Toronto is working on the development of a new bylaw to help protect people from becoming victims of renovictions, and the city is looking for input from the public.
The term “renovictions” refers to when a landlord illegitimately evicts a tenant under the pretense of needing to empty their unit to complete repairs or carry out renovations on the house or apartment.
“Renovictions can include refusing to allow a tenant to return post-renovation, illegally raising the rent on a returning tenant or not undertaking major renovations after evicting tenants,” the City of Toronto website reads, adding that renovictions have become a large problem impacting tenants across the city, including those from low-income households and marginalized communities.
The city shared that it’s now more important than ever to preserve existing affordable homes in the city, citing issues like a lack of vacant homes and affordable housing.
“This bylaw will establish new rules to prevent bad faith evictions and help maintain affordable homes for Toronto’s residents,” the city’s website explains.
City staff are currently in the process of engaging with the public and other interested parties and will report back to Toronto City Council with a proposed bylaw by Oct. 30.
According to the city website, key features of the proposed bylaw will include, but are not limited to, requiring landlords to apply for a renovation licence within seven days of issuing a N13 notice to a tenant, and banning landlords from starting renovations until a license is obtained.
TORONTO CALLS FOR THE PUBLIC TO GET INVOLVED
The city is calling on tenants, landlords, organizations that support tenants and landlords, and the public to provide their input before the bylaw proposal is presented to city council.
Those interested can get involved by attending a virtual or in-person consultation session. There is a city-wide online session being held on Sept. 9 from 7-8:30 p.m. More information can be found here. Additionally, the city is encouraging people to share their thoughts and experiences by completing an online survey before Sept. 30.
