Ontario Moves to Protect Landlords from Squatters and Exploitative Tenants

Under the proposed changes, the province plans to:

• Shorten hearing wait times by hiring more adjudicators and increasing administrative capacity at the LTB.
• Limit frivolous or bad-faith filings used to delay lawful evictions.
• Clarify lease expiry rules to prevent occupants from staying in a unit indefinitely after a legal lease ends.
• Improve enforcement so that eviction orders are processed faster through coordination with the Sheriff’s Office.

Landlords have long argued that the current system allows non-paying or unauthorized occupants to remain in properties for months while cases move slowly through the tribunal. These delays often result in financial loss, property damage, and emotional strain for small housing providers.

The province says these measures will “improve the speed and fairness of processes, limit bad actors from abusing the system, and help balance the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants.”

While the Act does not grant police new powers to remove squatters directly, it targets the procedural backlog that enables illegal occupants to remain in homes without paying rent. The government has already more than doubled the number of full-time adjudicators at the LTB and reported a 33 percent reduction in its caseload since late 2023.

If passed, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025 would mark a significant step toward strengthening property rights in Ontario by ensuring landlords can act more swiftly against unauthorized or exploitative occupants while maintaining due process for legitimate tenants.