New Year’s Day 2025 marked an important moment in the often fraught relationship between landlords and tenants. Hamilton’s renovation and relocation by-law–the so-called “renoviction” act–was officially made legal. It’s the first time an Ontario city has created a law dealing with a problem that is becoming greater than ever, that of the rights of tenants in a time when rents are at all-time highs as are prices for everything from clothing to groceries. Hamilton’s act enforces the rights of tenants to hold onto their apartments or rented houses during this period of financial precarity.
According to Hamilton’s act, landlords must apply for a renovation license within a week of serving notice for a tenant to leave their unit. The fee is $715, a not insignificant sum. The tenants are given the first right of refusal to move back to their home once renovations or repairs are done. Under this innovative by-law, the landlord has to make arrangements for tenants who are temporarily evicted from their units to move into equivalent places in terms of rent and location. If the landlords can’t do it, they must pay compensation to the tenant if there is a higher rent or a difficult locale.
This kind of arrangement is endorsed by The Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP). We believe that renovictions are a significant threat to seniors in Canada, posing unique challenges due to their vulnerabilities. Many seniors face limited mobility and financial resources, making relocation particularly difficult. The physical and emotional strain of forced moves can exacerbate existing health conditions, while the loss of familiar support networks disrupts their sense of community and well-being. Additionally, seniors living on fixed incomes often struggle to afford the higher rents that come with new accommodations, leading to financial hardship.
While Hamilton is the first city in central Canada to pass legislation, the first town to pass renoviction legislation was New Westminster, BC in 2019. The law in BC is much the same as in Hamilton, with landlords having to take into consideration the rights of the tenants who are forced to leave their households due to renovations. The landlords must find other accommodations for the temporarily exiled tenants and let them return to their dwellings at the same rent as before renovations.
In a highly consequential decision, Toronto has joined the movement to prevent renoviction abuse. Starting at the end of July 2025, landlords will have to pay a fee of $700 to temporarily evict a tenant from their rental units in order to perform renovations. They will have to prove that proposed renovations are needed and obtain a license before evictions can proceed.
Councillor Dianne Saxe, one of 25 Toronto elected officials who voted for the renoviction act has commented, “This bylaw doesn’t stop good faith renovations… [but it does prevent] fake evictions where a minor renovation is being used as an excuse, and this happens far too commonly.”
The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) in Ontario offers tenants the right to return to their units after renovations at the same rent, ensuring continuity in housing. Compensation requirements for evicted tenants can help alleviate the financial burden of relocation, while enhanced enforcement of municipal bylaws ensures that landlords comply with regulations.
Education and support initiatives are also vital in empowering seniors. By informing them of their rights and providing access to legal assistance, seniors can challenge bad-faith evictions more effectively. Community advocacy organizations, such as ACORN Canada, continue to push for stronger protections against these practices.
ACORN’s presentation to the Hamilton council was so effective it helped to get legislation passed that greatly enhanced tenants rights. It pointed out that landlords often send official looking letters giving a date to leave their dwellings. This can intimidate tenants, as can the refusal to make needed repairs. Then, some landlords will offer cash to their tenants with the implied threat to “take it now or get nothing when you have to leave.” By that point, too many tenants—often seniors—decide to go. ACORN’s presentation, one of many it has created is available here: https://acorncanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Resisting-Renovictions_Hamilton.pdf
There will be an ever increasing housing problem in the years to come as not enough buildings are being constructed to handle Canada’s increase in population. Prediction are that 300,000 units will be built in Toronto’s GTA over the next decade but that at least another 150,000 will be needed. A consequence of that figure will be an increase in the number of landlords who will want to evict tenants and take advantage of the market by raising rents. CARP urges governments at all levels to combine legal reforms and enforcement measures to eliminate the impact of renovictions on vulnerable seniors who need to maintain stability, health, and dignity in their housing.
