Information for property owners, landlords, and property managers

In Ontario, the Landlord & Tenant Board (LTB) enforces the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), which governs the tenant-landlord relationship.

The role of the LTB is to provide tenants and landlords information about their rights and responsibilities under the RTA, and to resolve disputes between both groups.  This includes resources, and directions regarding:

• Standard Forms, including Leases
• Evictions
• Rent Increases (Maximums, and special circumstances)
• A Landlord’s Maintenance Obligations
• Conflict resolution

Although the rules regarding renting are established and enforced by the Province, the City of London has a series of By-laws that ensure all properties - including rentals - maintain specific standards regarding heat, running water, ventilation, general repairs, and many other criteria.

The following is a list of the most commonly searched by-laws relating to rental properties:

• Vital Services (heat, electricity, water (hot & cold)
• Property Standards (pests, property safety, and maintenance)
• Sound & Noise (parties, loud music, construction, etc.)
• Yard and Lot Maintenance (lots and yards free of debris)
• Residential Parking (regulates where off-street parking can occur)
• Unauthorized Parking Area (for vehicles parked in yards, boulevards, etc.)
• Residential Rentals (renting for 30 days or more)
• Short-term Accommodations (rentals under 30 days, or night-to-night)

View an alphabetical list of other by-laws .

The City of London has a Residential Rental Unit Licensing program that applies to all rental units in the city except for apartment buildings, townhouses, or stacked townhouses.  Although those exceptions do not require a licence, they are still required to follow provincial laws and municipal by-laws regarding property standards and maintenance and the provision of vital services, etc.

The City of London also licences Short-term Accommodations through the Business Licensing By-law.  More information regarding these types of rentals, how they are defined and licenced is available on the Short-term Accommodations page.

The City of London also conducts property investigations on behalf of tenants who have concerns about rental properties.  These investigations are initiated through a Request for Service/Complaint process under the authority of the Municipal Act, the Property Standards By-law, the Vital Services By-law, and other provincial laws and municipal by-laws.

As the Landlord & Tenant Board and the City of London advise, the first step to resolving a tenant concern is for the tenant to inform the property owner/manager of the problem.

As the property owner or manager, your job is to work with the tenant to fix those problem(s) within a reasonable amount of time, where they violate a by-law, code, or act.  Therefore, the best thing to do is communicate with the tenant throughout the process and keep track of your interactions with the tenant in case they make a Request for Service with the City or file a complaint with the Landlord & Tenant Board.  Proof of your communication(s) and efforts will be beneficial if the situation escalates.

Municipal Compliance Staff investigate all complaints/Requests for Service made by a tenant in a rental property.  The best thing to do is work with City staff and the tenant to ensure the initial investigation is quickly facilitated and - if a violation is identified - it is resolved promptly. 

City staff will make sure you clearly understand which by-laws have been violated and how, and provide you with contact information and a deadline.  Failure to address identified issues could result in fines and charges.