As Toronto’s housing crisis deepens, the city wants to preserve what little affordable housing supply is left. A new regulation, effective July 31, The Rental Renovation License Bylaw, aims to do just that, by getting rid of renovictions, a common practice, according to city officials, where tenants are forced to relocate because the landlord wishes to renovate.
“For many Torontonians, being forced to move means they won’t be able to find another apartment they can afford,” the mayor said in a press release last week.
Landlords must now prove renovations are necessary and provide tenants with alternate housing at the same rental price while the work is underway. But is the bylaw enough to eliminate ‘bad faith’ evictions for good?
Yaroslava Avila Montenegro, with the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations, works closely with tenants facing evictions. She says while emergency measures are a good step, provincial intervention is needed to close any and all rent control loopholes.