Hundreds of landlords are taking the city of Windsor to court over its new residential rental licence bylaw
“The Windsor Housing Providers are a group of about 200 landlords in the city of Windsor who are concerned that this bylaw is illegal and improper,” said Steven Pickard, the lawyer representing Windsor Housing Providers Inc
The bylaw is a two-year pilot study focused on properties in wards one and two, which are areas that contain a high concentration of student housing. Its goal is to improve the safety of housing, but some landlords believe the bylaw is overreaching
“This bylaw goes far beyond just regulating student housing, it regulates how people can advertise for housing, it regulates who can rent housing. It is also a violation of the Human Rights Code and the Charter,” said Pickard
By May 31, owners of rental properties in ward one and two that contain four or fewer units must apply for a rental licence for each unit they rent
To secure a licence, property owners will need to take the following steps Complete a licence application form
Confirm ownership and show proper insurance
Provide a local contact for the unit
Show that the unit meets legislated requirements, including building code, fire code, and electrical safety standards
The licencing fee is $466 for the first year and $275 for renewals
Landlords have expressed they may have to pass the additional fees onto their tenants which may worsen the housing affordability crisis
“Young people and students are going to be most affected by this,” said Pickard
“I got a phone call this morning from one landlord. He applied for a licence and feels they arbitrarily denied him. So now he has tenants that he can’t rent to and what happens to them is a big question.”
The first court date for this challenge is set for May 16. The Windsor Housing Providers Inc. has filed an application in superior court to halt the implementation of the residential rental licencing bylaw until the court can deal with the issue
The City of Windsor says it does not comment on active legal proceedings
