Rent-Geared-to-Income Housing Eligibility

Effective July 1, 2023, in compliance with the Province of Ontario’s Housing Services Act, the City of Toronto is implementing household income and asset limits for new and existing applicants on the Centralized Waiting List (CWL). If your household is over the income or asset limit, you will be ineligible for a Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) subsidy.

To be eligible for Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) housing, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  1. At least one member of the household is 16 years or older
  2. At least one member of the household can live independently, with or without support services
  3. Household income does not exceed the allowable limits as per the Housing Income Limits (HILs)
  4. Total household assets are within Asset Limit requirements
  5. Status in Canada for each member of the household. Acceptable status documents include one of the following:
    • Canadian Citizen card
    • permanent resident card
    • proof of application for Canadian permanent resident status
    • proof of status as a refugee claimant or Convention refugee
  6. Applicants are required to submit a Notice of Assessment for the previous taxation year prior to accepting an offer of housing (see Applying for RGI Housing)
  7. Household members who are 16 years and older do not owe money to a social housing provider and have no convictions related to RGI housing

To be eligible for an RGI subsidy in Toronto, your income may not exceed the local Housing Income Limits (HILs) established annually by the Province of Ontario.

The total income and number of individuals in the household will determine the size of the unit a household is eligible for.

Unit Size  Studio 1-bedroom  2-bedroom  3-bedroom  4-5 bedroom 
Household Income Limits $49,500 $58,500 $67,000 $74,500 $79,500
Household size 1 – 2 people (One individual or one couple)  1 – 2 people 

(One individual or one couple) 

 2 – 4 people  3 – 6 people (max.)  8 – 10 people (max.) 

 

Example: A household of four people (one couple and two additional household members), whose total household income does not exceed $63,500 would be eligible for a two or three-bedroom unit.  

Reinstatement Policy

To support applicants who experience an income reduction, the City is implementing an Income Reinstatement Policy that will allow applicants whose income falls below the Household Income Limits (HILs) within 24 months of the cancelation date to reapply and have their original application date reinstated. Applicants must meet all RGI eligibility requirements.

In compliance with the Province of Ontario’s Housing Services Act, households are required to disclose asset information that exceeds $150,000 when applying for RGI housing. If the value of your household assets exceeds the Asset Limit, you will be asked to complete the Asset Declaration.

The City determines if you are eligible for RGI based on the assets that have been disclosed on the Asset Declaration Form. If an asset is jointly owned with someone outside of the household, half of the value of the asset will be counted toward the Asset Limit.  

If household members jointly own property, the applicants must declare their portion of the asset. The only exception to this rule is for Priority Access applicants in certain circumstances.  

If your assets exceed $150,000 per household, you are ineligible for RGI assistance.

Reinstatement Policy

Part of implementing the asset limit rule for RGI housing, the City reviews asset limits annually . If your household falls below the new asset limit within 24 months of being cancelled, you can reapply and request that your original application date be restored.

Assets that you or any household members own, independently and jointly, must be disclosed on the Asset Declaration. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • property you or any household members own, including jointly, for example, land, a house, condominium, rental property or cottage, and so on
  • cash
  • stocks/bonds
  • term deposits/Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs)/mutual funds
  • more than one (1) motor vehicle, including recreational vehicles, for example, boat, snowmobile, trailer/camper
  • overseas or foreign investments
  • assets you own/share with someone else
  • business assets more than $20,000

The following assets are excluded from the household’s total assets and do not need to be included on the Asset Declaration form.

  • Personal belongings
    • motor vehicles not used primarily for a business (one per household member)
    • clothing, jewelry, and other personal effects
    • furniture, including decorative or artistic items not used primarily for the operation of a business
  • Business assets
    • tools of a trade that are essential to the work of a member of the household as an employee
    • assets of a member of the household that are necessary to the operation of a business that the member operates or has an interest in, such as:
      • assets of a member of the household, up to a maximum of $20,000 for that member
      • assets necessary to the operation of a business, up to a maximum of $20,000 for that business
    • Investments & retirement assets, including funds held in a:
      • Registered Education Savings Plan
      • Registered Retirement Savings Plan
      • Registered Retirement Income Fund
      • Registered Pension Plan
      • Locked-In Retirement Account
      • Life Income Fund
      • Life Retirement Income Fund
      • Tax-Free Savings Accounts with assets that do not exceed the Canada Revenue Agency’s individual eligibility
    • Disability-related assets
      • loan taken against a life insurance policy that will be used for disability-related items or services
      • trust fund of a household member with a disability – up to $100,000 – if the capital of the trust was derived from:
        • an inheritance
        • the proceeds of a life insurance policy
      • funds held in a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), if the beneficiary of the plan is a member of the household
    • Government assistance
      • payment under the Ministry of Community and Social Services Act for the successful participation in a program of activities that will assist the household member with the following:
        • successful completion of a high school diploma
        • development of employment-related skills
        • further development of the recipient’s parenting skills
      • Other
        • cash surrender value of life insurance policies up to a maximum value of $100,000 for the household
        • prepaid funeral
        • funds held in an account of a household member in conjunction with an initiative under which the City of Toronto, or an entity approved by the City of Toronto, commits to contribute funds towards the household member’s savings goals

Exception for Priority Applicants – Divestment of Property

If the SPP household requires RGI assistance and owns property, the requirement to sell the property within six months of moving in may be waived. The deadline may be extended if it will put the applicant at risk by trying to meet this requirement. The RGI administrator determines the deferral.