Kitchener council approves new renoviction bylaw

The City of Kitchener has approved a new bylaw to protect tenants from ‘renovictions.’ CTV’s Heather Senoran explains what it means for renters.

After years of debate, the City of Kitchener has joined Waterloo in approving a renoviction bylaw.

A “renoviction” refers to landlords who evict tenants under the pretense of completing necessary renovations, then rent those units out at a higher rate.

The Finance and Corporate Services Committee said they worked with local leaders, tenants, landlords and advocacy groups to create the new rules.

“The bylaw creates a licensing process that requires a per‑unit licence for any renovation that needs a tenant to vacate their unit, as triggered by the service of an N13 notice,” the city explained in a media release. “It also establishes a fee structure and provides additional staffing to support administration, inspections and enforcement.”

Monday’s meeting

The new bylaw was approved Monday night by a vote of five to four during a special council meeting.

There were several delegates who spoke at the meeting, including tenants and landlords.

“Is this bylaw truly too much for you to handle?” asked passionate delegate and tenant Ron Druckenmill. “Are you unwilling to give the strongest lifeline you can to renters who are just trying to keep their heads above water?”

One landlord, Moe Hansrod, spoke to council as a delegate and expressed his concerns about what the new bylaw could mean for other landlords.

“It’s going to deter landlords from staying in the game. Let alone, ever investing again because they’re going to hear from other landlords that it’s impossible to do any upgrades on your home,” he said.

ACORN reacts

ACORN Waterloo Region, a tenancy rights advocacy group, said it is about time Kitchener followed suit with other cities like Waterloo, Hamilton and London.

“It’s been a long time coming, so we’re very happy with finally seeing it bear some fruit,” said Elliott Wand with ACORN Waterloo Region.

With the new rules, landlords will have to go through an additional licensing process for any renovation that needs the tenant to leave the property.

“As well as to levy fines against landlords that break the system or don’t adhere to it properly. So it acts as a bit of a filter for the necessity of a tenant to be displaced for major renovations,” Wand said.

Wand believes more could have been done to protect tenants, but this is a good place to start.

“Some of the stronger tenant protections, like rent cap payments, temporary accommodations and moving costs, that we really pushed for and that really help make these bylaws stronger and give tenants better protection didn’t end up getting included,” Wand said.

The new bylaw is expected to cost the city more than $300,000, including the hiring of two new full-time employees.

Some councillors wondered if the decision is the right use of the city’s money.

“What’s happening is you’re taking money away from our ability to fix our parks and our playgrounds, our potholes and clear snow, because that is our responsibility. We’re supposed to advocate to the province to fix these problems,” city councillor Scott Davey said during the meeting.

The renoviction bylaw is expected to start on Jan. 1, 2027.