City council is going to move forward with exploring options to develop a residential rental licensing bylaw for all of Windsor.
During Monday's meeting, the council voted to pause its residential rental licensing program pilot program, launched in wards 1 and 2 in February 2023, and explore options for a city-wide bylaw.
Ward 6 Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac says the two wards were chosen mainly because the rental market for student housing was a major concern.
"We are now seeing rental housing becoming a much broader reality in our community," she says. "I am definitely going to support this, and hopefully, the administration can come back with a recommendation in terms of a city-wide model."
The options that will be explored by administration could include a rating system for landlords, adjusted inspection schedules, or even licensing property managers.
The pilot program was aimed at improving safety in rental housing units and enhancing the enforcement of property standards through licensing and yearly inspections.
A report from administration indicates staffing for a city-wide roll-out of the framework under the pilot program would require an estimated 34 new regular full-time positions at a cost of nearly $4.4 million.
Ward 9 Councillor Kieran McKenzie says the rental market is growing, and the compliance data gathered through this process shows there are some real public safety issues we need to address.
"Acknowledging that there are many, many good actors that are providing rental properties in the community today. There are some that aren't, there are some that aren't and we need strong tools to protect the community generally," he says.
The city's licensing department received 782 residential rental licensing applications over the study period, and building and fire officers successfully accessed 660 dwelling units.
About a third of properties inspected were compliant on first inspection or by the end of the same day.
Major defects related to expired, defective, or absent smoke alarms or CO (carbon monoxide) alarms were found most frequently, followed by minor building condition defects.
Ward 1 Councillor Fred Francis says he looks forward to what options the administration comes back with.
"I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all. If it's going to be 34 people or millions of dollars, or whatever it is, I think we can find something that fits the need that we're trying to fit."
An administration report on the potential options for a city-wide bylaw is expected to be part of the 2026 budget deliberations.