{"id":4563,"date":"2021-03-23T14:46:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T18:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/cbc-news-new-rules-will-keep-hamilton-units-cleaner-and-safer-renters-city-says\/"},"modified":"2021-03-23T14:46:30","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T18:46:30","slug":"cbc-news-new-rules-will-keep-hamilton-units-cleaner-and-safer-renters-city-says","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/acorncanada.org\/news\/cbc-news-new-rules-will-keep-hamilton-units-cleaner-and-safer-renters-city-says\/","title":{"rendered":"CBC News: New rules will keep Hamilton units cleaner and safer for renters, city says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted March 23, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"Hamilton is beefing up its property standards bylaw so that landlords are responsible for more health and safety issues of their rental properties.<\/div>\n
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\n\tCity council’s planning committee told staff on Tuesday to amend the rules to cover gaps pointed out by tenant groups. Most of those deal with cleanliness and repairs. <\/div>\n
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\n\tVeronica Gonzalez, who chairs the Mountain chapter of tenants rights organization Hamilton ACORN, said renters live in substandard conditions across the city, even when those apartments are recently renovated. <\/div>\n
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\n\tTenants, she said, feel powerless. <\/div>\n
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\n\t“When someone else owns your home, you don’t have much control, even if you have your rights to have a healthy home,” she said. “Repairs that are only bandaged don’t go away.” <\/div>\n
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\n\tPlans to add intercoms, cupboard repairs to standard<\/strong><\/div>\n
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\n\tIn January 2020, council told city staff to investigate apartment bylaws from other cities, and review how Hamilton could improve its own rules. <\/div>\n
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\n\tCity staff looked at five other Ontario municipalities that have a post-secondary institution and are a similar size to Hamilton. While staff said in a report that the current bylaw “for the most part is solid and suitable,” it acknowledged several areas where it fell short.<\/div>\n
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\n\tTenant groups, including Hamilton ACORN, pointed out these gaps, which include: <\/div>\n
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