Ottawa landlords seeking to evict tenants for major renovations will soon have to follow new municipal licensing rules after city council approved a rental renovation licence bylaw on July 15.
The bylaw, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, requires landlords to obtain a building permit before issuing an N13 eviction notice, provide tenants with a city-produced guide explaining their rights and apply for a rental renovation licence within seven days of serving the notice.
Council approved the bylaw after weeks of debate that saw tenant advocates push for stronger protections, arguing the city’s original proposal did not go far enough to prevent landlords from displacing renters under the guise of renovations.
Although council passed the bylaw largely as proposed, it also directed staff to review the legislation during the next term of council and consider adding stronger tenant protections, including requiring an independent qualified person’s report confirming vacant possession is necessary, temporary accommodation or financial compensation for displaced tenants, as well as tracking trends in N5 and N12 eviction notices.
Staff are expected to report back in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster, who introduced the successful motion, said the bylaw is an important first step toward protecting renters while ensuring responsible landlords can still complete legitimate renovations.
“The rental renovation licence bylaw is a tremendous milestone for our city, and it’s elegant in its simplicity,” Troster said during Wednesday’s council meeting.
“All it does is say, ‘Show us your work.’ And if you are a responsible and honest landlord, which most are, then this bylaw will not stop you from upgrading your property.”
The additional protections council agreed to study mirror many of the recommendations tenant advocates raised before last week’s planning and housing committee meeting.
Members of ACORN Ottawa rallied outside city hall before committee deliberations, urging councillors to strengthen the bylaw by matching protections adopted in municipalities such as Hamilton and Toronto. The group argued the proposed bylaw lacked requirements for independent verification that renovations require tenants to vacate, and failed to guarantee temporary housing or adequate compensation while repairs are underway.
‘The rental renovation licence bylaw is a tremendous milestone for our city, and it’s elegant in its simplicity. All it does is say, ‘Show us your work.’ And if you are a responsible and honest landlord, which most are, then this bylaw will not stop you from upgrading your property.’
— Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster, initiator of renoviction bylaw
City staff said the recommended approach was designed to strengthen tenant protections while avoiding additional costs that could discourage legitimate renovations.
Unlike similar bylaws adopted elsewhere in Ontario, Ottawa’s licensing program will not charge landlords an application fee and does not require supplementary compensation beyond what is already mandated under provincial legislation.
Under Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act, municipalities cannot decide whether a renoviction can proceed. Those decisions remain with the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board.
Instead, Ottawa’s bylaw creates a municipal licensing process intended to improve compliance with provincial rules through education, oversight and municipal enforcement.
According to the city report, staff identified an average of 31 renovation-related eviction notices filed annually with the Landlord and Tenant Board since 2022. However, consultations and a media scan also identified approximately 230 possible undocumented renovictions across about 40 Ottawa properties since 2020, suggesting the true scale of tenant displacement may be significantly higher.
City staff found tenants facing renovation-related evictions were often paying well below market rent. Their analysis of 35 eviction applications filed between 2023 and 2025 found tenants were paying rents that averaged 42 per cent less than Ottawa’s market rate, reinforcing concerns that bad-faith renovictions can reduce the city’s supply of affordable housing.
During committee, councillors also directed staff to explore whether the city could adopt additional protections for tenants displaced by future rental demolitions, including stronger compensation, rent top-ups and a right to return at the same or similar rent.
The bylaw makes Ottawa one of several Ontario municipalities — including Hamilton, London, Toronto, Waterloo, Mississauga and Kitchener — to adopt local measures aimed at reducing bad-faith renovictions. It will come into effect next Jan. 1, with council directing staff to review its effectiveness and consider stronger tenant protections during the next term of council.
