Drawing inspiration from a new Hamilton bylaw, Toronto could see the introduction of landmark regulations that would prohibit landlords from orchestrating "bad faith renovictions" and better protect vulnerable tenants in the process. 

In January 2024, the City of Hamilton unanimously adopted a Renovation Licence and Tenant Relocation Bylaw that requires landlords to get a renovation permit if issuing renoviction notices, or N13s.

On February 28, 2024, Toronto's Planning and Housing Committee directed city staff to analyze the Hamilton bylaw — which was officially enacted on April 10 — and assess how its approach could be adopted here. 

The bylaw aims to deter certain landlords, who have been known to use the excuse of renovations to force existing tenants out of their properties for the sole purpose of renting out the same unit at a higher price to a new occupant. 

As part of the new requirements, landlords must provide details on the scope of the work, including an engineer certification that states that their unit is inhabitable during renovations. 

Hamilton's bylaw also requires that tenants be notified of their rights once issued a renovation notice, including filing a right of first refusal. 

"Profit-driven renovictions are reducing our already limited supply of affordable housing and impacting many tenants across the city," Councillor Paula Fletcher, a proponent of the bylaw said earlier this year. 

"Hamilton's by-law is a unique and innovative example of how the city can protect renters from this practice." 

In Matt Elliott's most recent City Hall Watcher newsletter, city staff have reportedly recommended launching a consultation process on a Toronto version of the Hamilton bylaw, which would be followed up with a report this fall. 

If adopted by city council, the bylaw's implementation would depend on the funding provided in the city's 2025 budget. 

According to the newsletter, staff included some alarming statistics about Toronto's rental market as factors for considering additional tenant protection, including the fact that the average market rents were up 10 per cent in 2023 — the biggest annual increase since 2000. 

Two-bedroom units in the city that turned over and brought in new tenants in 2023 also saw rent go up 40 per cent versus a four per cent increase for steadily occupied rent-controlled units. 

Toronto's report on the bylaw comes just after the establishment of the Subcommittee on the Protection of Affordable Rental Housing during the 2018-2022 City Council term to specifically deal with renovictions.​​​​​​