City of Brampton strengthens commitment to safer rental housing
The Voice of Canada News:
The City of Brampton continues to take significant steps to enhance the safety and security of rental housing across the city. As part of its ongoing commitment to ensuring renters have safe places to call home, the City is introducing an important update to its Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) Pilot Program.
To increase accessibility and streamline the rental licensing process, the City of Brampton is waiving the licence application fee for the RRL program for the remainder of 2025. This fee waiver streamlines the process for landlords while ensuring compliance with safety regulations, ultimately benefiting renters. For those who purchased licences prior to February 5, 2025, consideration will be given depending on the next phase of the program. This measure aligns with the City’s broader efforts to enhance the quality of rental accommodations and improve tenant protections.
To date, the program has successfully licensed 3,227 units across Wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7, ensuring compliance with safety standards. The fee waiver is expected to result in a simplified application process, leading to greater participation in the program and creating safer places for renters to call home.
Last June, the City of Brampton announced the implementation of a Stabilization Staffing Model in the Enforcement and By-law Services division to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and compliance of the City’s by-laws and operations. As a critical step in this model, the City invested in hiring 38 additional By-law Officers and two support positions and developed plans to address the recommendations from the operational review of the division. Since then, the new officers and supervisors have been hired.
In addition, the City implemented proactive parking enforcement patrols for high-priority streets and in neighbourhoods known to have the highest amount of additional resident units (ARUs) and enhanced prioritization for complaints related to property standards by-laws to uphold the health and safety of homes.
The City of Brampton is fully committed to enforcing safety standards and Fire Code regulations, such as the installation and maintenance of working smoke alarms. In the coming months, the City will introduce a new program aimed at ensuring rental properties are equipped with working smoke alarms. Through this initiative, smoke alarms will be available to new applicants of the RRL Pilot Program.
For more information about the RRL Pilot Program, visit brampton.ca/rrl.
Quotes
“Throughout the 2025 Budget process, residents made it clear that community safety is their top priority. We are listening and taking swift action by making it easier for landlords to register their units under the Residential Rental Licensing Pilot Program, ensuring renters live in secure, high-quality homes. It is devastating to hear of fire-related tragedies that could have been prevented with functional smoke alarms, and we are proud to introduce a program that ensures all rental properties are equipped with working ones. We remain steadfast in our commitment to working alongside landlords and tenants to build a city where every resident feels protected and at home.”– Patrick Brown, Mayor, City of Brampton
“Every resident deserves to feel safe and secure in their home. As a city, we have a responsibility to ensure that renters have access to quality housing. By waiving rental licensing fees, we are taking meaningful steps to work with landlords, making it easier for them to ensure their rental units are safe. These initiatives go beyond policy, we are actively prioritizing people, protecting families and strengthening the well-being of our community.”– Rowena Santos, Regional Councillor, Wards 1 & 5; Chair, Legislative Services and Community Services; Member, Residential Rental Licensing Task Force, City of Brampton
“Keeping renters safe and healthy is at the core of the Residential Rental Licensing Pilot Program. It represents a proactive step in ensuring safe and well-maintained housing for tenants who choose to call Brampton home. This program and today’s announcement demonstrate the value we are placing on community safety. Our focus remains on protecting tenants, improving rental standards and reinforcing our commitment to a safer city.”– Dennis Keenan, Regional Councillor, Wards 3 & 4; Member, Residential Rental Licensing Task Force, City of Brampton
