Latest news with #RentSafeTO
Toronto Star
02-08-2025
- Health
- Toronto Star
A glaring hole in the city's new landlord rating system creates a two-tiered system for renters
In look, colour scheme, and visual simplicity, the RentSafeTO signs approved last week by council, which will provide tenants with basic information about their landlord's standards, explicitly evoke one of Toronto's most successful public health programs — the DineSafe rating system for restaurants, introduced in the early 2000s during Mel Lastman's term as mayor. The proponents — councillors Josh Matlow and Chris Moise — said as much: 'As chair of the board of health, I have witnessed firsthand how the DineSafe program has built trust and had a positive impact,' Moise told CP24. 'When restaurants receive a yellow poster, their owners and managers are highly motivated to resolve issues and earn that green poster back.'
CTV News
25-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Toronto City Council votes to establish colour-coded ratings for apartment buildings
Toronto City Council has voted in favour of establishing a colour-coded system for apartment buildings in the hopes that it will hold landlords accountable and compel them to keep their building clean, safe and well-maintained. The motion put forward by Coun. Josh Matlow will see the system integrated into the city's RentSafeTO program, which ensures building owners and operators meet maintenance standards. The colour-coded system is modelled after the city's DineSafe program and would see green, yellow or red signs posted near the entrance of the building. Red is for serious health and safety violations, yellow for minor infractions and green means the building is in good repair. 'There are going to be signs rolling out over the next year in large, multi-residential buildings, where, if a landlord is doing a good job and they care about their tenants' well-being, they get a green sign. That's wonderful. They're doing a good job,' Matlow said. 'But if you're a landlord who only sees your tenants as a source of revenue, rather than people whose homes should be healthy and safe, yes, you're going to get a red sign.' He added that if the landlord won't make the fixes, the city will come in and do them and charge the landlord after. A similar motion failed under former mayor John Tory in 2020 as landlords claimed that the signs would stigmatize tenants. But Matlow and other councillors argued that the system will provide tenants and prospective renters critical information. 'They've got rats, they've got bedbugs, appliances that aren't working, mould that has been left there for years by Toronto's worst landlords,' Matlow said. 'Now, we do have very good landlords in this city, but what we're going to do is have RentSafe colour-coded signs.' The motion was backed by tenant advocate groups. In his motion, Matlow stated that the current RentSafe system provides little incentive for landlords to make timely repairs. 'There are buildings receiving scores of 70-80 per cent despite having cockroaches, mould, or appliances that don't work. This is confusing and even infuriating for many tenants. It says that either the city doesn't know what's happening in their building or, worse, doesn't care,' the motion read. Staff are directed to report back to council in 2026 on the program implementation plan. With files from Jermaine Wilson
CBC
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Mayor says city should repair buildings if landlords don't, but it hasn't in years
After recently touring an apartment building badly in need of repairs, Toronto's mayor sent a message to landlords: if they can't repair their property, the city should do the work themselves and send them a bill. But city data shows that Toronto hasn't exercised that power since 2021, when it was done once. Though the mayor is working to make the city more prepared to use it, through a successful motion at city council in May. Chow spoke about the enforcement measure known as remedial work Saturday — which the city has the power to use under the property standards bylaw — while addressing tenants of a Rexdale apartment building who are dealing with pest infestations, chronic flooding and other issues. But a 2024 report on RentSafeTO, the city's rental enforcement program, shows the tool has been used infrequently in recent years. It was used four times in 2017, once in 2018, ten times in 2019, once in 2020 and once in 2021. Remedial action wasn't used in 2022, 2023 or 2024, according to the RentSafeTO year in review for 2024. Chiara Padovani, with the York-South Weston tenants union, says renters have been demanding the city use its remedial work enforcement mechanism for years. "What we need the city to actually do is use that tool to use that power and actually implement remedial action when tenants are living in conditions that are impacting their health and safety," Padovani said. "When a landlord is not upholding their basic responsibilities and the bylaws that are in place to protect tenants to have a decent place to live, then the city needs to stop playing nice." WATCH | Residents of Toronto apartment in need of overdue repairs call for mayor's help: Residents of Toronto apartment in need of overdue repairs call on mayor's help 3 days ago Duration 2:52 Mould, insects, and plumbing problems are just some of the issues tenants at a Rexdale apartment complex are raising to Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. Tenants say their landlord isn't doing anything to address the problems, and the city's enforcement is failing them. CBC's Naama Weingarten reports. In a statement, the city said the goal of RentSafeTO is to use "progressive enforcement action" to achieve compliance, reminding tenants that any issues they're having with a building should be brought to the landlord first. It says remedial action is used in "extenuating circumstances." Padovani says a perfect example of the city's lack of enforcement came in a recent ombudsman's report