Bylaw passes
Posted May 10, 2011 06:54:22 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The rental housing licensing bylaw was finally voted on by Waterloo City Council.
It was a long night — with over two dozen delegations and about 100 people in attendance. The bylaw passed, but with some amendments.
After hearing concerns about families being restricted to smaller homes, council decided to increase the cap from 3 bedrooms per low-rise dwelling to 4.
Homes that already exceed the cap have been grandfathered in. If a landlord wants to rent a home with more than 4 rooms, a ‘lodging’ or ‘boarding’ home license must be obtained.
Council also voted that Police checks are required for the landlords when they first go through the application process — then once every five years after.
Bylaw enforcement Director, Jim Barry says the bylaw promotes health and safety.
Students who attended the meeting say they are pleased that health and safety concerns are being addressed — but hope that rent prices don’t increase drastically.
