Kitchener votes on renoviction rules

Kitchener City Council approved a renoviction bylaw on April 13, creating a licence system for landlords who use renovation notices to make tenants leave. (kitchener.ca) The new rule applies when a landlord serves an Ontario N13 notice for work that requires a unit to be vacant. The city says landlords will need a per-unit licence before that process can move ahead. (kitchener.ca) (cbc.ca) Council first moved the bylaw out of the finance and corporate services committee on a 5-3 vote on March 30, then took final approval at its April 13 council meeting. The council agenda listed six registered speakers on the bylaw before the vote. (cbc.ca) (pub-kitchener.escribemeetings.com) A renoviction is when a landlord says a tenant has to leave for renovations, then rents the unit again at a higher price or never does the work. Kitchener says the bylaw is meant to block those bad-faith evictions while still allowing legitimate repairs. (engagewr.ca) (kitchener.ca) The fight has been building since at least June 2023, when Waterloo Region Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, began pressing Kitchener for stronger tenant protections. ACORN chair Jacquie Wells told CBC the group wanted more than “half measures” and pushed for tenant compensation during renovations. (cbc.ca) Mayor Berry Vrbanovic argued in the March committee debate that mandatory supports during renovations could make projects too expensive and leave tenants in poorly maintained buildings if landlords delay needed work. (cbc.ca) Kitchener already has a separate rental replacement bylaw for bigger redevelopment projects. That rule requires a permit when a proposal would demolish or convert six or more rental units, and it requires replacement units and tenant compensation. (kitchener.ca) The renoviction bylaw covers a different problem: renovations inside existing rental buildings, not demolition or conversion. That is why the trigger is the N13 notice, the provincial form landlords use when they say a unit must be empty for repair work. (cbc.ca) (kitchener.ca) Kitchener’s move comes after nearby Waterloo approved its own rental renovation licensing program on January 19, 2026. Waterloo’s program also requires a licence for N13-based evictions and added a tenant support fund. (waterloo.ca) (cbc.ca) For tenants and landlords in Kitchener, the next practical date is January 2027, when the city previously said the rules could take effect after setup and enforcement work. The vote on April 13 turned that proposal into city policy. (cbc.ca) (kitchener.ca)