Latest news with #RentalRenovationLicenceBylaw
Toronto Sun
12-08-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Tenant advocates say Toronto's new renoviction bylaw making 'positive impact'
Published Aug 12, 2025 • 4 minute read A new bylaw aimed at reducing renovictions in Toronto is already having noticeable effects, according to tenant and anti-poverty advocates. Photo by Getty Images A new bylaw aimed at reducing renovictions in Toronto is already having noticeable effects, according to tenant and anti-poverty advocates, though some say it's too early to tell if it will be well-enforced. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw was implemented on July 31 and is designed to protect tenants from 'bad faith' evictions by their landlords under the guise of a renovation — an increasingly common tactic critics say is used by landlords to evade rent control and increase rent prices. Toronto landlords must now obtain a licence from the city before carrying out repairs or renovations that force tenants to move out, and must apply for this licence within seven days of giving a notice of ending tenancy — known as an N13 notice — to the renter. With the new bylaw in effect, some tenant advocates say they are already noticing a difference in landlords' actions. 'We're seeing far fewer calls regarding renovictions leading up to the implementation date of July 31, so it's already had a positive impact in that sense,' said Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We're going to monitor how that goes for the rest of the year, but we anticipate that we're going to see a gradual decline with the number of N13s or renoviction calls to our organization and others in Toronto,' Kwan said. Renovictions have been on the rise in Toronto and the province for the past decade, and became a 'massive' issue in the last five or so years, said Alejandra Ruiz Vargas, president of ACORN Canada. Read More Since 2017, there has been a nearly 50% increase in the number of N13 notices filed in Toronto, according to a 2024 renoviction report by ACORN. 'I know a couple that has been renovicted three times last year,' Ruiz Vargas said, adding that the bylaw's implementation is a 'huge win' for renters. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. People in lower-cost rentals are commonly targeted by renovictions, and they face immense difficulties in finding places they can afford to move into after being evicted, anti-poverty advocates say. 'The huge increase in evictions has fuelled a massive increase in homelessness in Ontario,' said Jeff Schlemmer, executive director of Community Legal Clinic of York Region. 'Thank goodness municipalities are stepping up.' New Westminster, B.C., was the first municipality to adopt a renoviction bylaw in 2019, with several other municipalities in Ontario, such as Hamilton and London, following in its footsteps. These bylaws are beneficial not only for renters but the entire housing system in a city as they help preserve affordable housing stock and are a simpler and quicker solution than putting shovels into the ground to build more affordable housing, said Kwan. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It doesn't mean that legitimate landlords who have to renovate their units are prevented from doing so. It's really to capture situations or people who aren't even considering renovating their unit and it gives them pause,' he said. There are several requirements under Toronto's new bylaw that make it especially strong, such as the need for a landlord to have an architect or engineer confirm that the unit must be empty for the renovation work, and the requirement for the landlord to make rent gap payments if the tenant has to move elsewhere and pay higher rent, said Kwan. 'The rent gap payments ensure that a landlord mitigates the work. In other words, they don't sit on their hands,' said Kwan. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Though the bylaw does not apply retroactively to tenants who have already received N13 notices, advocates say it strengthens their fight as it puts the burden on landlords to prove their renovations require vacant units. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The City of Toronto says on its website that it will use an 'education-first approach' to encourage compliance, with enforcement action to follow when appropriate. According to the bylaw, landlords could face fines of up to $100,000 if they force a tenant to leave and re-rent the unit to someone else for financial benefits, or if they fail to comply with other aspects of the new licensing requirements. 'The fines are quite high and I think they might be sufficient disincentive for these corporate landlords from acting,' Kwan said. 'I think if there is a concern, it would be uneducated, smaller landlords who perhaps unknowingly or knowingly are just trying to take the risk of renovicting their tenant. That's probably the group of landlords that should be more of a concern than the larger corporate ones.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Chiara Paravani, co-chair of York South-Weston Tenant Union, said she is aware of several landlords who are particularly 'aggressive' in pursuing renovictions. The particularly relentless actors may be willing to take a financial hit, Paravani said. 'Absorbing those fines is just part of the cost of doing business in terms of evicting people and replacing them with higher paying tenants,' she said, adding that provincial fines were already in place and didn't do much to change landlords' actions. The provincial government doubled maximum fine amounts for unlawful evictions in 2020, setting the fine rates at $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for corporations. But the Ministry of Housing was 'vastly overwhelmed' with requests to enforce the violations, said Schlemmer, from the community legal clinic. 'You can make the penalty capital punishment, but if the person knows they're not gonna get caught, they're still gonna try it, which is what we have for renovictions,' Schlemmer said, stressing the importance of enforcement. 'I really hope that the City of Toronto does allocate meaningful resources to enforcement, because if they do, they could make a real dent in these unlawful evictions and significantly reduce the ongoing increase in homelessness.' Toronto Blue Jays Canada Toronto Blue Jays Sunshine Girls World
