Laura Hull –
The City of Toronto is developing a new bylaw to prevent renovictions – when a landlord illegitimately evicts a tenant by alleging that a rental unit needs to be empty for renovations.
Renovictions have become “a growing trend,” according to a statement from the city to the bridge. “With a shortage of affordable housing and low vacancy rates, it’s more important than ever to preserve existing affordable rental homes.”
In June, City Council directed staff to consult with tenants and landlords on implementing a bylaw based on Hamilton’s renovations bylaw, which is to take effect in January. Staff are to report on October 30 and propose a bylaw for Toronto.
The proposed bylaw would require landlords to (among other things):
● apply for a renovation licence within a week of issuing an N13 eviction notice.
● submit documents such as approved building permits, a copy of the N13 notice, a Tenant Information Notice, a report confirming the need for vacant possession, and a tenant accommodation/compensation plan.
● refrain from beginning renovations before obtaining a renovation licence.
(Ontario requires landlords to issue N13s to tenants when they want to demolish or repair a rental unit and it needs to be vacated.)
Toronto held consultations across the city over the summer with landlords and tenants. Advocacy groups such as the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Association (FMTA) and ACORN, a community union for low-income people that often works on tenant rights, have been involved in developing the bylaw.
“Over the past few years, the number one issue [the FMTA has] heard from tenants is eviction fraud – where a landlord claims to evict you for a certain legitimate reason, but they’re actually trying to just raise the rent,” said Geordie Dent, executive director of the FMTA. “According to our data, this is happening tens of thousands of times every year in Ontario.”
“We’re trying to make sure the bylaw doesn’t get derailed, like it has been before,” he added. “A lot of tenant advocates are pushing for a bylaw like this, but landlords and the development industry are pushing back. But tenants need this now.”
ACORN spokesperson Cyril Penney told the bridge, “We’re demanding that landlords need to be very specific about what they’re renovating, that landlords need to provide alternative accommodation during the renovation, that landlords be required to provide the tenant with an information package about their rights. We’re also demanding that landlords who don’t comply with rules be fined so much they can’t make profit.”
In March 2023, the heritage Edwardian building at 30 Charles Street East was bought by Harrington Housing, which provides student-oriented short-term housing across North America. Tenants, some of whom have lived at 30 Charles for decades, started receiving N13 notices soon after the purchase, said tenant Tanya Osmond. The landlord has subdivided the empty units and rented them out at higher prices, primarily to students, she said.
“If this bylaw were already in place, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I wouldn’t have to go down to the Landlord and Tenant Board to fight for my home.”
“My mother is 62 years old, near retirement, a single mom, and a great tenant,” said Penney. “She’s being evicted by a landlord who doesn’t care about her at all.”
“There are six tenants left that haven’t been evicted and who are fighting at the [Landlord and Tenant Board] next month,” Penney added. “They’re lucky enough to know about their tenant rights, but the landlord managed to buy out the other tenants by throwing a cheque at them.”
The proposed bylaw will help tenants who know their rights and push back against renovictions, Dent said. “Unfortunately, I think the bylaw is going to be limited … The vast majority of evictions are very informal, and a lot of tenants don’t know their rights.”
Cyril Penney echoed Dent’s point. “When a landlord just drops an N13 at someone’s doorstep and it says eviction, most tenants, including my mother, now live with fear and anxiety over their homes.”
Once the bylaw is finalized, the city “will launch a comprehensive communication and public education campaign to create awareness on the bylaw, ensure compliance among landlords as well as protect tenants and their access to much-needed affordable rental housing across the city,” according to its statement to the bridge.
