Hamilton passes anti-renoviction bylaw
- Michael Kras
- 18 Jan 2024
Hamilton city council has passed a bylaw that will combat bad faith renovictions for renters in the city.
Renovictions are instances when landlords evict tenants by claiming to complete major renovations to the property, then putting the property back on the market at a higher rate. This new bylaw – the first of its kind in Ontario – is an important step in preventing bad faith instances of this circumstance for residents who rent their housing.
On Wednesday, city council unanimously voted to pass the Renovations License and Relocation Bylaw, responding to 5 years of advocacy from local organization Hamilton ACORN, which advocates for issues affecting low and moderate income residents.
The bylaw is based on the success of another anti-renoviction bylaw in New Westminster, British Columbia, intended to make cut down on bad faith renovictions by requiring landlords to give the City notice when tenants are issued an N13 Notice to vacate the property for renovation, repair, or demolition.
Landlords will then need to apply for a renovation license within 7 days of issuing the eviction notice, and submit an engineer’s report proving that the tenants truly need to vacate the property for the required renovations.
The bylaw, which will apply to all rental units in Hamilton, also requires landlords to provide their tenants with a Tenant’s Rights and Entitlements Package as well as a list of available units of similar size, location, and rent.
Additionally, tenants who request first right of refusal to return to their unit after the renovation at the same rental rate must be provided temporary accommodations by the landlord or receive a rental top-up for the duration of the renovations.
“Lots more to come and the fight is far from over but HUGE movement today and we are so proud our city is taking the lead in tenant protections,” wrote Hamilton ACORN on social media.
See more here.
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