RentSafeTO Program Update Report

Considered

• 2024-04-05 · Planning and Housing Committee · amended

  Decision as filed

  The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that: 1. City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings to: a. Remove 354-3.11. COVID-19 measures; b. Amend 354-3.2B to add that all information required to be posted on the notification board shall be posted in a manner that ensures each piece of information is completely visible to tenants; c. Add a provision to 354-4.1 B(5) to require the owner or operator to include in their logs of all pest treatment activities, the date of a follow-up inspection, if any, and d.

  Show the rest of Decision as filed, 5,642 more characters as filed

  Amend 354-5.1B so that the Executive Director is authorized to conduct targeted engagement visits in apartment buildings, and that the owner or operator shall pay any fees in accordance with Chapter 441, Fees and Charges. 2. City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges, Appendix C - Schedule 12, Municipal Licensing and Standards by amending the fee to read as set out in the table below: Ref. Service Fee Description Category Fee Basis Fee Annual Adj. 449 Private Properties Provision of audit in apartment building - administrative fee Full Cost Recovery Each REVISED $2,900.00 Yes 3. City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 441, Fees and Charges, Appendix C - Schedule 12, Municipal Licensing and Standards by adding the following fees in the table below: Ref. Service Fee Description Category Fee Basis Fee Annual Adj. NEW Private Properties Provision of inspection services in apartment building - remedial action oversight and coordination Full Cost Recovery Inspection/Hour - Minimum $86.01 Yes NEW Private Properties Provision of targeted engagement action in apartment building Full Cost Recovery Each $2,900.00 Yes 4. City Council direct that amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings and Chapter 441, Fees and Charges take effect June 1, 2024. 5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with relevant City Divisions, to report to Planning and Housing Committee prior to consideration of the 2025 Budget with standard operating procedure service standards, subject to annual review, for RentSafe Municipal Standards Officers which provide targeted timelines by violation category to bring landlords into compliance with City by-laws from the date an order is issued, including guidelines for when fines and remedial actions are employed, and make the standards available to the public on the RentSafe website by the first quarter of 2025. 6. City Council reaffirm its direction from 2019 on adopting an administrative penalty system for Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, and request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the appropriate Committee on a framework to introduce Administrative Penalties for by-laws enforced by Municipal Licensing and Standards, including Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, Chapter 629, Property Standards, and other relevant bylaws. 7. City Council express its support to the Premier of Ontario and the Ontario Attorney General for higher set fine penalties for offences related to Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings. 8. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards report to the Planning and Housing Committee prior to consideration of the 2025 budget with a review of remedial action, including an assessment of additional contracts needed to enhance RentSafeTO's capacity to undertake remedial action. 9. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to review its procedures for when officers could extend time for compliance with a property standards order. 10. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to ensure ongoing training for RentSafe Bylaw Enforcement Officers to recognize, and appropriately refer matters outside their enforcement purview including, but not limited to, violations of the Residential Tenancies Act, Fire Code, and Building Code. 11. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards in consultation with the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, engage as appropriate with the Renters' Action Committee, established by MM11.34, on future updates to the RentSafeTO program. 12. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the Planning and Housing Committee prior to consideration of the 2025 budget on the feasibility of incorporating levied fines/penalties into the RentSafeTO program's public reporting. 13. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the Planning and Housing Committee prior to consideration of the 2025 budget, on the feasibility of extending the length of time orders to comply/notices of violation and emergency orders lower building scores. 14. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the Planning and Housing Committee by the end of the third quarter of 2025, after the full implementation of the program's redesigned evaluation tool, on: a. the 2.5 percentile audit threshold, and whether any changes are needed; and b. resource impacts of any potential updates to the tool. 15. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the Planning and Housing Committee prior to the consideration of the 2025 budget process on the feasibility of allocating an adequate portion of the program budget for tenant engagement to be used for direct door-to-door engagement regarding tenant rights and responsibilities, and advice on how tenants can participate in Toronto's by-law for apartment buildings, with particular consideration for English as a second language residents, subject to the criteria Council established in LS17.1 - recommendation 42. 16. City Council request the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report to the Planning and Housing Committee prior to the consideration of the 2025 budget process with a review of in-unit inspections including tenant engagement measures and number of in-unit inspections completed.

• 2024-04-17 · Toronto City Council · adopted