A Foot in the Door

A Classroom Resource on Real Estate and Housing Law in Ontario

This 6-module resource, produced by the Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO) and the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), provides an introduction to real estate and housing law in Ontario, including the various considerations and processes involved in purchasing and renting a home.

The aim of this set of activities is to expand students’ knowledge of real estate and housing law in Ontario, and to give teachers the tools to build students’ capacity to make critical, informed, and responsible housing decisions.

Teachers can use this resource to help students:

• Develop their financial literacy and negotiation skills through interactive activities on budgeting, mortgages, and how to rent or purchase a residential property;
• Examine the comparative advantages between buying and renting, and analyze the conflicts that can arise in a real estate transaction;
• Learn about the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, and develop the practical skills necessary to navigate these situations through a series of mock negotiation exercises;
• Examine the intersection of housing and human right by considering what it means to have “adequate” housing and whether a right to adequate housing should be protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
• Learn about the protections with respect to housing provided under the Ontario Human Rights Code.