Age Discrimination in Rental Housing

Recently, various news outlets reported a story where two individuals applied for a rental accommodation and were denied the apartment due to their age. This is age discrimination.

Accommodation is a protected social area under the Human Rights Code in Ontario. That means that you cannot be denied an apartment due to various grounds. These include age, race, religious beliefs, disability, and gender.

Many landlords are savvy about the Code, and do not explicitly tell those applying for rental spaces the reason for denying their claims. However, some do.

For example, in a prior decision of the Human Rights Tribunal, a woman who applied for rental housing was explicitly denied because she had an eight year old daughter. The Tribunal had “no difficulty” finding that the landlord had breached the Code. The landlord had discriminated against the woman and her child on the basis of age and family status. The Tribunal awarded her $6,230.

Age discrimination in rental housing can occur during the process of applying for an apartment. If you have been denied an apartment, and you believe is it due to your race, gender, age, sexual orientation or any other human rights ground, you should speak to a lawyer. You can reach us at [email protected] or 647-204-8107.