Rent Supplement Program

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Rent Supplement Program for tenants

The Rent Supplement Program helps low and moderate households with housing costs.

  • Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) provides affordable housing to eligible low-income families in subsidized housing. Once enrolled, households pay no more than 30 per cent of their income towards rent.
  • The Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program provides low to moderate income households with a portable housing benefit to help with rental costs in the private housing market. The benefit is tied to the household and can be used to help pay rent anywhere in Ontario. This benefit is specific to priority groups identified below and by invitation only.
Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB)
Monthly rent subsidy to help pay your rent Monthly housing benefit to help pay your rent
Households must move to the subsidized housing unit that was offered from the Centralized Wait List Households must find their own housing anywhere in the province of Ontario (private rental market)
Your monthly rent is calculated using 30% of your household’s adjusted family net income (AFNI) as reported on your annual Notice of Assessment Line 23600 If your only income is social assistance, your monthly rent is set by the province Your monthly benefit is calculated using your household’s adjusted family net income (AFNI) as reported on your annual Notice of Assessment Line 23600. The monthly benefit is the difference between 30 per cent of your net income reported on your notice of assessment divided by 12 and 80 per cent of the average market rent in the area where you live.
Monthly subsidy payment is made directly to your landlord Monthly benefit payment can be made directly to your household or to your landlord
Subsidy is attached to the rental unit. This means you can’t take it with you if you move Housing benefit is attached to your household. This means you can take it with you if you move to another address anywhere in Ontario
Must be on The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa’s Centralized Wait List Must be on The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa’s Centralized Wait List
  Priority groups include:
  • Survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking
  • Households with children at-risk of homelessness and households experiencing homelessness
  • Seniors Aged 60+ and People with Disabilities
  • Indigenous Persons
Households on the Centralized Wait List with the oldest application dates will be considered for the program
Your name will be removed from The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa’s Centralized Wait List once you have accepted an offer of subsidized housing Your name will be removed from The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa’s Centralized Wait List once approved
Eligibility is reviewed once a year Eligibility is reviewed once a year
  Limited funds – first-received-first served 
 

Rent Supplement Program for landlords

The Rent Supplement Program provides much needed affordable housing to residents with low to moderate income in the City of Ottawa. To participate in the program, a private landlord enters into an agreement with the City of Ottawa for a specific number of rental units.

Tenants pay their share of the rent directly to the landlord, and the Rent Supplement Program pays the Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) subsidy, which is the difference in rent owed, directly to the landlord.

Households in the Rent Supplement Program sign an agreement with Rent Supplement Office for the RGI subsidy and a separate lease with the landlord for the housing unit.

Apply to be a landlord

  1. Contact the Rent Supplement Program at 613-580-2680
  2. A Rent Supplement Program staff will meet with you to Inspect the unit(s)
  3. To participate in the Rent Supplement Program, you will be required to sign an agreement with the Rent Supplement Program

Advantages for landlords

  • You receive the full market rent by collecting rent from the household and the difference from the Rent Supplement Program
  • There is a secure, predictable and timely payment of rent subsidy each month
  • Up to 2 months’ full rent is paid by the Rent Supplement Program while the rent supplement unit is vacant
  • Can be a onetime or ongoing agreement:
    • A onetime agreement means that once the household moves out, the unit is returned to you for private rental
    • An ongoing agreement means that the Rent Supplement Program will send you two eligible applicants to choose from
  • Financial assistance for undue damages may be available

City of Ottawa’s role:

The Rent Supplement Program is responsible to:

  • Inspect the units
  • Work with the landlord to negotiate the market rent
  • Refers two applicants from The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa’s Centralized Wait List to the landlord, when a unit is vacant
  • Provide monthly subsidy payments to the landlord by the first of each month
  • Manage ongoing eligibility for households receiving rent-geared-to income

Landlord’s role

You are responsible to:

  • Meet with the referred applicants to view the unit and select one of the two applicants
  • Prepare and execute a lease with the applicant
  • Collect the geared-to-income rent portion from the household
  • Maintain units and building, including all common areas, in a good state of repair