More than two years after council signed off on new rules to protect renters the city is “failing” in their promise to improve conditions for tenants, said a city councillor who led the push for the RentSafe program. “More and more people in the city are going to be living in multi-residential buildings. These are our people. These are the residents of Toronto,” said Josh Matlow, speaking at a press conference before a meeting of the planning and housing committee at city hall on Wednesday. “We have a responsibility to protect their health and safety. We are failing.”RentSafe, the less formal name for the bylaw through which it was birthed, Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, came into effect in July 2017. The program requires landlords to register and pay a fee and is meant to ensure cleaner, safer buildings through a more rigorous inspection process and increased communication on behalf of landlords, regarding any repair or pest issues. Matlow spoke alongside Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, who moved a motion on his behalf at committee requesting, among other things, that council reaffirm a commitment to yet-to-be-implemented parts of the program and add elements that strengthen the powers available to city inspection staff. Those motions will be debated by city council later this month. Council is also expected to vote on whether to request Toronto Police investigate “fraudulent activities” by landlords who abuse sections of the Residential Tenancies Act for profit. One frequently cited example is the N13 process, which allows landlords to apply to have tenants removed during work that requires a building permit. The law demands tenants be allowed back in when work is done but, in what advocates have dubbed “renovictions,” a loophole in the law means if landlords find new people to pay more and move them in the law has no way to force those new tenants out.Wong-Tam said if city staff require add ...
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