Frequently Asked Questions by Municipalities
- What is a Rent Bank?
- How is the Provincial Rent Bank delivered in Ontario?
- How much funding has the Province committed to the Provincial Rent Bank and how many people have been assisted?
- Who determines rules around eligibility and frequency and amount of assistance?
- In some jurisdictions people tend to lose their housing more because of unpaid utility bills than rent arrears. Why not let Municipal Service Managers in those areas have the discretion to allow outstanding utility bills to be paid by the rent bank?
- The Province allows Municipal Service Managers to use 10 per cent of their allocation to cover administrative costs. Why doesn’t the Province give Municipal Service Managers more?
- Will the Provincial Rent Bank have a meaningful impact? There are almost 70,000 residents in Ontario facing eviction annually due to rent arrears?
- How is provincial funding being allocated across the province?
- Where is the location of the Municipal Service Managers?
- Are tenants who live in social housing eligible for rent bank assistance?
- Can a person on social assistance receive help?
1. What is a Rent Bank?
A rent bank is a short-term funding mechanism through which low-income tenants may apply to receive financial assistance to address short-term rent arrears.
Affordable and secure housing is fundamental to the well-being, vitality, and strength of families and the communities they live in. The Provincial Rent Bank helps ensure housing stability for those who, due to an emergency or other unforeseen circumstance, are in short-term arrears and facing eviction. If a tenant's application to a rent bank is approved, the outstanding rent is paid directly to the landlord on behalf of the tenant.
2. How is the Provincial Rent Bank delivered in Ontario?
Ontario’s 47 Municipal Service Managers deliver the program on the Province’s behalf. In some cases, Municipal Service Managers may use a third party delivery agent, such as a community organization, to administer the program.
3. How much funding has the Province committed to the Provincial Rent Bank and how many people have been assisted?
Since creating the Provincial Rent Bank in 2004, the government has provided a total of $18.8 million to Municipal Service Managers. Over $8.7 million in rent bank assistance has been disbursed to eligible tenants, thereby preventing the eviction of over 8,000 tenant households.
4. Who determines rules around eligibility, frequency and amount of assistance?
The Provincial Rent Bank ensures housing stability for those who, due to an emergency or other unforeseen circumstance, are in short-term arrears and facing eviction. The Province has given Municipal Service Managers the flexibility to establish local rules to best reflect the unique needs of their communities, with the goal of preventing evictions. Subject to broad provincial parameters, Municipal Service Managers have been able to establish rules around issues such as eligibility criteria, service delivery, and whether assistance is provided as a loan or grant.
The broad provincial parameters are that:
- Rent bank assistance may be used for rent arrears only;
- Rent bank assistance may cover a maximum of two months’ rent;
- A tenant may only receive financial assistance once every two years (though Municipal Service Managers have discretion to allow more frequent applications if assistance is provided as a loan and tenants repaid their loans sooner than 2 years);
- No more than 10 percent of provincial money may be used for the administrative costs associated with using provincial funds to assist tenants.
5. In some jurisdictions people tend to lose their housing more because of unpaid utility bills than rent arrears. Why not provide Municipal Service Managers with the discretion to allow outstanding utility bills to be paid by the rent bank?
Tenants with outstanding utility bills can obtain assistance through the government’s Energy Emergency Fund, administered by the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS), which complements the Provincial Rent Bank by covering energy-related emergencies. This program is also delivered by Ontario’s 47 Municipal Service Managers.
6. The Province allows Municipal Service Managers to use 10 percent of their allocation to cover administrative costs. Why doesn’t the Province permit Municipal Service Managers to use more than 10 percent of funding for administrative costs?
It is important to ensure that most of the money flows through to those it is intended to help. The program is funded entirely by the Province. It is not unreasonable to expect Municipal Service Managers to contribute toward some of the administrative costs. As well, keeping the amount of provincial funding that can be used for administrative purposes modest helps to encourage Municipal Service Managers to be efficient in administering rent banks.
7. Will the Provincial Rent Bank have a meaningful impact? There are almost 70,000 residents in Ontario facing eviction annually due to rent arrears.
This provincial initiative has helped more than 8,000 people since its inception. While social housing and the Strong Communities Rent Supplement Program offer deeper subsidies to chronically poor households, the Provincial Rent Bank provides short-term funding to maintain housing stability for those in a short-term crisis.
8. How is provincial funding being allocated across the province?
This chart shows total allocations by Municipal Service Manager 
(29K).
9. Where is the location of the Municipal Service Managers?
Municipal Service Managers are located in 47 communities across the province. This list shows where the rent banks are operating (200K).
10. Are tenants who live in social housing eligible for rent bank assistance?
It is up to each Municipal Service Manager to decide the eligibility requirements for each rent bank.
11. Can a person on social assistance receive help?
It is up to each Municipal Service Manager to decide whether social assistance recipients are eligible to receive rent bank funding.