TORONTO LOOKS AT FORCING NEW CONDO DEVELOPERS TO DEDICATE 10% OF RESIDENTIAL SPACE TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Toronto’s chief planner is proposing new condominium developments in parts of the city be required to dedicate 10 per cent of their space to affordable rentals or owned homes and be guaranteed affordable for 99 years. Under the proposal, to be presented to a committee meeting on Tuesday, any condo development above a certain size in “strong market” areas of the city — including much of the old city and North Toronto, southwest Scarborough and Scarborough Town Centre, Don Mills, York Mills and...
read moreONTARIO GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WILL BRING FORWARD LEGISLATION TO FREEZE RENT IN 2021
The Ford government says that it will bring forward rent control legislation so that the “vast majority” of tenants do not face increases in 2021. Under existing legislation rent increases on units that had not been previously occupied prior to November, 2018 are capped, roughly at the rate of inflation. The maximum allowable increase this year was supposed to have been 1.5 per cent but on Friday afternoon a spokesperson for Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark confirmed that...
read moreCITY RELEASES PROPOSED BYLAW TO REGULATE RENTAL PROPERTIES
A bylaw proposed by the city would make sure landlords maintain their rental units and encourage tenants to help keep cockroaches, rats and other pests out of the building. The draft bylaw published by the city on Tuesday would effectively set a minimum standard for all rental housing in Ottawa, including social housing. Council last year rejected the idea of a licensing regime for landlords but directed staff to establish additional regulations for Ottawa’s residential rental industry. Under...
read moreNEW LAW WILL ENCOURAGE LANDLORDS AND TENANTS TO NEGOTIATE REPAYMENT AGREEMENTS AMID COVID-19
Ontario’s Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, which has received royal assent, seeks to better protect tenants and to improve the stability of the province’s rental market. The legislation amends the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, the Housing Services Act, 2011 and the Building Code Act, 1992, as well as repeals the Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corporation Act. The Act introduces numerous legislative changes, such as the following: The Act encourages repayment...
read moreTORONTO MAKES MASKS MANDATORY IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS
Toronto City Council has passed a roster of new bylaws meant to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 as Toronto moves to Stage 3 of re-opening. Among the bylaws passed by council Wednesday is a temporary requirement that most people wear masks while inside lobbies, elevators, laundry rooms and other shared spaces in condo and apartment buildings. The new bylaw requires building owners or operators to have a policy to ensure masks or face coverings are worn by individuals in enclosed...
read moreONTARIO STRENGTHENS PROTECTIONS FOR TENANTS
The Ontario government is providing stability to Ontario’s rental market by increasing fines for unlawful evictions and reinforcing the necessity for landlords to explore repayment agreements before considering evictions. These measures are included in the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act which received Royal Assent. “We know tenants and landlords have struggled during COVID-19, and some households may be facing eviction due to unpaid rent during this...
read moreCONTROVERSIAL PINE DRIVE APARTMENTS ONE STEP CLOSER TO BEING BUILT
Rezoning for a controversial 41-unit apartment building in Charlottetown, one with eight years of history, passed second reading in city council on Monday after an attempt to defer the decision was rejected. The zoning change for 9 Pine Dr. from a single detached residential zone to a medium density residential zone was approved with a 5-3 vote. Coun. Mitchell Tweel attempted to defer second reading to give neighbours and the developer a chance to reach a compromise. Mayor Philip Brown...
read moreB.C. EVICTION BAN TO END SEPT. 1, TENANTS WILL HAVE UNTIL JULY 2021 TO PAY UNPAID RENT
The B.C. government will lift the ban on evictions for non-payment of rent on Sept. 1. In March, the province announced a moratorium on evictions, a ban on rent increases, and a rental benefit worth up to $500 a month due to the COVID-19 crisis. The government is implementing a repayment framework to ensure renters have a reasonable time-frame to pay back any rent they owe. Landlords have to give tenants until July 2021 to repay any outstanding rent, as long as monthly installments are paid....
read moreSMALL ONTARIO LANDLORDS ARE NOT PROVIDING A SOCIAL SERVICE
People become landlords for a variety of reasons, believing it’s a good investment. Most small-ownership landlords are working people who own one or two houses or condos, maybe a basement apartment in their own home; some increase their investments to 10 or more units. Regardless of the reasons, it’s an investment for the landlord and an essential service providing housing for tenants. What it is not is an agreement to be a social service. In normal times or during a pandemic, landlords do not...
read moreWHY ARE TENANT ADVOCATES SO AFRAID OF ONTARIO’S BILL 184?
Ontario’s Bill 184, also known as the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, moved to third reading in parliament on Monday, June 6, which is the last step before it becomes law. This did not happen quietly, with demonstrations in front of the legislature and even Mayor John Tory’s condo. But why the alarm, especially when there are new rules in the bill increasing fines to landlords for bad behaviour? Evictions The bill is bad for tenants, advocates...
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