New Toronto law means apartment buildings will be given colour-coded ratings, similar to restaurants
Landlords in Toronto will have to pay a fee to the city if they fail to provide for tenants in the event the buildings they live in are evacuated due to fire, flood or other service disruptions — part of a suite of changes adopted by city council Wednesday strengthening tenant rights. Landlords will also have to post a colour-coded sign in a prominent location, displaying a rating from the city, similar to what restaurants currently have to do under DineSafe. The move comes as the city...
read moreRHBTV – WATCH INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS NOW.
RHB TV is Canada’s first digital news broadcast for the RENTAL HOUSING INDUSTRY! Each episode covers a variety of topics affecting the multi-residential market, such as market insights and trends, legal, finance, development and acquisitions, CMHC data and reports, energy efficiency, capital expenditures and more. Here is a segment-by-segment breakdown of the premiere episode. Visit the corresponding links to watch each segment NOW! NEWSDESK Bill 108 is making national headlines. Learn more...
read moreRHB TV is now live!
RHB TV is the first and only news broadcast for the RENTAL HOUSING INDUSTRY. For the past 18-months, the RHB team has been hard at work developing and producing a show specific to our industry. RHB TV is a one-of-a-kind media platform, that covers industry news, market data and emerging trends. EPISODE 1 is now live! Watch it at www.rhbtv.ca
read morePositive Developments for Housing Providers on Reasonable Accommodation
Two recent decisions of the Human Rights Tribunal are instructive for those in property management with respect to the duty to accommodate. Both cases involved physical modifications to residential complexes and include insight into: the procedural duty to accommodate; the substantive duty to accommodate; and, what is reasonable accommodation. In Polito v. Briarlane, the tenant requested accessible access to the residential complex by way of an automatic door opener on the front doors. The...
read moreCanada’s First Accessibility Bill Could Become Law Next Month: Minister
The federal government will heed the calls of Canada’s disabled community and amend the country’s first piece of national accessibility legislation to include some of the changes they sought, the minister spearheading the effort said Thursday. Accessibility Minister Carla Qualtrough said the government will be adopting all the amendments the Senate introduced to Bill C-81, also known as the Accessible Canada Act, when it comes back before the House next week. Earlier this month, the upper...
read moreCost of Severe Weather Damages in 2018 Fourth-Highest on Record
Insured damage for severe weather events across Canada reached $1.9 billion in 2018, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ) and the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Ice storms, floods, windstorms, and tornadoes, did damage to homes, vehicles, and commercial property across the country throughout the year. Damages in 2018 are the fourth-highest amount of losses on record in Canada. However, unlike with the Quebec ice storm in 1998, the Calgary floods in 2013, or the...
read moreCannabis and the Code: Human Rights Commission releases new policy statement in advance of legalization
On October 11, 2018, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a new policy statement on cannabis and the Human Rights Code. The policy statement confirms that provincial smoke-free legislation prohibits smoking or vaping cannabis for a recreational or medical purpose in common areas of apartments and condominiums. The Commission acknowledges that people can smoke, vape or consume edible cannabis for medical or recreational purposes inside apartments and condominiums unless there...
read moreWhat are tenants’ rights under proposed marijuana laws?
With the federal government’s announcement to legalize recreational marijuana by October 2018, landlords across Canada have been raising concerns about marijuana use in rental units. Many landlords want to prohibit tenants from growing and smoking marijuana on their properties, but one lawyer says it may not be so easy. Bob Aaron, a Toronto-based real estate lawyer, said that just like with cigarette use, landlords may not be able to prevent all tenants from smoking marijuana inside their...
read moreJustin Trudeau announces date for legal marijuana
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday that marijuana will be legal in Canada starting Oct. 17, 2018. Justin Trudeau confirmed the long-awaited start date during Question Period in Ottawa, ending months of speculation surrounding when, precisely, Canadians will be able to purchase and consume the drug legally. The Liberals had initially aimed for July 1, Canada Day, but procedural issues and delays prevented them from reaching that target. The legislation outlining the federal...
read moreHow to Produce Eye-Catching Photography in Multifamily that Attracts Renters
A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. But when it comes to photography in multifamily, a shot featuring the property shouldn’t be that verbose. The right picture with the right angle, the right composition and the right lighting should send the very concise message to prospective renters that this is the place to be. For property management companies on a limited budget who aren’t fortunate to have a shutterbug on the payroll, visual story telling can be difficult. Posting a drab...
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