Fire safety compliance jumps nearly 30% under landlord registration in Brampton

Over 600 fire safety compliance orders have been issued and more properties are passing their first inspections since the launch of Brampton’s landlord registration program, according to a new report.

The sometimes controversial Residential Rental License (RRL) program started as a pilot for landlords in wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7, requiring property owners with properties that have four or fewer rental units to obtain a license to operate.

But the program went city-wide this year following a fire at a rental home that killed three adults, a two-year-old child and an unborn baby.

Brampton Bylaw Services has handed out penalty notices with fines of $695,550 issued under the RRL program, and a new report shows there have been 620 fire safety inspection orders issued “where deficiencies were identified” since January 2024.

Initial fire safety inspection compliance rates have jumped from 39 per cent when the program first launched to 66 per cent, “indicating more properties are meeting minimum requirements prior to corrective action,” the report says.

More than 1,130 properties were brought into fire safety compliance following “fire prevention inspection and corrective action.”

READ MORE: Unborn baby and toddler among victims in fatal house fire in Brampton, investigators say

There have also been 351 building safety investigations resulting from inspections, and 55 issued orders to comply where construction had been done
without a permit for a 40 per cent compliance to date, the report reads.

The city uses graduated fines with increasing penalties “to encourage early corrective action and reduce non-compliance,” and found 58 per cent of RRL matters are resolved at the “Intermediate Penalty” level following a first offence. Issues with additional rental units (ARUs) are also mostly dealt with at the intermediate stage (51 per cent).

Just 5 per cent of RRL matters escalated to the highest penalty, and landlords who remain in non-compliance with the RRL program face escalation through the Provincial Offences Court and penalties up to $100,000.

“Staff will continue to review opportunities to further deter repeat offenders through the licensing program and monitor repeat offenders and properties demonstrating indicators of organized or commercial-scale non-compliant rental activity to support targeted enforcement and reduce repeat occurrences,” the city says.

Landlords must apply for or renew their RRL licence before renting units, and all new and renewing landlords must complete an online learning module to show their understanding of the city’s rental regulations before being issued a licence. Nearly 4,000 RRL licenses were issued between Jan. 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026.

Over 13,900 new and renewal applications were received when the RRL was expanded to include all of Brampton in 2026.