Housing Provider Service Agreements

Share Housing Provider Service Agreements on Facebook Share Housing Provider Service Agreements on Twitter Share Housing Provider Service Agreements on Linkedin Email Housing Provider Service Agreements link

Consultation has concluded

What is a Housing Provider Service Agreement?

A service agreement is a contract negotiated between the housing provider and the service manager for the provision of community housing under Part VII.1 of the Housing Service Act that stipulates terms regarding operations, administration, and funding arrangements.

The purpose of Service Agreements is to outline a new relationship between the Service Manager and the housing provider. The new regulatory framework for service agreements enables service managers and housing providers to negotiate more flexible funding approaches, incentivizes housing providers to stay in the system once their current obligations expire, and allows new housing providers to enter the system.

If a service manager and a housing provider do not want to enter into a service agreement and join the new community housing framework, they must enter into an exit agreement and ensure that existing rent-geared-to-income tenants are not displaced and longstanding public investments in community housing buildings are preserved.



Changes to the Housing Provider Service Agreement

When social housing projects were initially developed housing providers entered into project-level contracts, known as operating agreements. Operating agreements specified the amount and duration of subsidy funding alongside terms and conditions that providers had to meet.

The length of the operating agreements was 35 years, which is typically aligned with mortgage of a project paid completely.

Operating agreements have been replaced by the Housing Services Act, 2011 (HSA). Amendments to the Ontario Regulation 367/11 under the HSA, creates a new service agreement framework for community housing projects that are at the end of their mortgages and operating agreements.

For more information about the service agreement framework, please visit the Province of Ontario’s website.



Provide Your Feedback

Feedback from service providers is critical to the development of the Service Agreement. If you are a current Community Housing Provider govern under the HSA, there are two ways in which you can provide your feedback on the draft Service Agreement that has been prepared:

  • Online Survey: You can access the online survey here. The survey will be open between Monday, August 14, 2023, and Friday, September 1, 2023.
  • Virtual Focus Group: You can register for one of three 90-minute virtual focus groups here. Please register for focus groups by Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

What is a Housing Provider Service Agreement?

A service agreement is a contract negotiated between the housing provider and the service manager for the provision of community housing under Part VII.1 of the Housing Service Act that stipulates terms regarding operations, administration, and funding arrangements.

The purpose of Service Agreements is to outline a new relationship between the Service Manager and the housing provider. The new regulatory framework for service agreements enables service managers and housing providers to negotiate more flexible funding approaches, incentivizes housing providers to stay in the system once their current obligations expire, and allows new housing providers to enter the system.

If a service manager and a housing provider do not want to enter into a service agreement and join the new community housing framework, they must enter into an exit agreement and ensure that existing rent-geared-to-income tenants are not displaced and longstanding public investments in community housing buildings are preserved.



Changes to the Housing Provider Service Agreement

When social housing projects were initially developed housing providers entered into project-level contracts, known as operating agreements. Operating agreements specified the amount and duration of subsidy funding alongside terms and conditions that providers had to meet.

The length of the operating agreements was 35 years, which is typically aligned with mortgage of a project paid completely.

Operating agreements have been replaced by the Housing Services Act, 2011 (HSA). Amendments to the Ontario Regulation 367/11 under the HSA, creates a new service agreement framework for community housing projects that are at the end of their mortgages and operating agreements.

For more information about the service agreement framework, please visit the Province of Ontario’s website.



Provide Your Feedback

Feedback from service providers is critical to the development of the Service Agreement. If you are a current Community Housing Provider govern under the HSA, there are two ways in which you can provide your feedback on the draft Service Agreement that has been prepared:

  • Online Survey: You can access the online survey here. The survey will be open between Monday, August 14, 2023, and Friday, September 1, 2023.
  • Virtual Focus Group: You can register for one of three 90-minute virtual focus groups here. Please register for focus groups by Wednesday, August 23, 2023.