Tools help those without legal training or representation to fill out forms on their own
Community Legal Education Ontario has launched a free online tool that can help tenants with maintenance or repair problems fill out the necessary legal forms to take their housing law matters to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
CLEO’s Housing Law Guided Pathways consist of a series of online interviews asking users a set of questions about their housing situation, after which the proper legal forms are generated based on the users’ unique circumstances.
The online tool also provides easy-to-understand explanations of basic legal concepts and links to other legal resources or services, as well as the contact information of available lawyers.
As per a news release dated Jan. 6, CLEO’s Steps to Justice website currently features the pathway for tenants with maintenance or repair problems, with more pathways yet to come in the months ahead. Tenants with these issues can fill out Form T6 using CLEO’s Guided Pathways, then file the form with the Landlord and Tenant Board when they have finished.
“Applying for a hearing at the Board can be confusing for someone with no legal training,” said the news release. “And not all tenants will be able to get help from a lawyer, community legal clinic, or paralegal. This is where CLEO's Guided Pathways project comes in.”
CLEO also previously launched its Family Law Guided Pathways, an online tool which enables users to accurately fill out the various legal forms involved in family disputes.
