Our CEO, recently made multiple appearances in the news about the need for rent guideline legislation in Ontario. She co-authored a report with the Better Way Alliance to highlight how many small businesses have closed or been impacted by rent issues over the last decade in Ontario.
After 23 years in the same downtown location, Anita Agrawal was shocked when her landlord said he was putting her jewelry studio on a month-to-month lease, and boosting her rent by almost 20 per cent.
“There was no way I could go month to month, let alone at the price they were looking for,” Agrawal recalled of the notice she received in 2019.
“I ended up finding a great new space, and I’m really happy with the landlord I’ve got now, but that was a horrible experience. The move was a total nightmare,” said Agrawal.
A new report being released Thursday by The Better Way Alliance, a progressive coalition of small businesses, suggests that Agrawal’s experience is far from unique. The study, titled “Out of Control,” is calling on the Ontario government to give small businesses the same rent control protections some residential tenants get. It’s also calling for a commercial equivalent of the Landlord and Tenant Board to resolve small business lease disputes without the need for court, and also suggests Ontario should have more standardized commercial leases.
You can read the article here:
https://www.thestar.com/business/2022/02/24/small-businesses-need-better-rent-control-protections-group-says.html
You can read the co-authored report here: https://www.commercialrent.ca/, please take a few minutes to add your name and business name to the report! Thank you in advance!