Global News
12-08-2025
- Business
- Global News
Tenant advocates say Toronto's new renoviction bylaw already making ‘positive impact'
A new bylaw aimed at reducing renovictions in Toronto is already having noticeable effects, according to tenant and anti-poverty advocates, though some say it's too early to tell if it will be well-enforced. The Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw was implemented on July 31 and is designed to protect tenants from 'bad faith' evictions by their landlords under the guise of a renovation — an increasingly common tactic critics say is used by landlords to evade rent control and increase rent prices. Toronto landlords must now obtain a licence from the city before carrying out repairs or renovations that force tenants to move out, and must apply for this licence within seven days of giving a notice of ending tenancy — known as an N13 notice — to the renter. With the new bylaw in effect, some tenant advocates say they are already noticing a difference in landlords' actions. Story continues below advertisement 'We're seeing far fewer calls regarding renovictions leading up to the implementation date of July 31, so it's already had a positive impact in that sense,' said Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. 'We're going to monitor how that goes for the rest of the year, but we anticipate that we're going to see a gradual decline with the number of N13s or renoviction calls to our organization and others in Toronto,' Kwan said. Renovictions have been on the rise in Toronto and the province for the past decade, and became a 'massive' issue in the last five or so years, said Alejandra Ruiz Vargas, president of ACORN Canada. Since 2017, there has been a nearly 50 per cent increase in the number of N13 notices filed in Toronto, according to a 2024 renoviction report by ACORN. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I know a couple that has been renovicted three times last year,' Ruiz Vargas said, adding that the bylaw's implementation is a 'huge win' for renters. People in lower-cost rentals are commonly targeted by renovictions, and they face immense difficulties in finding places they can afford to move into after being evicted, anti-poverty advocates say. 'The huge increase in evictions has fuelled a massive increase in homelessness in Ontario,' said Jeff Schlemmer, executive director of Community Legal Clinic of York Region. Story continues below advertisement 'Thank goodness municipalities are stepping up.' New Westminster, B.C., was the first municipality to adopt a renoviction bylaw in 2019, with several other municipalities in Ontario, such as Hamilton and London, following in its footsteps. These bylaws are beneficial not only for renters but the entire housing system in a city as they help preserve affordable housing stock and are a simpler and quicker solution than putting shovels into the ground to build more affordable housing, said Kwan. 'It doesn't mean that legitimate landlords who have to renovate their units are prevented from doing so. It's really to capture situations or people who aren't even considering renovating their unit and it gives them pause,' he said. There are several requirements under Toronto's new bylaw that make it especially strong, such as the need for a landlord to have an architect or engineer confirm that the unit must be empty for the renovation work, and the requirement for the landlord to make rent gap payments if the tenant has to move elsewhere and pay higher rent, said Kwan. 'The rent gap payments ensure that a landlord mitigates the work. In other words, they don't sit on their hands,' said Kwan. Though the bylaw does not apply retroactively to tenants who have already received N13 notices, advocates say it strengthens their fight as it puts the burden on landlords to prove their renovations require vacant units. Story continues below advertisement The City of Toronto says on their website that they will use an 'education-first approach' to encourage compliance, with enforcement action to follow when appropriate. According to the bylaw, landlords could face fines of up to $100,000 if they force a tenant to leave and re-rent the unit to someone else for financial benefits, or if they fail to comply with other aspects of the new licensing requirements. 'The fines are quite high and I think they might be sufficient disincentive for these corporate landlords from acting,' Kwan said. 'I think if there is a concern, it would be uneducated, smaller landlords who perhaps unknowingly or knowingly are just trying to take the risk of renovicting their tenant. That's probably the group of landlords that should be more of a concern than the larger corporate ones.' Chiara Paravani, co-chair of York South-Weston Tenant Union, said she is aware of several landlords who are particularly 'aggressive' in pursuing renovictions. The particularly relentless actors may be willing to take a financial hit, Paravani said. 'Absorbing those fines is just part of the cost of doing business in terms of evicting people and replacing them with higher paying tenants, she said, adding that provincial fines were already in place and didn't do much to change landlords' actions. Story continues below advertisement The provincial government doubled maximum fine amounts for unlawful evictions in 2020, setting the fine rates at $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for corporations. But the Ministry of Housing was 'vastly overwhelmed' with requests to enforce the violations, said Schlemmer, from the community legal clinic. 'You can make the penalty capital punishment, but if the person knows they're not gonna get caught, they're still gonna try it, which is what we have for renovictions,' Schlemmer said, stressing the importance of enforcement. 'I really hope that the City of Toronto does allocate meaningful resources to enforcement, because if they do, they could make a real dent in these unlawful evictions and significantly reduce the ongoing increase in homelessness.'
