The City of London passed the Residential Rental Units Licensing By-law on September 21, 2009 and it came into effect on March 1st, 2010. The by-law applies to buildings with four or fewer rental units and converted dwellings. The by-law does not apply to a rental unit in an apartment building, a townhouse or a stacked townhouse.
A unit is also exempt if all of the following conditions are met:
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the rental unit consitutes the principal residence of the registered owner
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the rental unit is temporarily rented by the registered owner for a period of time no greater than 12 consecutive months in any 24 month period
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the rental unit was occupied by the registered owner immediately prior to its rental
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the registered owner of the rental unit is temporarily living outside of the municipality
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the registered owner intends to reoccupy the rental unit upon termination of the temporary rental.
The by-law requires an application form and a self-certification check list be completed for each rental unit. If you are not the owner of the unit, the owner must complete an Owner's Authorization form. The cost is $25 per building per year as of 2010. Of course this fee may go up.
A recent fire inspection (within the past two years - 2008, 2009) is also required. If an inspection has not been completed, the City will accept your licence application and request a fire inspection on your behalf. The Fire Prevention Office will contact you to schedule the inspection. There is no cost for the initial fire inspection but there is a fee for re-inspections.
A copy of the licence is required to be posted inside the front entrance of the rental unit. The maximum fine for not obtaining a licence is $25,000 for an individual and $50,000 for a corporation for the first offence. The fines can be doubled for any subsequent convictions.
Information about how to apply for a Residential Rental Unit Licence, the registration forms and the self-certification check list are now available on the City of London's website:
http://www.london.ca/d.aspxs=/Planning_and_Development/Land_Use_Planning/rentallicensing.htm