Latest news with #tenantprotection
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘A brand new day for tenants:' Toronto's rental bylaw takes effect next week. Here is what you need to know
Posters from Toronto's ad campaign notifying citizens of the new rental bylaw. (Credit: City of Toronto) A new Toronto bylaw to protect tenants from what Mayor Olivia Chow is calling 'bogus' renovictions officially goes into effect next week. The bylaw, which was overwhelmingly approved by Toronto City Council in November, would work to combat what Chow says are 'bad faith' evictions by putting the onus on landlords to prove why a unit needs to be emptied while renovations take place. 'Every time I'm out in the streets I hear of tenants being evicted for bogus excuses,' Chow said during a press conference at Toronto City Hall on Friday highlighting the new bylaw. 'Well actually, the real reason for the eviction in some cases is that the landlord can then find new tenants and raise the rent significantly.' The new bylaw comes into effect on July 31. Here is what you need to know about renovictions and how the city is hoping to combat them: What is a 'renoviction?' There are two types of evictions in Ontario - behavior and no fault. Behaviour evictions are for things like failing to pay rent or following the terms of a lease. But a landlord can evict a tenant for two other main reasons - if they want to move themselves or a member of their immediate family into the property, or if they want to renovate the property. Renovating the property often gives the landlord the opportunity to significantly hike what they charge tenants beyond what is allowed under Ontario's rent control legislation, many tenant advocates argue. That legislation otherwise applies to most rental units in Ontario with the exception of newer units that were occupied for the first time after 2018. In 2025, the maximum that landlords were allowed to increase rent without seeking an exemption from the province for an above guideline increase was 2.5 per cent. Chow said that 'too often landlords try to take advantage of tenants who may not fully understand their legal rights.' She said that in some cases landlords are held accountable for unnecessary evictions and can face significant fines but in many other cases get away with it. 'For many tenants, this renoviction bylaw will prevent them from being wrongfully, illegally evicted from their homes,' Chow said. 'A brand new day for tenants,' city officials say Under the new bylaw, landlords 'will have to prove' that the unit needs to be empty for any potential renovations. They would do so by applying for a rental renovation licence at city hall, with that application having to be submitted within seven days of giving formal notice to tenants. As part of that process, they will be expected submit a report 'from a qualified person identifying that the renovation or maintenance work is so extensive that the tenant must leave the unit,' as well as a plan to either compensate the tenant or provide them with alternate accommodations during the renovations. They would also have to provide moving allowances to impacted tenants and agree to provide them with some form of 'severance compensation' in cases where they choose not to return to the unit after the work is complete. The city will also charge landlords a $700 application fee to cover its administrative costs. 'What's fair is if a landlord really does need to take out all the walls and change all the HVAC than that's fair that you would have to leave your apartment,' Coun. Paula Fletcher explained. 'For such a long time it's been very unfair and stacked against tenants.' But Fletcher said if a landlord just wants 'to get a tenant out in order to raise the rent and you don't need to do those things then that's unfair.' Under the previous system, all landlords had to do in order to evict a tenant for renovations was issue them what is called a N13 notice, provide them adequate notice and provide them with a right of first refusal to move back in once the renovations are complete. If the tenant wanted to fight the eviction, they would have to take their case to Ontario's Landlord Tenant Board. 'There you are wondering what you're going to do next, trying to fight the landlord tenant board by yourself, well the rescue is here,' Fletcher said to tenants. To landlords Fletcher said, 'the renovictions bylaw means that fairness will be the very baseline of everything that happens. You will have to prove that you really need that apartment empty.' What does a renoviction look like? Around Toronto there is 'story after story of people being illegally, unlawfully evicted to no fault of their own,' said Michael Cuadra the Co-Chair of the Western Chapter of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Yaroslava Montenegro, the Executive Director of the Federation of Metro Tenants, discussed her family's near-renoviction story as part of the bylaw announcement today. 'During the pandemic my parent's landlord demanded to remodel the upstairs plumbing through our washroom ceiling. My father at the time was in the ICU trying to survive COVID, my mother barely survived at home,' she said. When the landlord came back later with an eviction notice, Montenegro and her mother had no choice but to let the renovation happen. 'By the time that we let them in to avoid the eviction, my father had passed. We pleaded with the landlord to postpone the construction as he had passed just a day or two earlier but they went ahead anyway.' 'July 31 marks four years and a day since my father passed. It also marks when the renoviction bylaw comes into effect. I think there's some poetic justice in that.' Montenegro praised her building's tenancy organization who she said, 'fought tooth and nail to keep people housed in our building because we were not the only ones dealing with this issue.' Not everyone every renter has that same support network, as CP24 covered back in July 2024. Some of the high, or rather low lights, including two renovictions back-to-back, trying to navigate Toronto's notorious housing market, and a 72-year-old senior citizen having to come out of retirement to pay their rent. Are you currently facing a renoviction and are hopeful this new bylaw could help you? CTV News Toronto wants to hear from you. Email us at torontonews@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CTV News story.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Salinas rent stabilization still in effect amid repeal delay, city officials say
