him he would have to pay market value, even though they had his income tax return documents indicating his income warranted a rent-geared-to-income unit. He received a notice from TCHC that the decision was final and the deadline to submit a request for review had passed. Mr. V is a senior, disabled, and on a fixed income. He cannot afford to pay market rent. He was afraid of losing his home.

What We Did

We reviewed Mr. V’s documents and the TCHC policies on the annual review process and contacted TCHC. They agreed a TCHC tenant service coordinator would help Mr. V fill out the forms and they would waive the deadline.

The Result

Mr. V was approved for the rent-geared-to-income subsidy. In fact, they found he had been paying too much rent. His rent is now lower and he may even get a refund.