In regards to the rental housing license
There has been a lot of dialogue about the new proposed rental housing licensing program and bylaw that was tabled before council in early January. As a member of council, I know we wanted an open discussion about the pros and cons surrounding this new program and bylaw as well as the opportunities for improvement. What we didn't want, and what we have been seeing, is the wrong information going out to those who will be impacted by the proposed changes.
I want to remind everyone, students in particular, that the goal of the proposed program is balancing the needs of property owners with the needs of Waterloo residents looking for safe, adequate and properly maintained rental accommodation.
As a city, we cannot proactively ensure renters have healthy and safe places to live under the current 25-year-old licensing bylaw.
A very provocative, anonymous ad ran last week announcing with great alarm that the City of Waterloo is considering implementing a new rental housing licensing bylaw that would potentially regulate all 5,000 residential rental units.
Releasing a first draft of the new bylaw was an important first step in bringing our licensing program out of the 1980s and into the 21st Century. The next step is a thorough community conversation, which the City is having with property owners, neighbours, and renters.
As the councillor who represents many of the areas near the University of Waterloo, I strongly believe that the voice of students is critical in developing the right solution. That is why city staff and I are working with the Federation of Students to hear the stories, ideas, and concerns of students on this important issue before coming back with the next draft on April 11.
Since there is still a lot of confusion and misinformation out there, I believe that you first need to have the facts:
Quality Housing - the goal of a new bylaw is to provide safer, healthier rental accommodations that are adequately maintained.
In the current draft, it means the property owner will have a parking, garbage, and property maintenance plan, kitchens, and bedrooms will be a reasonable size, and rental units will comply with fire codes.
Choice of Accommodation — the city has proactively encouraged a supply of rental units in Waterloo, including 5,000 low-density residential rental units and an increasing supply in apartments. Existing licensed lodging houses would be able to continue operating under the current draft bylaw as transitional lodging houses, and still be able to offer more than three-bedroom accommodations in a boarding house.
The city believes there will continue to be a sufficient and diverse supply of rental housing available.
Affordability - licensing fees for landlords already exist for lodging houses licensed under the old bylaw, and the new fee levels are not significantly different for these accommodations. The city also anticipates that a sufficient and diverse supply of rental housing will continue to exist in Waterloo.
While there will be some costs for currently unlicensed properties to be brought into compliance with the new rules, those costs are associated with making the property safe, and many of those costs will be one-time in nature.
As a former and relatively recent University of Waterloo student and renter, I can appreciate the need for better rental accommodations at a fair price. After all, I lived in many of the same places that you live in now. I look forward to a vigorous and thorough conversation on how we can balance the needs of property owners, neighbours, and renters in our community.
For more information on the proposal and the process, please visit waterloo.ca/rhlr.
2 comments:
Why don't the rules about safety and health apply to every home and apartment in the city? Are my children's lives not worth the same as a student's?
The city can trust you as a parent to uphold safety and health. It's obvious given the track record of caved in roofs and cockroaches in student apartments that absentee landlords take advantage of students' limited time and strapped financial situation to disregard safety health... not all but many do.
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