delivered in May. In it, the city's municipal licensing and standards (MLS) department, who are responsible for bylaw enforcement, was criticized for unfairly responding to requests for help from tenants at a building in need of repair. City didn't consider remedial action, homes lost: report The report looked into the city's handling of a rooming house with no heat and water, a loss of vital services that caused 10 of 11 tenants to lose their homes. "MLS never considered using its own power to restore the vital services itself," the report reads. It goes on to say there is no indication MLS considered remedial action for the building. After that report was made public, the mayor put forward a motion requesting city staff to make sure Toronto has a roster of contractors who, if needed, can carry out emergency repairs to keep buildings livable. The property standards bylaw is meant to ensure rentals are free of pests, kept clean and have running hot water, among a variety of other things. If the city has to step in and do work itself, a fee of $74.36 per hour is added to the owner's property tax bill. The head of the city's federation of tenants' associations also can't remember an instance of the city actually using its power to do repairs for tenants. Yaroslava Avila Montenegro, executive director of the Federation Of Metro Tenants' Associations, said if the city exercised that mechanism more regularly, it would make a huge impact. "We at the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations get calls on maintenance work with different buildings every single day," she said. "I would say around 50 per cent of our intake calls deal with some kind of maintenance issue." She believes there needs to be a shift in the way the city approaches enforcement. "Broadly speaking, in Canada we have this culture that puts homeowners first in terms of priorities. But when it comes to folks who rent, and tenants, we are seen as second-class citizens," she said. The city's website says in some cases issues are resolved by educating landlords, while in others further action is required. A 2024 RentSafeTO report says the enforcement team's objective is to "work with building owners."
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rexdale renters urge city to crack down on poor conditions at apartment complex
Greg Desgroseilliers has dealt with repeat flooding inside his Toronto apartment, but he doesn't live in a flood plain nor is it the result of thunderous rain storms. His place floods when his neighbours use the shared laundry room. He said dirty laundry water repeatedly flooded the 21 Bergamot Ave. townhouse he moved into in 2008, wrecking its parquet flooring so many times Desgroseilliers has now just painted the concrete subfloor and gotten used to mopping it up. He's also stopped calling his landlord, Pinedale Properties Ltd., who he said previously just did cosmetic fixes and put down a replacement floor that felt like "Jenga" underfoot. "I just felt like it's a losing battle," Desgroseilliers told CBC Toronto as he provided our reporter a tour of his place. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow was also at the apartment complex on Saturday. She was invited by tenants who are pressing the city to bolster its RentSafeTO program, which is designed to ensure landlords meet maintenance standards. Chow's council has sought to improve RentSafeTO enforcement in recent years, but renters in various parts of the city have said it still lacks teeth. Chow said she can see why. The Bergamot buildings' rankings on RentSafe's website are between 89 and 91 per cent. "It does not look like a 90 per cent building for me," Chow said. "It's not a good quality of life when you cannot use your laundry. It's not a good quality of life when your floor gets flooded. And it's terrible quality of life when there is an entrance where there's no ramp and if you're in a wheelchair you can't get in. That's hard." Chow promised tenants that the building inspections carried out by bylaw officers would improve. "It has not been perfect, but it will improve. OK, you have my word, it will improve," Chow said. Pinedale Properties Ltd., which manages both rental buildings and commercial sites while also serving as a developer, runs the buildings. CBC Toronto has sought comment from the company for this story but hasn't heard back as of 7 p.m. Saturday. This story will be updated if Pinedale responds. Saturday's tour was organized by ACORN Toronto, a civic group focused on improving the lives of low-and-moderate-income people in the city that also helps tenants organize. The organization has publicly called Pinedale a "slumlord" and posted a list of complaints from the tenants on its website. Those issues include everything from pest infestations to poor security to tenants being asked to pay to upgrade appliances, which Pinedale is then allowed to keep when they move out. ACORN provided paperwork that showed a tenant was asked in September of 2024 to spend $398.33 to upgrade a fridge, and that fridge would "remain the property of Pinedale Properties Ltd." Monique Gordon, who works with ACORN and has lived at the complex for 13 years, said she has faced harassment from the landlord for speaking out about poor conditions including poor plumbing, lack of temperature control and more. Gordon said she's been given an eviction for mid-July, though she's vowing to fight it, and has heard several other renters are in the same situation. City staff were present at that March meeting, and ACORN said it won a commitment from those workers to investigate potential violations at the building. Coun. Vincent Crisanti, who represents the area where the buildings are located, also attended Saturday's event and encouraged tenants to remain unified and keep speaking up. He said his office is engaged with the work of seeking improvements. For her part, Chow once again said if the company doesn't make improvements the city will step in to do the work, and then send the company the bill.