Toronto Star
12-08-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Tenant advocates say Toronto's new renoviction bylaw already making ‘positive impact'
A new bylaw aimed at reducing renovictions in Toronto is already having noticeable effects, according to tenant and anti-poverty advocates, though some say it's too early to tell if it will be well-enforced. The Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw was implemented on July 31 and is designed to protect tenants from 'bad faith' evictions by their landlords under the guise of a renovation — an increasingly common tactic critics say is used by landlords to evade rent control and increase rent prices.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-08-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Tenant advocates say Toronto's new renoviction bylaw already making ‘positive impact'
A new bylaw aimed at reducing renovictions in Toronto is already having noticeable effects, according to tenant and anti-poverty advocates, though some say it's too early to tell if it will be well-enforced. The Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw was implemented on July 31 and is designed to protect tenants from 'bad faith' evictions by their landlords under the guise of a renovation — an increasingly common tactic critics say is used by landlords to evade rent control and increase rent prices. Toronto landlords must now obtain a licence from the city before carrying out repairs or renovations that force tenants to move out, and must apply for this licence within seven days of giving a notice of ending tenancy — known as an N13 notice — to the renter. With the new bylaw in effect, some tenant advocates say they are already noticing a difference in landlords' actions. 'We're seeing far fewer calls regarding renovictions leading up to the implementation date of July 31, so it's already had a positive impact in that sense,' said Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. 'We're going to monitor how that goes for the rest of the year, but we anticipate that we're going to see a gradual decline with the number of N13s or renoviction calls to our organization and others in Toronto,' Kwan said. Renovictions have been on the rise in Toronto and the province for the past decade, and became a 'massive' issue in the last five or so years, said Alejandra Ruiz Vargas, president of ACORN Canada. Since 2017, there has been a nearly 50 per cent increase in the number of N13 notices filed in Toronto, according to a 2024 renoviction report by ACORN. 'I know a couple that has been renovicted three times last year,' Ruiz Vargas said, adding that the bylaw's implementation is a 'huge win' for renters. People in lower-cost rentals are commonly targeted by renovictions, and they face immense difficulties in finding places they can afford to move into after being evicted, anti-poverty advocates say. 'The huge increase in evictions has fuelled a massive increase in homelessness in Ontario,' said Jeff Schlemmer, executive director of Community Legal Clinic of York Region. 'Thank goodness municipalities are stepping up.' New Westminster, B.C., was the first municipality to adopt a renoviction bylaw in 2019, with several other municipalities in Ontario, such as Hamilton and London, following in its footsteps. These bylaws are beneficial not only for renters but the entire housing system in a city as they help preserve affordable housing stock and are a simpler and quicker solution than putting shovels into the ground to build more affordable housing, said Kwan. 'It doesn't mean that legitimate landlords who have to renovate their units are prevented from doing so. It's really to capture situations or people who aren't even considering renovating their unit and it gives them pause,' he said. There are several requirements under Toronto's new bylaw that make it especially strong, such as the need for a landlord to have an architect or engineer confirm that the unit must be empty for the renovation work, and the requirement for the landlord to make rent gap payments if the tenant has to move elsewhere and pay higher rent, said Kwan. 'The rent gap payments ensure that a landlord mitigates the work. In other words, they don't sit on their hands,' said Kwan. Though the bylaw does not apply retroactively to tenants who have already received N13 notices, advocates say it strengthens their fight as it puts the burden on landlords to prove their renovations require vacant units. The City of Toronto says on their website that they will use an 'education-first approach' to encourage compliance, with enforcement action to follow when appropriate. According to the bylaw, landlords could face fines of up to $100,000 if they force a tenant to leave and re-rent the unit to someone else for financial benefits, or if they fail to comply with other aspects of the new licensing requirements. 'The fines are quite high and I think they might be sufficient disincentive for these corporate landlords from acting,' Kwan said. 'I think if there is a concern, it would be uneducated, smaller landlords who perhaps unknowingly or knowingly are just trying to take the risk of renovicting their tenant. That's probably the group of landlords that should be more of a concern than the larger corporate ones.' Chiara Paravani, co-chair of York South-Weston Tenant Union, said she is aware of several landlords who are particularly 'aggressive' in pursuing renovictions. The particularly relentless actors may be willing to take a financial hit, Paravani said. 'Absorbing those fines is just part of the cost of doing business in terms of evicting people and replacing them with higher paying tenants, she said, adding that provincial fines were already in place and didn't do much to change landlords' actions. The provincial government doubled maximum fine amounts for unlawful evictions in 2020, setting the fine rates at $50,000 for individuals and $250,000 for corporations. But the Ministry of Housing was 'vastly overwhelmed' with requests to enforce the violations, said Schlemmer, from the community legal clinic. 'You can make the penalty capital punishment, but if the person knows they're not gonna get caught, they're still gonna try it, which is what we have for renovictions,' Schlemmer said, stressing the importance of enforcement. 'I really hope that the City of Toronto does allocate meaningful resources to enforcement, because if they do, they could make a real dent in these unlawful evictions and significantly reduce the ongoing increase in homelessness.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2025.
