Item - 2021.PH21.12

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report to the May 20, 2021 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee to outline their approach to the new system Council approved in December 2020 for RentSafeTO.

2. Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards examine the performance data of the RentSafeTO Program to determine whether any additional operational procedures or other measures are required during RentSafeTO Bylaw Enforcement Officers investigations of service requests and building audits.

At its December 2020 meeting, City Council amended the recommendations in PH19.6

RentSafeTO (Apartment Building Standards): Colour-coded Rating System, By-law Amendments, and Program Updates, and in one of those amendments Council deleted the following recommendations that originated with Municipal Licensing and Standards Division staff:

Apartment Building Rating System

1.  City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, as follows:

a.  Require apartment building owners and operators to post a rating sign in a form satisfactory to the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, displaying the evaluation score of the apartment building near the entrance and in a prominent location visible from the outside the apartment building to those entering or passing by the apartment building.

b.  Require apartment building owners and operators to ensure the rating sign is well-maintained, secured, and posted at all times.

2.  City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to develop colour-coded rating signs to include red, yellow, light green, and dark green based on the evaluation score of the building.

3.  City Council establish a fee for the replacement of an apartment building rating sign, as detailed in Table 2 and amend the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 441, Fees and Charges accordingly.

4. City Council establish a fee for the replacement of an apartment building rating sign, as detailed in Table 2 and amend the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 441, Fees and Charges accordingly.

Table 2: Chapter 441 Apartment Building Rating Sign Re-issuance Fee

And, replaced it with:

Apartment Building Rating System

1.  City Council amend Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 354, Apartment Buildings, to require apartment building owners and operators to inform all current and prospective tenants of the rating of their apartment buildings and the evaluation used to create the rating. 

Since this was a substantive revision of Municipal Licensing and Standards staff recommendations, it is important for the Planning and Housing Committee to understand how STAFF plan to proceed on RentSafeTO, especially how they will seek to ensure that "apartment building owners and operators to inform all current and prospective tenants of the rating of their apartment buildings and the evaluation used to create the rating."