Tenants now better protected from unlawful renovictions in Mississauga: city

Mississauga renters faced with being unjustly evicted by landlords who say they’re planning major repairs to the property — known as renovictions — are now better protected following the city’s approval of a new bylaw.

The new City of Mississauga bylaw, adopted last week by city council, takes effect on Sept. 1 and “increases protections for tenants who face eviction when their landlord requires them to move out for extensive renovations or repairs,” city officials said.

“This is often referred to as a renoviction,” they added of the practice that’s become more common in recent years. “When landlords do not follow the legal process to evict their tenants for such renovations or repairs, this can increase housing insecurity and can lead to a loss of affordable housing.”

The new bylaw is “another important tool the city can use to ensure affordable rental housing remains available in Mississauga,” officials said.

Peel ACORN, which describes itself as an independent social and economic justice group that helps renters across Mississauga and Brampton push rental management groups to provide acceptable and appropriate living conditions, called the city’s new bylaw “historic” and said it marks “a massive victory for tenant power.”

City’s new bylaw among the strongest

In addition, Mississauga’s bylaw is now one of the strongest sets of such protections in Ontario, the group noted in a news release, adding “this victory is a direct result of relentless organizing by Peel ACORN and follows a growing wave of municipal wins led by ACORN chapters across the province.”

Mississauga joins Hamilton, Toronto and Waterloo in implementing the “ACORN Standard” for tenant protections, Peel ACORN added.

The renters’ group says renovictions, “evictions carried out under the guise of renovations to bypass rent control,” have plagued Ontario tenants in recent years.

ACORN added renoviction filings in Ontario have surged by 300 per cent since 2017 and in Mississauga, “the human cost has been devastating. Families have been displaced and affordable housing stock has been permanently destroyed.”

Marcia Bryan, chair of Mississauga-Cooksville ACORN, said in the release the city’s new bylaw is a “big win” because tenants need to be protected.

“A lot of people were displaced and have suffered tremendously because of landlords’ greed. This sends a strong message that tenants have rights; it’s not all about landlords’ money,” Bryan said. “Mississauga’s renoviction bylaw is an example of what we can achieve when we persist, we push and keep reminding the city and all levels of government that our rights cannot be trampled upon.”

Landlords must get licence from city 

Under Mississauga’s new bylaw, the city says landlords will be required to obtain a licence from the city before making extensive renovations or repairs that require the tenant to move out.

Officials said the new Rental Repairs and Renovations Licensing Bylaw was developed with input from Mississauga tenants, landlords and the broader community, and it works in tandem with the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act to better protect tenants from unlawful renovictions.

An unlawful renoviction, according to the city, can happen when a landlord:

• Falsely claims they need to complete extensive renovations or repairs to force their tenants to move out and then raise the rent.
• Fails to follow the province’s N13 process under the ORTA. The N13 process outlines the legal steps landlords must take when undertaking extensive renovations or repairs that will displace their tenants.

Under the N13 process, Mississauga landlords must get a building permit from the city before undertaking repairs or renovations that require vacant possession of a rental unit, the city said.

“Landlords must also compensate displaced tenants by either paying one or three months rent, depending on the size of the building, or by offering suitable alternative rental accommodation,” city officials added.

As of Sept. 1, landlords who fail to comply with the new bylaw can be fined $500 to $1,000. More serious offences can result in a fine up to $100,000 upon conviction, the city noted.

Officials said residents who suspect their landlord is not following the bylaw can report it to the city by calling 311.

Mayor says new bylaw seeks fair balance

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said the new bylaw seeks to achieve a fair balance.

“We aim to support landlords who are making excessive improvements to their properties, while protecting tenants from being illegally evicted,” she said in a news release from the city. “We intend to improve communication between landlords and tenants and ensure that landlords and tenants are equipped with the information, supports and resources they need.”

City solicitor Graham Walsh added the city designed the “made in Mississauga” bylaw to work alongside the province’s N13 process.

“When crafting the bylaw, staff conducted benchmarking analysis and consulted with landlords and tenant advocacy groups. What we heard is that moving is a significant financial burden on tenants, the licensing process can impose a financial burden on landlords and communication between tenants and landlords tends to break down during the renoviction process,” he said. “This bylaw responds to those concerns by ensuring tenants are supported with their moving expenses, providing landlords with a scaled licence system and requiring landlords to provide the city with proof that their tenants are being properly informed throughout the process.”