Toronto Tenants End Rent Strike After MetCap Withdraws AGI
- Tenant organizers in Toronto have successfully forced a property manager to withdraw a retroactive rent increase following a six-month rent strike at a west-end apartment building.
- In March, tenants at the Parkdale neighbourhood building began withholding rent payments after the property manager applied for an above guideline rent increase, known as an AGI.
- The confrontation escalated over the course of six months as tenants maintained their rent strike.
Tenant organizers in Toronto have successfully forced a property manager to withdraw a retroactive rent increase following a six-month rent strike at a west-end apartment building. Metcap Living dropped its application for an above guideline rent increase at 75 Spencer Ave., according to tenant organizers who led the job action.
The Dispute Over Above Guideline Rent Increases
In March, tenants at the Parkdale neighbourhood building began withholding rent payments after the property manager applied for an above guideline rent increase, known as an AGI. The maximum allowable rent increase for rent-controlled buildings in Ontario was set at 2.5 per cent for 2025. However, provincial rules allow landlords to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board for AGIs to help fund building renovations and major improvements. Residents told The Canadian Press in February that the landlord had previously renovated the building lobby and converted an office into a rental unit. Tenants argued that those specific projects did not directly improve their everyday living conditions, meaning they should not have to cover the costs through higher monthly housing expenses. Organizers noted that a 5.4 per cent increase would have pushed rents beyond affordability for many households in the building.
Direct Action and the Parkdale Rent Strike
The confrontation escalated over the course of six months as tenants maintained their rent strike. According to Parkdale Organize, a local advocacy group, the building was sold to a new owner in May. Following the sale, tenants travelled to Montreal last weekend to confront the new owner directly over the pending rent increase application.
The rent strike won because our neighbours did the thing that everyone talks about but almost no one does: they formed an independent organization, stepped outside of legal and political convention, and directly confronted their landlord.
Bryan Doherty, Parkdale Organize
Following the sustained pressure and the six-month withholding of payments, organizers confirmed that Metcap Living officially withdrew the AGI application, bringing an end to the local dispute.