London launches pilot program to improve apartment living

The Municipal Compliance Division in London, Ont. and the London Fire Department has launched a pilot project designed to help spread information about the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and tenants.

Municipal Compliance Coordinator Nicole Musicco said the Proactive Apartment Pilot Inspection program is designed, "…to educate the landlords and tenants with [regards to] property standards rules and fire safety rules as well.”

Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch said it's important the city and fire department work together because property standards issues and fire code violations often intersect.

"A good example of that is, perhaps, there's a door that's not closing properly on a unit. Those doors are required to close. They're required to be a part of the fire and life safety for that building. So those are things where we can work with together,” said Hepditch.

City Council initially explored a citywide rental licencing program, but opted to launch the pilot instead.

Musicco revealed the pilot is designed to educate first, then allow both bylaw and fire officials to use enforcement tools already at their disposal, if required.

Municipal Compliance Coordinator Nicole Musicco and London Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Matt Hepditch prepare to launch the Proactive Apartment Pilot Inspection on Feb. 28, 2023. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

"The main aspect of this is really the education piece. It's to let the landlords and tenants know what is required and what the responsibilities are on both sides,” she added.

Hepditch said the number one issue facing fire departments across the province, including London, is kitchen fires. He said there’s more emphasis on building high-rise units to address the housing shortage, so safety in those buildings has to be a priority.

"We go from three houses that were taken down to put up multi-storey building. So we have 30 storeys, perhaps -- that's a lot more kitchens,” said Hepditch,

Property standards covers issues like cleanliness, heating, water supply, and having secure electricity.

The question the pilot will try and answer is: “Can a proactive approach help avoid situations that will require even more community resources and spending at a later date?”

"What we're doing is using today as that test,” said Musicco. “To let us know what kind of work this will generate and see if this is something we can continue on more fulltime."

The pilot launched Tuesday focused on three randomly selected buildings with approximately 600 units total.