CBC
07-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Rexdale renters urge city to crack down on poor conditions at apartment complex
Social Sharing Greg Desgroseilliers has dealt with repeat flooding inside his Toronto apartment, but he doesn't live in a flood plain nor is it the result of thunderous rain storms. His place floods when his neighbours use the shared laundry room. He said dirty laundry water repeatedly flooded the 21 Bergamot Ave. townhouse he moved into in 2008, wrecking its parquet flooring so many times Desgroseilliers has now just painted the concrete subfloor and gotten used to mopping it up. He's also stopped calling his landlord, Pinedale Properties Ltd., who he said previously just did cosmetic fixes and put down a replacement floor that felt like "Jenga" underfoot. "I just felt like it's a losing battle," Desgroseilliers told CBC Toronto as he provided our reporter a tour of his place. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow was also at the apartment complex on Saturday. She was invited by tenants who are pressing the city to bolster its RentSafeTO program, which is designed to ensure landlords meet maintenance standards. Chow's council has sought to improve RentSafeTO enforcement in recent years, but renters in various parts of the city have said it still lacks teeth. Chow said she can see why. The Bergamot buildings' rankings on RentSafe's website are between 89 and 91 per cent. "It does not look like a 90 per cent building for me," Chow said. "It's not a good quality of life when you cannot use your laundry. It's not a good quality of life when your floor gets flooded. And it's terrible quality of life when there is an entrance where there's no ramp and if you're in a wheelchair you can't get in. That's hard." Chow promised tenants that the building inspections carried out by bylaw officers would improve. "It has not been perfect, but it will improve. OK, you have my word, it will improve," Chow said. Pinedale Properties Ltd., which manages both rental buildings and commercial sites while also serving as a developer, runs the buildings. CBC Toronto has sought comment from the company for this story but hasn't heard back as of 7 p.m. Saturday. This story will be updated if Pinedale responds. Tenants asked to pay for upgrades that landlord keeps: ACORN Saturday's tour was organized by ACORN Toronto, a civic group focused on improving the lives of low-and-moderate-income people in the city that also helps tenants organize. The organization has publicly called Pinedale a "slumlord" and posted a list of complaints from the tenants on its website. Those issues include everything from pest infestations to poor security to tenants being asked to pay to upgrade appliances, which Pinedale is then allowed to keep when they move out. ACORN provided paperwork that showed a tenant was asked in September of 2024 to spend $398.33 to upgrade a fridge, and that fridge would "remain the property of Pinedale Properties Ltd." Monique Gordon, who works with ACORN and has lived at the complex for 13 years, said she has faced harassment from the landlord for speaking out about poor conditions including poor plumbing, lack of temperature control and more. Gordon said she's been given an eviction for mid-July, though she's vowing to fight it, and has heard several other renters are in the same situation. City staff were present at that March meeting, and ACORN said it won a commitment from those workers to investigate potential violations at the building. Coun. Vincent Crisanti, who represents the area where the buildings are located, also attended Saturday's event and encouraged tenants to remain unified and keep speaking up. He said his office is engaged with the work of seeking improvements. For her part, Chow once again said if the company doesn't make improvements the city will step in to do the work, and then send the company the bill.
