Hamilton will be the first city in Ontario to introduce a bylaw targeting renovictions, which will force landlords to obtain a special $700 permit to legitimize repairs when seeking to end a tenancy due to a desire to repair or convert a rental unit.
This bylaw, which passed 13-0-2 by committee vote, binds landlords with tenants during the entire process of renovating a unit, and prioritizes the tenants right to return to the unit when the renovation is complete.
The School of Planning’s Dr. Brian Doucet spoke with Global News regarding this bylaw, stating it addresses the role that renoviction plays in the affordability crisis through the loss of affordable housing, which in turn contributes to Ontario’s homelessness crisis.
“It’s not uncommon for a tenant to be living in a [unit], the landlord renovicts them, does some basic cosmetic work, and the rent jumps from [$500 – 600] a month to [$1,500 - $1,700] a month for the same unit.”
In Hamilton, an estimated 23 affordable units disappear for each new affordable unit being built, with around 16,000 units priced below $750 per month having disappeared over a 10-year period.
For more information on this story, including video interview with Dr. Brian Doucet, please visit the original story via Global News.
For further writing on this story from Dr. Brian Doucet, please visit his article published through The Conversation.
Dr. Brian Doucet