Salinas rent stabilization program is still in effect, city officials announce on Thursday. While the Salinas City Council passed an ordinance to repeal rent stabilization and associated tenant-related policies in June, a successful signature-gathering campaign has delayed the repeal. "As the four rent-related ordinances are again effective, landlords and tenants of rental units should be aware they are once again subject to those ordinances and must comply with the requirements and restrictions of those ordinances," city officials said in a press release. The four ordinances are the Rent Stabilization, Tenant Protection and Just Cause Eviction, Tenant Anti-Harassment and Rental Registration policies. On July 3, grassroots community group, Protect Salinas Renters, delivered boxes of signed petitions to keep the four original tenant ordinances in place to the Salinas City Clerk for a raw count. After the initial assessment the city clerk determined the campaign collected 9,939 signatures. Under the Elections Code, the petitioners had to gather signatures from at least 10% or 6,998 of the total number of Salinas registered voters (69,985), per a statement by the city clerk. After meeting this initial threshold, a delay in the repeal process was triggered. The signed petitions were then submitted on July 3 to the Monterey County Registrar of Voters who will determine whether the petition contains the requisite number of valid signatures. The county has 30 calendar days, excluding weekends and holidays, to complete the verification of signatures. If it is determined that the petition has a sufficient number of valid signatures, the city clerk will bring the referendum petitions to the city council at the next regular meeting following receipt of the county elections officials' determination for certification of results, per the city clerk. The city council would then consider the referendum petition at that meeting and will consider its options, including putting the referendum up for vote in a special election, or the June 2, 2026, primary election. This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Salinas rent stabilization still in effect, say city officials
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Jersey tenancy reforms 'could provide greater security'
Jersey politicians will debate proposed changes to the island's rental tenancy law which could see greater protection for tenants and Carpenter, who has rented in Jersey for 20 years, said the proposed changes would give tenants a greater sense of landlord Julia Lecrivain said the plans could force landlords out of the rental Jersey Landlord's association said 70% of members would consider selling one rental property if Housing Minister Sam Mézec's proposals were approved. Mézec's plans include limiting rent increases to once a year capped at 5%.If approved, the plans would also see fixed term tenancies reduced, with landlords no longer able to have consecutive fixed term agreements with the same could be able to give shorter periods of notice if a tenant breaches their contract or is found to be causing serious nuisance. 'Greater security' Mr Carpenter said the proposed changes would give tenants a greater sense of security."At the moment a landlord can raise the rent by as much as they like, whenever they like and as frequently as they like. A landlord can issue three months' notice to evict a tenant for any reason they like and a tenant has no way to appeal."Mr Carpenter welcomed the proposal to limit rent increases to once a year and cap them at 5%."If tenants know their rents are going to increase by a certain amount that gives them the ability to plan their financial situation and they also have a better sense that they are going to be living in the property for the foreseeable future," he said. Mr Carpenter also welcomed the proposals to limit fixed term tenancies."I think that with fixed term tenancies it can be quite stressful when you are approaching the end of your tenancy, not knowing if you're going to have to move, not knowing if your rent is going to go up or how much by.""A rolling periodic tenancy increases security of tenure for the tenant, a landlord is able to get rid of the tenant if there are legitimate reasons, so landlords aren't going to be stuck with problematic tenants." Julia Lecrivain has been a landlord in Jersey for more than 20 years and said she welcomed the changes to fixed term contracts but was concerned about the rent said the 5% cap would make it difficult for landlords if inflation was said: "We tend to only increase rent by RPI because it's a fixed figure produced by the States and the tenants know where they are and we know where we are."Mrs Lecrivain said she was already thinking of selling her properties and if the proposed law changes were passed it could lead to more landlords leaving the rental said: "I'm already coming out of the market and I think if this law comes into effect other people will come out of the market too." 'Reduced choice' Mrs Lecrivain's views were shared by Guy Morris from the Jersey Landlord Association who said a survey of members showed 70% agreed or strongly agreed they would consider selling one unit of residential accommodation if that Morris said: "That isn't a big problem for landlords but it's a problem for tenants because it means reduced supply, reduced choice for tenants and means rents will also go up."In his proposals, Mézec said: "Although most landlords are good landlords who treat their tenants reasonably, this is not always the case. ""Similarly, whilst most tenants are responsible and look after the homes they live in, landlords must at times deal with problems created by tenants who do not meet their contractual obligations.""The time has come for a meaningful and proportionate enhancement of the 2011 law, so that when things do go wrong in landlord-tenant relationships, there are minimum guarantees and more clearly defined rights and responsibilities that tenants and landlords can have confidence in."
