Every year, it’s estimated that more than 500 Ottawa residents have been evicted from their homes in bad faith, told by landlords that their homes required repairs or renovations, and were barred from returning. This process, also known as “renovictions”, involves “bad faith” evictions by landlords or, in some cases, the unlawful removal of tenants without even issuing an eviction notice.
In many cases, landlords evict residents in hopes of replacing them with new tenants who would pay a higher rent. The process displaces residents who have often been paying less-than-market value for their rental homes and decreases the city’s overall supply or affordable housing.
Now, city council is debating whether to enact a new bylaw to deter these evictions and ensure tenants are granted provincial protections, which include the right to return to their homes after repairs and renovictions are completed.
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