Landlords charged $83,500 in fines as mayor vows to get rid of ‘slum conditions’ in Brampton

More than half of the city’s worst “slum landlords” are now up to snuff with building and fire codes thanks to Brampton’s new residential rental licensing program, Mayor Patrick Brown says.

Brampton bylaw officers have inspected over 4,700 rental units since the controversial licensing program got off to a rocky start in January with more than $83,500 in fines issued so far, the city said in an update on Monday.

Mayor Brown said more than 2,200 licences have been issued and 46 rental locations in Brampton where the city has received “the most ferocious complaints” and multiple reports of “slum conditions” are now in compliance.

“And that’s the goal – if you have a unit that is a fire trap, that is a safety trap…and we turn it into compliance, that means we’ve addressed the problems,” Brown said at a press conference.

He said those 46 units account for around 63 per cent of the city’s worst repeat offenders, and that bylaw staff are working to make sure all rentals in Brampton meet safety regulations.

More than 600 penalties have been handed out under the program with fines of more than $83,500.

The new rules require landlords renting four or fewer units in Wards 1,3,4,5 and 7 to register with the city. An initial annual fee of $300 is discounted to $150 until the end of September, but starting next month any rental property owner with up to four residential units who isn’t registered can be fined $600.

Those fines can climb up to $1,200 if not registered.

“It’s going to take time but we will not relent no matter how loud and noisy the protest is, we will not relent,” Brown said.

Coun. Rowena Santos says there have been cases of female students “prostituted for rent,” and Coun. Dennis Keenan raised concerns in council over an online ad offering free rent for a “friends-with-benefits relationship.”

Landlords opposed to the new rules have held weekly protests, some even targeting Coun. Dennis Keenan at the events. The councillor for Wards 3 and 4 has proposed a ban on new basement suites and additional rental units in Brampton to allow the city to deal with cases of “slumlord squalor.”

But the protestors say they’re not slum lords and are already in compliance with the city’s RRL, but are opposed to the additional costs of the registration.

The RRL program was introduced as a way to hold both tenants and landlords responsible for issues like property standards concerns and rental unit safety, the city says.

Brown has said there are an estimated 16,000 unregistered rental units in Brampton and at least four people have died in illegal suites during his time as mayor.

Landlords in the pilot area caught operating without a licence will be subject to a $600 fine for the first offence, $900 for the second and $1,200 for every following infraction.

The pilot project also includes $250 fines for offences like failing to provide adequate waste containers or violating the city’s grass and weed cutting bylaw.