City hall is considering cracking down on problematic landlords

London, Ontario. –

City workers have been instructed by a council committee to return to the drawing board to ensure that all rental units in London are kept in a safe condition.

London ACORN members held a rally outside City Hall ahead of a Community and Protection Services Committee meeting on Tuesday.

The tenant advocacy group renewed its call for the town hall to take steps to hold landlords accountable for unsafe living conditions in rental apartments across the city.

“We (and the Council) have a lot of ideas in common so we’re trying to lay a foundation for something to start with. We all agree that something needs to be done, ”said Jo-Dee Phoenix from London ACORN.

Last week the city council issued a report recommending “no further action is required on the licensing of rental units in apartment or townhouse structures”.

Currently the municipality only licenses houses, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes.

A license requires an initial review of building codes and fire regulations, as well as the payment of an annual renewal fee.

For the annual review of all 47,000 rental units in terraced and multi-family houses, the staff report found that 37 new municipal law enforcement officers and a similar number of fire protection officers would have to be hired.

But London ACORN rejects the premise of the report.

“ACORN has never asked for an inspection of every single rental unit in the City of London,” Phoenix told the CAPS committee.

Rather than have the city inspect all rental units in townhouses and apartment buildings every year, London ACORN recommends City Hall to follow Toronto’s RentSafeTO program.

In Toronto, landlords pay $ 11.24 per rental unit as a registration fee and $ 1917 for an annual audit to ensure building maintenance standards are met.

Failure to comply with these standards can result in fines.

CAPS Committee Chair Jesse Helmer suggests that the program could help identify problematic landlords and buildings for investigation and enforcement.

“Register buildings and then carry out audits,” explains Helmer. “Take a look at the public areas (in the building). There are problems? If so, come back and take a closer look. “

The committee unanimously recommended that the workforce be instructed to prepare a new report considering a “RentSafeLondon” program.

According to Helmer, landlords who let buildings fall into disrepair are contributing to the housing crisis by taking units that were once rentable from the market.

“The RentSafeTO program in Toronto is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction when it comes to proactivity.”

The Council will consider the committee’s recommendation on October 5th.