City of Kingston seeks input on potential residential rental licensing program
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The City of Kingston is asking residents for their input on a potential residential rental licensing program in two City districts with “a high density of rental properties.”
As readers may recall, Kingston City Council passed a motion at their December 20, 2022, meeting that directed City staff to develop a report examining the implementation of a pilot Residential Rental Licensing Program (RRLP), as well as other potential regulatory options. Specifically, the pilot RRLP would be applied to properties with one to four residential rental units in both Sydenham and Kingscourt-Rideau districts.
The motion passed by Council in December 2022 was brought forward by Sydenham District Councillor Conny Glenn as a means to ensure the “health and safety” of rental units. Glenn and her fellow councillors felt some sort of new program regulating smaller rental properties was necessary following the provincial government’s removal of site plan agreement requirements for developments with less than 10 units as part of the More Homes Built Faster Act.
“This came about while I was campaigning and seeing the poor condition of housing in my district, rental housing that was sub-standard. When you’re seeing the health, safety, and well-being of the citizens you’re representing being put at risk, I think that we are compelled to move to do something about this,” Councillor Glenn said at the December 2022 meeting.
“There were infestations; black mould was reported. I had volunteers who were unwilling to go up some of the steps, and we don’t have the mechanism to sort of handle this very well… There needs to be a recognition that there’s an imbalance [in] the power structure of a landlord renting to a tenant. Tenants are often afraid to come forward when the housing conditions are so poor, particularly in this time of housing crisis.”
It should be noted that not all councillors were in support of the idea, with Pittsburgh District Councillor Ryan Boehme noting that expanded rental licensing might create additional “rules” to an already regulated industry.
City staff are to report back to the Administrative Policies Committee in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, which is right now, however, a search through the agendas for the most recent meetings of that Committee shows the topic has not been broached yet. The agenda for the next meeting of the Administrative Policies Committee scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, had not been published by time of publication. It is likely that the public input currently being collected will be included in the eventual report to the Administrative Policies Committee. According to the City, feedback gathered from the public’s input will be used to “identify residents’ and property owners’ concerns with rental units, as well as gather feedback on the potential benefits and limitations of an RRLP. Concerns and feedback alike will be considered when drafting the RRLP.”
So, how can Kingstonians have their say on the matter? In a press release on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, the City of Kingston said that property owners, renters, and landlords are invited to provide feedback on the potential program by completing the Residential Rental Licensing survey on the City’s Get Involved Kingston platform.
“This engagement will help us better understand residents’ experiences and concerns with residential rental units,” said Curtis Smith, Director of Licensing and Enforcement at the City of Kingston, in a statement.
“A Residential Rental Licensing Program could help us identify potential issues with units and build an inventory of the City’s existing rental housing stock. Our goal is to achieve this at the lowest cost to all participants.”
The public engagement process closes on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, the City of Kingston said, and those who participate in the survey have the option to enter a draw for a $100 VISA gift card “as a thank you for their time.”