Waterloo council approves renoviction bylaw against the recommendation of city staff

Waterloo is latest city to introduce a renoviction bylaw after council voted in in favour of the proposal at a meeting Monday night.

Under the Rental Renovation Licensing bylaw, landlords must obtain a licence before they can issue a N-13 notice to residents. It is meant to address so-called “renovictions,” a term used to describe bad-faith evictions in which the landlord claims superficial renovations are needed but, in reality, the main goal is to get rid of the tenant so the unit can be re-listed at a higher rental rate.

Under the new bylaw, landlords seeking to evict a tenant to conduct renovations will be required to submit a licence application with the city. They must also provide proof the tenants were provided with information outlining their rights and obligations, copies of the required building permits, and professional confirmation that vacant possession of the unit is necessary to complete the work.

“We want to make sure everyone in our city has a roof over their head and can feel safe and welcome,” Councillor Jen Vasic said.

The applications will be reviewed by a Licensing and Standards officer, who will also be responsible for investigating non-compliance of the rules.

The city will also introduce a Tenant Support Liaison. That person will act as a single point of contact for tenants facing eviction, housing instability or disputes with their landlords.

“The psychological impacts of this are huge,” said Vasic. “Not just getting evicted, but the process of it. We have to really support residents in all the ways we can, with all the tools we have.”

In addition to the liaison role, council approved the creation of a Tennant Support Fund, at a cost of $20,000, to help tenants facing financial hardship who require legal guidance or advocacy services related to eviction.

Argument against a renoviction bylaw

City staff were instructed on June 23, 2025 to prepare a framework for a proposed Rental Renovation Licensing Program, as well as options for tenant supports within the community.

Council discussed that report at Monday’s meeting and, specifically, city staff’s recommendation to vote against the motion. They cited several factors, including conflicts with other competing projects and staffing concerns.

Mayor Dorothy McCabe also questioned whether it was the city’s responsibility to address the renoviction problem.

“This is not work that I think we should be taking on because this is clearly provincial jurisdiction,” she explained. “We have clearly said to the province, on numerous occasions, ‘Please quit downloading your work to us, we have more than enough work that we have to do ourselves.’”

“I don’t disagree with the mayor,” said Jacquie Wells, co-chair of ACORN Waterloo Region. “I also think that, why should tenants be paying for that?”

In the end, McCabe was the only one who voted against the bylaw.

Fighting for the bylaw

Tenant advocates marched to Waterloo City Hall ahead of Monday’s meeting to urge immediate action.

“If we could go to the province and fix this problem, we would do it 100 per cent,” Ken Vogelpohl, co-chair of ACORN Waterloo Region, said. “We would not be approaching cities. It would be a much better use of our resources to handle this at the provincial level, but that is not the reality of the situation.”

Some councillors argued the city had a responsibility to act, despite the concerns raised by staff members.

“I would like the province to do their job, and they’re not,” stated Councillor Royce Bodaly.

ACORN Waterloo Region welcomed council’s decision to back the bylaw.

“We’re very elated. Ecstatic. So happy and grateful,” Wells gushed. “It’ll be really interesting to see how this impacts the other cities, especially because we’ve been working in Kitchener so long.”

What’s next?

Council hoped the adoption of the bylaw would push the renoviction problem to the forefront.

City staff have now been tasked with revising the bylaw to include sections on tenant compensation and covering moving costs. Council will then have to review and approve those changes. Staff hope to have a revised version of the draft bylaw ready for approval by the summer.

In the meantime, steps will be taken immediately to create the position of Tenant Support Liaison.

To fund the program, council also approved use of the city’s Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve. Staff are expected to bring forward a request for permanent funding during the 2027 budget process.

It is not clear when the bylaw will be fully implemented.