The City of Toronto is preparing a major overhaul of how it tracks, enforces, and responds to chronic property standards violations, with new measures aimed squarely at problem landlords who repeatedly fail to maintain safe and healthy rental housing.
“Landlords must live up to their responsibilities to maintain safe, clean, dignified housing,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “When landlords fail this basic responsibility, renters deserve to know the City will be there to help.”
The Executive Committee has endorsed several recommendations that will reshape how the City monitors and intervenes in troubled buildings. First, staff have been directed to implement a long‑planned, cross‑divisional database by July 2026. This system will consolidate investigation and enforcement activity across all relevant divisions—Municipal Licensing and Standards, Public Health, Fire Services, Toronto Building, and others—and will be publicly accessible. For landlords, this means greater transparency and faster coordination when multiple complaints arise.
A new inter‑divisional enforcement table, led by the Housing Secretariat, will also be established to ensure that divisions work together on persistent issues and remedial action. In cases where a landlord is repeatedly found in violation, the City will adopt a proactive stance: all properties owned by that landlord will be subject to additional investigation, and buildings may be formally designated as “problem buildings,” triggering more intensive oversight.
The City is also preparing to use its remedial action powers more aggressively. These powers allow the City to hire contractors to complete necessary repairs and charge the costs back to the landlord through property taxes. While historically underused, the City intends to change that. The ongoing situation at 500 Dawes Road—where multiple divisions have issued dozens of orders with limited compliance—will serve as a test case. The Housing Secretariat will coordinate remedial work there and use the experience to inform a city‑wide framework coming in April 2026.
Additionally, the City will develop a roster of contractors for emergency repairs, pest control, mold abatement, and other urgent needs, ensuring faster response times when landlords fail to act.
Finally, the City Solicitor will report on potential provincial legislative changes that could strengthen penalties and improve the City’s ability to intervene.
Click here to learn more: Agenda Item History – 2026.EX29.14
