Mississauga clamping down on renovictions with new bylaw

Mississauga clamping down on renovictions with new bylaw

Small landlords say new requirements could discourage investment in real estate

Mississauga is clamping down on renovictions with a new bylaw taking effect on Sept. 1 aimed at landlords attempting to raise rents under the guise of renovations.

The city's new Rental Repairs and Renovations Licensing bylaw requires landlords who issue an N13, a provincially regulated notice to end a tenancy due to extensive repairs or renovations, to now also apply for a municipal licence.

The licence, which costs up to $600, must be applied for within seven days of issuing the notice as well as provide tenants with extra compensation in accordance with Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act.

ACORN Canada, an affordable housing advocacy group advocating for low-income Canadians, found that between 2017 and 2023, Mississauga ranked ninth on the list of the top 10 Ontario cities for N13s with 68 notices. Toronto took the lead with 950.

Mississauga council did not provide specific numbers of renovictions when asked.

"The City of Mississauga engaged extensively with community stakeholders and understands that there are issues within the municipality," said city spokesperson Irene McCutcheon in an emailed statement.

The bylaw gives Mississauga bylaw enforcement agents the authority to inspect local activities to confirm compliance with licensing requirements, but does not determine if a tenant has to vacate.

Landlords must also keep tenants informed throughout the repair or renovation process.

Municipal governments across southern Ontario adopted similar bylaws in recent years with the city of Hamilton passing one in January 2024 followed by Toronto, London and Kitchener.

Noah Lister-Stevens is a Toronto-based paralegal who works on landlord-tenant cases with experience working on both sides.

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"Part of this issue has been driven by the fact that we have such a really hot rental market right now that is creating a tremendous incentive for landlords to reset rents to market," said Lister-Stevens.

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"That drives the increase in stuff like renovictions and improper use of N12 or just pressuring tenants to move out."

According to Lister-Stevens, rent stabilization legislation exists for a reason and Mississauga's bylaw helps prevent landlords from circumventing it.

Small property owners not impressed with new rules

Boubah Bah, founder of the Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario, which represents 8,000 investors who own up to five properties across the province, disagrees.

For owners like himself who only rent out one or two properties on the side, Bah said the added process disincentivizes locals from investing in real estate.

"We're not talking about the big real estate," said Bah. "The investor in the rental, it can be a civil servant, a police officer, or a self-employed person."

According to Bah, these "mom and pop" landlords generally lack the means to renovate because annual rent increases are capped — set provincially at 2.5 per cent in 2025 and 2.1 per cent in 2026.

So when they do decide to make repairs, facing construction costs, municipal permits, and now a renoviction licence create a major deterrent in the middle of a housing crisis, Bah said.

A 2022 report from Statistics Canada found that 52.6 per cent of rental properties are owned by small ownership landlords.

According to the city, the new framework was created with small landlords' needs in mind.

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"To reduce financial barriers, the bylaw includes a scaled licensing structure with licence terms of three, six or 12 months and fees that correspond to the expected duration," said McCutcheon.

The city also said it was designed so landlords won't have to pay more than once when covering moving costs for displaced tenants.

Tenants association finds fewer evictions after bylaws

The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations, which advocates for tenants’ rights in the GTA including Mississauga, notes a decrease in evictions reported to them since 2021.

Executive director Yaroslava Montenegro credits Toronto's 2024 renovictions bylaw as the leading factor. After eviction reports peaked at 1,378 in 2023, the association recorded 930 in 2025 and 409 as of August 2026.

"In the past, we've seen landlords basically use these bad faith evictions to be able to push tenants out," said Montenegro.

"It's going to be a little bit harder for folks to be able to go through that red tape and also be able to make sure that they give the tenants all of the resources that they need to be able to move out."

Ian Curran is a video journalist based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is currently participating in the 2026 CBC summer scholarship for emerging journalists working with News Network and the Toronto local bureau. He has also worked with CBC New Brunswick in the Fredericton bureau. You can contact him with story ideas at ian.curran@cbc.ca.