Tenants group 'flabbergasted' Toronto-style apartment inspections not backed by city staff
Tenants hoping London city hall would crackdown on slumlords who fail to maintain their apartments are expressing dismay.
A new report by city staff recommends against implementing a local version of Toronto’s RentSafeTO apartment maintenance and inspection program.
“I’m a little bit flabbergasted,” admits Jordan Smith of tenant advocacy group ACORN London. “It’s been effective in Toronto and they’ve managed to make it economically viable. It’s managed to pay for itself. There’s no excuse for that not to happen in London.”
In Toronto, landlords pay $11.24 per rental unit as a registration fee, and $1,917 for an annual audit to ensure that basic building maintenance standards are met.
Failing to meet those standards could result in financial penalties.
There are more than 47,000 rental units here in London.
According to the staff report, a local inspection program modelled after RentSafeTO would require hiring about 37 additional municipal by-law enforcement officers plus a similar number of fire prevention officers.
Currently, London only licenses rental houses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes.
A license requires initial building code and fire code inspections plus payment of an annual renewal fee.
ACORN London argues municipal licensing of rental units and enforcement of the property standards by-law has left many tenants living in poorly maintained and unsafe apartments.
Instead of RentSafe, the staff report highlights the recommendations of a new Tenant Landlord Taskforce to streamline the complaint system on the city website, offer more inclusive communication between landlords/tenants/municipality, and conduct ‘building blitzes’ of the worst properties.
However, Smith sits on that taskforce and warns those solutions fail to ensure landlords actually make the necessary repairs.
“It’s important to streamline our complaint process, but that’s cutting around the edges, it doesn’t come close to tackling the heart of the issue.”
The Community and Protective Services Committee will consider the report on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6943621.1719510587!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Watch Live Now: Canadian analysis ahead of the CNN Presidential Debate
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
'Hanging on for her life': Sask. family desperate to bring home sick niece from Philippines
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.
'No additional flights will be cancelled': WestJet avoids strike as feds order binding arbitration
A potential strike by WestJet airplane mechanics would upend travel plans for 250,000 customers over the Canada Day long weekend, the airline says — and cost it millions of dollars.
BREAKING Nunavut judge sentences Toronto woman to 3 years prison for Inuit identity fraud
A Nunavut judge has sentenced a Toronto woman to three years in prison in a case of Inuit identity fraud.
Canada's top court rejects appeal from Sask. man who murdered wife
The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected an application from a Saskatoon man who murdered his wife.
Where do new Canadians come from? India and Philippines take top spots
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Marilyn Monroe's former Los Angeles home declared a historic monument to save it from demolition
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have won a battle to preserve her mark on Los Angeles and are a step closer to seeing a towering statue of the silver screen icon remain in Palm Springs.
Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday.
AI regulation 'a start,' needs to 'have teeth': Hinton, godfather of AI, says
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.