Ontario city set to impose ‘1st-of-its-kind’ bylaw preventing renovictions

Hamilton, Ont., is close to introducing a first-of-its-kind renoviction bylaw in the province that will force landlords to obtain licences to legitimize repairs they make to their properties.

The new legislation, carried 13-0-2 in a committee vote Wednesday, forces property owners to apply for a special permit for their rental addresses at a cost of around $700 when seeking a provincial N-13 notice — ending a tenancy due to a desire to demolish, repair or convert a rental unit.

University of Waterloo professor Brian Doucet, who studied housing insecurity and recorded findings in the Hamilton Neighbourhood Change Research Project, characterizes the bylaw as a movement that will be “blazing a trail that others in Ontario will soon follow.”

Congratulations to each & every neighbour who rents that has been organizing w/ <a href=«https://twitter.com/AcornHamilton?ref_src=» https:>@AcornHamilton

for over 5 years for this moment today – <a href=«https://twitter.com/hashtag/HamOnt?src=hash&ref_src=» https:>#HamOnt passes Ontario’s first anti-renovictions bylaw at General Issues Committee! It has been an honour working w/you on this since 2019!

— Nrinder Nann (@NrinderWard3) <a href=«https://twitter.com/NrinderWard3/status/1747764025687957734?ref_src=» https:>January 17, 2024

He says provisions that clearly outline “pathways and expectations” ensuring a return when upgrades are done and binding landlords with tenants throughout the entire renovation process are key elements.

“This proposed bylaw clearly stipulates that the onus of responsibility of the right to return is most definitely a shared one between landlords who own the home and tenants who live in it and consider it their homes,” Doucet told a committee Wednesday.

Ward 3 Coun.