ACTION ALERT: WATERLOO RESIDENTIAL RENTAL HOUSING BYLAW

ACTION ALERT: WATERLOO RESIDENTIAL RENTAL HOUSING BYLAW

Background and details available on the City’s website:www.city.waterloo.on.ca/rhlr

On May 9, 2011, Council will hear delegations on the issue and consider the revised residential rental housing licensing bylaw.

ISSUE

The City of Waterloo is proposing a citywide Rental Housing License Bylaw (RHLB), whereby homeowners and low-rise residential property owners would require a license to rent out some or all of their property. The licenses are costly, and homes containing more than three bedrooms will not be eligible to obtain a rental license that reflects the actual number of bedrooms in the home, because a 3 bedroom limit will apply in most cases.

The fact that the bedroom limit remains in the revised RHLB is particularly disconcerting considering that the Ontario Human Rights Commission continues to cite this as a concern. We absolutely concur with their opinion, as there is no consideration given for the scenario where a family needing more than 3 bedrooms simply chooses to rent a home within the environs of the City of Waterloo.

CONCERNS

• Families will be forced to look to communities with less restrictive barriers on the type of housing that can be rented.
• Homeowners with homes containing more than three bedrooms will not be eligible to obtain a rental license that reflects the actual number of bedrooms in the home.
• Executives and employees of the City’s “keystone” companies will be restricted to populating a maximum of 3 bedrooms in any home they rent regardless of the actual number of bedrooms, or more likely, excluded from living in Waterloo altogether.
• The creation of the RHLP will require a “significant investment of staff and financial resources.”
• Landlords will increase rents proportionate to their costs, and these costs will be passed down to renters.

REALTOR® PROPOSAL

KWAR is urging the City to remove the bedroom limit from the proposed rental housing licensing bylaw. With the increased enforcement the RHLB provides, the City will have the tools it needs to enforce its goals of tenant health and safety, and property standards compliance, making the three bedroom limit unnecessary.

With the ability to better enforce the program because of its widened scope, the requirements for additional staff should be carefully considered–the current fee structure for the licenses and renewals as proposed is costly.

WHAT WE’VE SAID…

• KWAR’s Open Letter to Councilors and City Staff (Apr 25, 2011)
• KWAR’s Written Comments re: Jan. 2011 Report to Council (Mar 18, 2011)
• KWAR’s Formal Response to Rental Licensing Review (Dec 16, 2009)
• KWAR’s Presentation to Council at Informal Public Meeting (Jul 13, 2009)

HAVE YOUR SAY…

You can use the applicable form letter and email contacts listed below.

As a REALTOR® serving clients and customers in the city of Waterloo I am troubled by the 3 bedroom limit in the proposed residential rental licensing bylaw. Please consider the concerns that have been raised on this matter by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS®.

As a Waterloo homeowner I am concerned with the limitation that will placed on how I use my property should the 3 bedroom limit remain in the City’s proposed residential rental licensing bylaw. Please consider the concerns that have been raised on this matter by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Kitchener-Waterloo Association of REALTORS®.

• Mayor Brenda Halloran
• Scott Witmer (Councillor Southwest Ward One)
• Karen Scian (Councillor Northwest Ward Two)
• Angela Vieth (Councillor Lakeshore Ward Three)
• Diane Freeman (Councillor Northeast Ward Four)
• Mark Whaley (Councillor Southeast Ward Five)
• Jeff Henry (Councillor Columbia Ward Six)
• Melissa Durrell (Councillor Uptown Ward Seven)
• Jim Barry (Director of By-law Enforcement & Property Standards)

DON’T KNOW WHO YOUR COUNCILLOR IS? FIND OUT HERE.

Help spread the word by sharing this: