Toronto City Council has approved a new set of rules designed to protect tenants and penalize bad landlords.
City Council consideration on December 13, 2016
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| LS15.3 |
ACTION
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Amended
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Ward:All
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| Rental Apartment Buildings: Results of Public Consultation and Proposed Regulatory Regime |
| Committee Recommendations |
The Licensing and Standards Committee recommends that:
1. City Council approve a new regulatory by-law for rental apartment buildings that requires property owners to:
a. register the building with the City of Toronto and submit required information;
b. have a process for receiving, tracking and responding to tenant repair requests;
c. notify tenants of service disruptions, property standards appeals, work orders and cleaning plan;
d. install notification board in central location;
e. have a comprehensive pest management plan that includes the use of licensed pest management professionals;
f. have a waste management plan;
g. have a cleaning plan;
h. use contractors with certification from Ontario College of Trades to conduct maintenance of HVAC and plumbing systems;
i. have a state of good repair capital plan; and
j. pay all applicable fees.
and direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report to the March 6, 2017 meeting of Licensing and Standards Committee with the new regulatory by-law.
2. City Council direct that the program be funded as follows:
Program budget of $4,442,904, funded:
-45% recovered from a $8.00 registration fee per unit per year ($2,028,542)
-15% recovered through revenues from enforcement action ($637,200)
-40% recovered from the tax-base ($1,777,161)
and direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report to Budget Committee, during the 2017 Operating Budget process, on the program budget and the six additional Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff required to implement the program proposed.
3. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report in October, 2017 to Licensing and Standards Committee through the Tenant Issues Committee, on:
a. the proposed Administrative Penalty by-law, and increased set fines which would apply to violations under the Rental Apartment Building By-law; and
b. the proposed policies and operating procedures, organizational changes and financing requirements to enhance the capacity of Municipal Licensing and Standards to undertake remedial action.
4. City Council request the Province of Ontario to:
a. Introduce regulations that would exempt the registration fee from eligibility for an Above Guideline Increase (AGI); and
b. Amend the Building Code Act or other necessary legislation to authorize the City of Toronto to establish a system of Administrative Monetary Penalties for property standards violations
5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to establish guidelines for when the Property Standards Committee can grant time extensions on work orders and to limit those criteria to situations that are only extraordinary circumstances.
6. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to include in the new regulatory by-law for rental apartment buildings an offence for renting out vacant units if the property owner is in breach of City by-laws, including a confirmed property standards order.
7. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to develop standard operating procedure service standards for 2018, subject to annual review, for Municipal Standards Officers which provide targeted timelines by violation category to bring landlords into compliance with City by-laws from the date an order is issued, and make the standards available to the public on the City website in Q4, 2017.
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| Background Information (Committee) |
| (November 16, 2016) Report from the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards on Rental Apartment Buildings: Results of Public Consultation and Proposed Regulatory Regime (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98654.pdf) Attachment 1 - Jurisdictional Scan (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98655.pdf) Attachment 2 - Results from 2015 Ipsos Reid Survey on Apartments and Condominiums (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98656.pdf) Attachment 3 - Consultation Findings from Online Survey, 2016 (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98657.pdf) Attachment 4 - Proposed Building Information Requirements at Registration (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98658.pdf) Attachment 5 - Impact of Proposed Program Fees on Rent (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98659.pdf) Attachment 6 - MRAB Activities and Service Standards (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ls/bgrd/backgroundfile-98660.pdf) |
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