Occupancy limits on rentals to stop ‘excessive subletting’ could be coming to Brampton

More rental regulations aimed at cracking down on overcrowded basement apartments and “excessive subletting” could be coming to Brampton as the city looks to continue its push against illegal and dangerous rental units.

The new proposal comes days after the city gave an update on its Residential Rental Licensing pilot project, which has seen more than 4,700 rental units inspected and more than $83,500 in fines issued since January.

Council is exploring a city-wide ban on new additional rental units and basement suite developments due to safety and fire code concerns, and now the city is looking at ways to set and enforce occupancy limits to crack down on illegal lodging and group homes.

The proposal was put forward in a motion by Coun. Rowena Santos, who said the potential rules could be folded into the city’s RRL and ARU registration.

Brampton’s rental licensing program was launched as a way to bring an estimated 16,000 unregistered rental units into compliance, and requires 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.

Santos says there have been cases of female students “prostituted for rent,” and multiple cases of what Coun. Dennis Keenan called “slumlord squalor” led to council to consider a pause construction on all basement suites and additional rental units across the city until next year.

Landlords opposed to the new rules have held weekly protests, and say they’re not slum lords and are already in compliance with the city’s RRL.

Cases of questionable rentals have made headlines as Canada is in a housing crisis, like an online ad offering free rent for a “friends-with-benefits relationship” in Brampton and one room with four beds for rent in Mississauga.

Following Santos’ motion, city staff have been instructed to report back to council with recommendations on how overcrowding and excessive subletting will be identified and tracked. The report is expected to and “how occupancy limits will be enforced through the RRL process,” and how the city can “identify and enforce existing legislation.”

Landlords in the RRL 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.