city committee moves to curb bad-faith renovictions
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somerset coun. ariel troster, seen in a file photo, said the renoviction bylaw proposal strikes a balance between protecting tenants and securing enough support to pass.
jean levac
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postmedia
a proposed bylaw aimed at preventing bad-faith renovictions is one step closer to becoming law after ottawa’s planning and housing committee approved the measure wednesday, with only barrhaven east coun. wilson lo dissenting.
the proposed rental renovation licence bylaw will now head to city council for final approval on july 15. if passed, it would take effect jan. 1, 2027.
a renoviction happens when a landlord uses renovations or repairs as a reason to evict a tenant, then rents the unit to someone else at a higher price instead of allowing the original tenant to return at their previous rent.
similar bylaws designed to limit this practice are already in place in cities like hamilton, toronto and london.
under the proposed bylaw, landlords seeking to evict tenants for renovations or repairs would have to apply for a city licence within seven days of issuing an n13 eviction notice. to obtain the licence, landlords would need to secure a building permit before issuing the notice, provide information about the tenancy and renovation, and confirm they gave tenants a city-produced guide explaining their rights.
the licence would be free, with enforcement handled through complaints. landlords who violate the bylaw could face fines.
city staff stressed the bylaw would not change provincial eviction rules.
“all evictions are provincial jurisdiction,” staff told the committee. “no municipal bylaw can determine when and how an eviction takes place. rather, what bylaws can do is support the provincial process to stop bad actors from evicting tenants without following the proper process.”
james adair, seen in a september 2025 file photo, said wednesday he was renovicted from his centretown apartment while attending the university of ottawa. he urged councillors to support the renoviction bylaw.
julie oliver
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postmedia
staff said the bylaw would provide two major benefits: helping ensure landlords seeking evictions for renovations or repairs are acting in good faith by requiring a building permit, while also improving awareness of tenant and landlord rights through the city’s guide.
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the proposal drew emotional testimony from tenants who said they had experienced renovictions firsthand.
james adair, who said he was renovicted from his centretown apartment while attending the university of ottawa, urged councillors to support the bylaw.
“renovictions are destroying our communities, families and people,” adair said.
andre robert, who receives ontario disability support program benefits, said he rents a small apartment he can currently afford. after his building was sold in 2024, he said all five tenants received n13 eviction notices within three days of the sale.
robert said several of his neighbours moved out before the landlord completed only minor repairs and increased rents.
“it took 18 months before my landlord stopped trying to evict us,” robert told the committee.
he said the experience took a serious toll on his health.
“if there had been a renoviction bylaw that made my landlord apply for a licence, he would’ve had to tell someone other than his vulnerable tenants what he was about to do,” robert said.
somerset coun. ariel troster, who has long been advocating for an anti-renoviction bylaw, said the proposal strikes a balance between protecting tenants and securing enough support to pass.
after the meeting, she acknowledged the bylaw is more limited than those adopted in some other ontario municipalities.
“i think the best bylaw is the one that you can win,” troster said. “our city staff took a much more conservative approach than other jurisdictions.”
the committee also approved a motion from troster directing staff to report back late next year on options to strengthen the bylaw, including requiring qualified-person reports to support renovation evictions and considering other protections for displaced tenants, such as temporary accommodation or compensation beyond provincial requirements.
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city staff estimate the bylaw will cost about $55,500 to implement, including developing a multilingual eviction education guide and integrating the licence into the city’s online business licensing portal.
staff said an average of 31 eviction notices for renovations or repairs are filed annually with the landlord and tenant board in ottawa. they also identified about 230 possible renovictions across 40 addresses since 2020 where no eviction notice was filed with the board, although they cautioned those cases may not all represent bad-faith evictions.
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