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Renoviction bylaw not recommended in City of Kitchener report
The City of Kitchener is weighing its options after a staff report advised against a renoviction bylaw. CTV's Jeff Pickel has more. The City of Kitchener continues to examine how to make housing more affordable, but city staff are suggesting a 'renoviction' bylaw may not be the right answer. Renoviction is a portmanteau of the words 'renovation' and 'eviction' and refers to the practice of landlords evicting tenants to complete renovations. Sometimes, the work is a ruse to forcibly remove existing tenants so landlords can raise the rent. City staff will be presenting a report to the city's Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee on June 16, exploring ways to deal with renovictions within the city. One of the options being considered is a renoviction bylaw to protect tenants from unjustified actions taken by landlords acting in bad faith. Similar bylaws have already been implemented in Hamilton, Toronto and London. Hamilton's Renovation Licence and Relocation Bylaw requires landlords who issue an N-13 eviction notice to submit an application with the city for the renovation licence prior to starting any work. If a tenant is required to leave their unit during the renovation and plans to return to that same unit once the work is complete, the landlord must provide temporary arrangements that are comparable to the tenant's current unit or give the tenant compensation in lieu. While in the process of preparing the report, staff put together an anonymous eviction survey which they conducted in February 2024. Of the 150 responses collect, 30 per cent said they had been evicted because their home was being renovated. The report, however, urged councillors to consider an option that did not include passing a bylaw. 'The City of Kitchener does not have the mandate, funding, staff, expertise or other resources to provide these complementary components of an effective evictions prevention and tenant support system,' it said. 'Further, city staff are not trained social workers or tenant advocates, do not have specialized legal expertise in this area, and cannot advise tenants on their decisions pertaining to the evictions process.' The report also noted that renoviction bylaws were relatively new and more time was needed to know if they were effective. It said the Region of Waterloo, or even the province, would be better suited to address housing and homelessness. Instead, the report recommended working with other levels of government and organizations with expertise in tenant support and evictions prevention. 'The goal of these actions is to support tenants and landlords, and prevent unlawful evictions of all types, rather than focussing on evictions due to renovations,' the report stated. City staff suggested what tenants really needed was a greater understanding of their rights and better access to information about community resources. 'Results of the evictions survey and interviews highlighted that, while most tenants are at least somewhat informed of the rules that apply through the [Residential Tenancies Act] and [Landlord Tenant Board], many still feel disempowered, bullied and feel that landlords use coercive techniques to evict tenants. This concern is not limited to evictions for renovation, but for other evictions as well,' the report said. Staff also listed several options to help get information out to tenants, including clear online resources, in-person information events such as a tenant's fair, direct outreach (such as postcards to tenants), community newsletters and neighbourhood associations. 'Allocation of staff resources to support the development of educational materials for tenants and landlords will help to support tenants experiencing evictions of all types, rather than being limited to tenants experiencing evictions due to renovations.' Council will consider the recommendation at a committee meeting on June 16. - With reporting by Jeff Pickel
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Albuquerque City Council votes down ‘RENT' ordinance
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque city councilors voted against a proposed set of regulations aimed at addressing poor housing conditions and unfair rental practices. The Renter's Empowerment and Neighborhood Transparent ordinance would protect tenants from hidden fees, housing instability, and unresponsive landlords. Rio Rancho City Council to decide fate of nuisance home Landlords showed up in numbers to Wednesday night's zoning meetings saying the ordinance unfairly punishes landlords. 'The real person who's being hurt by this is only the homeowner and the housing provider that is actually trying to do something good for our community and give somebody somewhere to live. The false narrative that all housing owners are villains is so hurtful to our community,' said Josh Price. Renters in support said the ordinance is a game changer. 'As somebody who speaks to renters every day, I know that there are horrors in the living conditions in the way that we live and we are extremely far behind in housing law. In a lot the things that are in this bill are already things that are law in a lot of other places,' said Adrianna Wake. The bill died on a 3-2 vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
