City staff unveil draft renovictions bylaw to protect tenants
CBC
Toronto city staff unveiled a draft renovictions bylaw to protect tenants from unlawful evictions on Wednesday, set to be considered by city council in November.
Renovictions are when a landlord illegitimately evicts a tenant by alleging "vacant possession" of a rental unit is required to do renovations or repairs, according to a city staff report.
They can include refusing to allow a tenant who has exercised their right of first refusal to return post-renovation, illegally raising rent for a returning tenant or not undertaking major renovations after evicting renters, the report says.
"It's been a cruel and unfair and unjust way of treating people in the city of Toronto who rent their homes," said Coun. Gord Perks, chair of the planning and housing committee, speaking at Toronto City Hall on Wednesday.
In Toronto's housing market, renovictions can force people to move out of the city or become homeless, Perks said.
The planning and housing committee will consider the report for adoption on Oct. 30, before referring it to city council.
The staff report recommends the renovictions bylaw take effect July 31 next year. The bylaw will be implemented and enforced by the Toronto Building division.
According to the draft bylaw, Toronto landlords will be required to apply for a rental renovation licence with the city within seven days of issuing an N13 notice, which is provided by the province, to end tenancy. The licence will cost $700 per unit.
The staff report proposes creating a public registry for the licences so that tenants can track renovation processes, including the status of the licence and expected timelines for renovation work.
Landlords must also submit a report to the city from a "qualified person" identifying that the renovation or maintenance work is so extensive that the tenant must leave the unit.
The report generally defines qualified persons as someone licensed by the Professional Engineers of Ontario or the Ontario Architects Association.
Landlords must post a tenant information notice at the affected units to inform tenants about the licence application and enable them to seek information about their rights.
For tenants who choose to return to their units, landlords must provide a plan with temporary, comparable housing at similar rents.
If tenants are finding their own temporary housing, landlords will be required to provide monthly rent-gap payments to cover the rent difference.
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