A report to the Community and Protective Services Committee<\/a> (CAPS) recommends requiring that landlords obtain a special license from city hall if an N13 Notice is being used to remove a tenant because their unit will be undergoing extensive renovations.<\/p>\n
\n\tSo-called \u2018renovictions\u2019 occur when an unethical landlord takes advantage of the N13 process to evict low-income tenants whose rent is well below the market rate.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe staff report reads, \u201cUnfortunately for some tenants, following the rules set out in the Residential Tenancies Act seems to have become optional for some landlords who use \u2018bad faith\u2019 evictions to get vacant possession of a unit, only to raise the rent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIf approved by council, the draft licensing by-law would require landlords issuing N13 notices obtain a Rental Unit Repair License from the city.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe licenses would cost $400 per unit and require that a qualified professional (architect, engineer, or possessor of a Building Code ID Number) confirm that vacancy is required during the renovation.<\/p>\n
\n\tLandlords would also have to provide an information package to tenants notifying them of their rights after receiving an N13 Notice.<\/p>\n
\n\tCoun. Peter Cuddy wants steep fines for landlords who break the proposed licensing rules.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIf they\u2019re going to be abusive or aggressive to our residents, then we have to be just as aggressive back to them. Fines of $5,000 or $10,000 just doesn\u2019t do it. We have to really up the ante,\u201d Cuddy told CTV News.<\/p>\n
\n\tHowever, the draft by-law isn\u2019t being well received by the city\u2019s largest organization of landlords.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThey see this as largely a move by councillors to create some positive optics,\u201d said Joe Hoffer, a lawyer speaking on behalf of the London Property Management Association (LPMA).<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFrom the industry\u2019s perspective, the Residential Tenancies Act has full protections for tenants and it\u2019s unfortunate that council is moving forward with this by-law,\u201d Hoffer added.<\/p>\n
\n\tTyler Jollymore and his mother received an N13 Notice from their landlord in April 2023 to vacate their unit in the Webster Street Apartments.<\/p>\n
\n\tAt a hearing this August, they\u2019ll fight what Jollymore believes is a renoviction.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re going to be out on the street because we\u2019re on ODSP, so we can\u2019t afford anywhere else,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019ve looked at all the two-bedroom rentals [but] there\u2019s nothing out there for what we\u2019re paying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCuddy maintains that the new licensing requirements would target unethical landlords, but not significantly impact the vast majority of landlords who follow the existing rules.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re going to push it through as quickly as possible,\u201d Cuddy said. \u201cWe need to get this in front of council as a final product and get it passed.<\/p>\n
\n\tHoffer warns that implementing the licensing by-law might land the city in court.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cTo the extent that the by-law contains an excess of jurisdiction, there is a good likelihood that there will be litigation, and that is a waste of time and money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\n\tLondon\u2019s draft by-law to crackdown on renovictions is partly based on a policy already enacted in Hamilton.<\/p>\n
\n\tInstead of requiring one license for an entire building, however, London would require a license for each individual unit to be renovated.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe report suggests, \u201cThis may reduce the number of tenants that are displaced and\/or inconvenienced by repairs or renovations to larger buildings, as justification will need to be provided on a unit-by-unit basis prior to a licence being issued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe new licensing regime would require hiring six additional staff for enforcement, customer service, and program support at a cost of $581,000 per year.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cThis is not going to be a burden to our taxpayers,\u201d Cuddy assured. \u201cThis is going to be self-sufficient. It\u2019s going pay for itself and that\u2019s why we have to make sure that the penalties stick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe CAPS Committee will consider the licensing by-law on Monday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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