CBC
25-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Only 6 days until Toronto's new renovictions bylaw comes into effect
Social Sharing A new renovictions bylaw comes into effect July 31 and the city's mayor and renter advocate groups are thrilled at what it could mean for tenants. The Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw was first passed by council last November and aims to protect tenants from being turfed from their homes by bad-faith landlords attempting to raise rents under the disguise of renovations. Mayor Olivia Chow said at a news conference Friday that landlords often claim their housing units need to be empty, when in reality, many of the renovations can be done with tenants still inside. "Far too often, landlords try to take advantage of tenants who might not fully understand their legal rights," she said. "Every time I'm out on the streets, I hear of tenants being evicted and the bogus excuses." How the bylaw works Landlords need a qualified person, licensed under the Ontario Association of Architects or Professional Engineers Ontario, to confirm vacant possession of a unit is required for the renovations. Landlords will then have to pay a $700 application fee within seven days of issuing an N13 legal notice with intent to renovate to the tenant. If a qualified person verifies that the unit needs to be vacated while renovations are ongoing, landlords must provide: Tenants wishing to return with either temporary, comparable housing at similar rents or agree to pay monthly rent-gap payments. Tenants choosing not to return with a severance compensation equal to three months of rent-gap payments. In both cases, landlords must give tenants a one-time moving allowance of $1,500 for a studio or one-bedroom unit or $2,500 for a two-or-more bedroom unit. Chow said the city's building department will review landlord renovation permits. Landlords who do not follow the bylaw could be charged up to $100,000. All landlords needed to do was provide an N13 to the Landlord and Tenant Board and the "clock was ticking" for tenants prior to this bylaw's enactment, said Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher at the same news conference. Landlords could then rent their units to new people at steeper rent prices. In Ontario, any rental unit built after November 2018 is not subject to provincial rent control. Fletcher said this bylaw is a "new day" for Toronto tenants. "The rescue is here," she said. "Fairness will be the very base line of anything that happens." More work to be done: advocates Advocacy groups are also excited about what this means for tenants. Landlords are finally being held accountable, which makes Yaroslava Montenegro, who is the executive director of the Federation of Metro Tenants' Association, an advocacy group for tenants' rights, happy. "This is a huge win for our movement. This bylaw was built on decades of hard work by tenants holding city officials and landlords accountable," she said at Friday's news conference. This bylaw is demonstrative of what work and solidarity can do, Montenegro said. "This is a fight for dignity, for stability and also for tenant power. Together we are stronger, together we will win," she said. Tenants deserve stability and security, agreed Michael Cuadra, co-chair of ACORN's Weston chapter. ACORN is a multi-issue, membership-based community union of low and moderate-income people. "This is a welcome sigh of relief, of protection," he said at the news conference. "Alone we can be deceived. Alone, we can be ignored. Together we can be heard, together we can solve problems." This is a step in the right direction, but there is still work to be done, said Douglas Kwan, director of advocacy and legal services in Ontario for the Advocacy Centre for Tenants. Wait times at Landlord and Tenant Board hearings continue to be lengthy, the province's affordable housing stock is diminishing with legislation on it yet to be enforced and the homelessness crisis is ever present, Kwan said at the news conference. Though this bylaw will only come into effect July 31, tenants saw other big housing news this week. City council voted in favour of a colour-coded system for apartment buildings, set to be integrated into the RentSafeTO program in 2026, and council also voted to waive all development charges on multiplexes and sixplexes, with a pre-approved prototype available so homeowners don't have to find a planner on their own.
