Establish A Renoviction Bylaw

Renovictions have become a major tool of displacement in Kitchener with marginalized and vulnerable tenants being at the highest risk as often they have lived in their units longest, have the fewest resources to fight at the LTB, and have the lowest incomes. Without a municipal bylaw ensuring place-based protections for tenants before renovictions get to the Landlord Tenant Board, landlords will continue to abuse gaps in tenant protections to enrich themselves at the cost of our most vulnerable neighbours. We are calling on Kitchener City Council to adopt a Renoviction Bylaw which would strictly regulate and prohibit the practice and help maintain what little affordable housing we have. A renoviction bylaw would require that landlords prove the work they are requesting is necessary before getting permits, it would require them to create a tenant accommodation plan to ensure tenants have a suitable unit while the work is being done, and it would allow for strict penalties, fines and sanctions when landlords are found to be in contravention of the bylaw. By signing this petition you are joining us in calling on Kitchener city council to act now to stop the rising surge of renovictions across our community. (By signing this petition you agree to share your email with the social development center and receive communications)

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Given the lack of vacancy for affordable housing and the barriers to creating new affordable housing stock, renovictions pose a major threat to Kitchener being able to meet its targets laid out by the Ontario Provincial Plan and the Waterloo Region Official Plan and to maintain it’s Affordable Housing Stock.

To stop the loss of affordable housing and the displacement of vulnerable tenants, Kitchener City Council MUST support efforts to create a renoviction bylaw. This bylaw should ensure that permits are only given to landlords when the renovations are necessary and vacancy must actually be necessary. If vacancy is found to be required, then a tenant accommodation plan must be completed and the tenants right to return has to be protected - failure to comply must be met with swift and strong penalties, sanctions and fines.

Framework for such a bylaw already exists within the Rental Replacement Bylaw and the Shared Accommodation Bylaw. The Rental Replacement Bylaw gives us the ability to ensure landlords create a tenant accommodation plan and ensures compliance with the right to return. It also provides the ability to apply strong penalties, sanctions and fines to landlords found to be in contravention with the bylaw. Council must also adapt the licensing requirements from the Shared Accommodation By-law to apply to multi-unit residential buildings and require landlords to maintain valid rental licenses, contingent on compliance with tenant protections such as preventing bad-faith evictions.

We are calling on Kitchener City Council to support the work being done to create a renoviction bylaw and to vote yes on any motion to bring forward protections against renovictions.

Sincerely,

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