Renovictions bylaw faces pushback, but committee backs further strengthening tenant protections

Landlords might have to provide tenants with alternate places to live during extensive renovations to their rental units if a proposal to crack down on “renovictions” is backed by council.

On Monday, a draft-licensing bylaw to discourage renovictions drew dozens of at-risk tenants and a couple of landlords to a public participation meeting at city hall.

Low-income tenants spoke about the fear of being evicted from their below-market rent apartments and becoming homeless.

“What are these renovictions really costing this city right now?” asked Jordan Smith, chair of the Carling-Stoneybrook Chapter of tenants’ advocacy group London ACORN. “What is it going to cost this city if we don't implement a robust tenant rent eviction bylaw that works?”

Some landlords have been accused of unethically using N13 Notices to evict a low-income tenant on the pretense of doing extensive renovations to their apartment—only to instead use the vacancy to hike the rent.

The draft-licensing bylaw being considered at city hall would require landlords issuing N13 Notices:

- obtain a $400 Rental Unit Repair License from city hall for each unit

- obtain a professional opinion that each unit must be vacated during the renovation

- provide impacted tenants with an information package explaining their rights after receiving an N13

Members of London ACORN also urged the committee to require that landlords offer alternative accommodations or a rent top-up to tenants during the period of time they are displaced by the renovation.

An anti-renoviction bylaw in the City of Hamilton includes a similar requirement.

But a couple of landlords who attended the public participation meeting pushed back.

Darren Keenan told the committee that being a landlord is about earning a profit, “It's there to make money for me, my wife, and my children. Many of us opposed [to the bylaw] in London are opposed to more government oversight.”

“Housing is not a fundamental Right in Canada. It's not entrenched in the Constitution, not in the Bill of Rights,” Keenan added before being interrupted by tenants who rejected his assertion. “I'm a capitalist! And I'm a profiteer!”

The National Housing Strategy Act (2019) reconfirmed that adequate housing is a human right in Canada.

The CAPS Committee unanimously (4-0) directed staff to bring back the draft bylaw including consideration that landlords issuing an N13 provide temporary alternate accommodation for displaced tenants.

Civic administration will also examine if the bylaw could be applied retroactively to protect tenants currently facing an N13 eviction.

“We have to stop the supply of new homeless persons,” said Coun. Sam Trosow. “And I think that this renoviction bylaw will go a long way to doing that, especially if we can strengthen it a little bit with these amendments.”

Council will consider the committee recommendations July 23.

An updated bylaw with the proposed amendments could be in front of council for final consideration this fall.