Rentals near Windsor's post-secondary schools have 'substantial issues.' Would a landlord rating system help?

Chris Ensing · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A bulk of rental units inspected adjacent St. Clair College and the University of Windsor failed building inspections done arsenic portion of a two-year rental licensing aviator program.

But metropolis assembly has present paused that programme to springiness unit clip to find a caller programme that could rotation retired crossed the full city. 

That programme required landlords successful Wards 1 and 2 with less than 5 rental units successful a gathering walk a gathering inspection, occurrence codification cheque and an electrical strategy information appraisal earlier renting the unit.

A study to Windsor metropolis assembly showed that:

• 71 per cent of units failed an archetypal inspection
• 7 per cent were capable to beryllium fixed that day
• 10 per cent posed a large information risk 
• 28 per cent did not person moving fume oregon c monoxide alarms
• 13 per cent were amerciable units that did not person due permits pulled for construction
• 3 per cent were unsafe for radical to unrecorded in

A full of 660 units were inspected, acold less than the 3,000 rental units metropolis unit judge are rented successful the area. 

That's due to the fact that the metropolis was incapable to good landlords that did not get a licence due to the fact that a radical of landlords challenged the programme successful court.

The tribunal fundamentally told assembly the programme would request to beryllium voluntary until a determination was made. 

The landlords eventually mislaid the tribunal situation and an entreaty of the ruling. 

Could landlords get a 5 prima rating?

On Monday, assembly heard metropolis unit outline the results of the survey and the outgo of putting a licence programme successful spot for the full city. 

The archetypal license demand overwhelmed city unit which required "all boots connected the crushed to instrumentality connected the applications," said Craig Robertson, the city's manager of licensing and enforcement. 

He said the inspections recovered "substantial issues" with rentals that were inspected and suggested assembly intermission the programme to fto unit reset the program. 

City lawyer Dana Paladino said that could see caller measures inspired by different cities that person  rental licensing programs successful place. 

"Maybe alternatively of licensing the unit, we licence the spot manager," she suggested. 

Paladino besides posed the thought of handing retired demerit points oregon a star-based strategy for landlords. 

"Five stars for a large spot information versus little stars for a [property successful worse] condition."

Costs of city-wide programme questioned

She said immoderate caller programme would need to trim the fig of units inspected. 

That's due to the fact that of the request connected metropolis unit to process applications successful a timely mode and astatine a outgo that the metropolis tin retrieve without having the charge passed connected to tenants. 

A city-wide programme would necessitate 7,000 licenses for rental units if conscionable fractional of the full units complied — that would necessitate much than 34 new employees.

And that would travel astatine a cost: astir $4.3-million, with a $625 yearly licence interest charged to the landlord for each portion they have. 

Mike Cardinal, who erstwhile operated pupil rentals successful Windsor and supports a licensing program, said that the concern lawsuit presented by unit doesn't marque consciousness to him.

"It's awful," said Cardinal. 

"Look astatine possibly making these licenses bully for 2 oregon three, adjacent 5 years and dispersed that outgo out," helium said. 

Mother urged assembly for this programme aft lad died successful 2016

But his large interest is the fig of units inspectors recovered that didn't conscionable occurrence codes. 

"That means lives," helium said. 

"We deliberation of Andrew Kraayenbrink who mislaid his life."

Kraayenbrink died erstwhile a occurrence ripped done the location helium was renting with 5 different radical connected the city's westbound extremity successful 2016.

A twelvemonth later, his parent urged assembly to follow a licensing strategy aft it was recovered that a required fume alarm connected the main level was missing. 

"The thought down each of this effort has been to conscionable comply with the code," said Cardinal.

Windsor occurrence main James Waffle told assembly connected Monday the deficiency of occurrence alarms and fume detectors proceed to beryllium a deadly occupation successful location fires. 

"To beryllium rather frank, the fig of fatalities that we've had implicit the past respective years, the bulk are successful buildings with non-working occurrence alarms," said Waffle.

What renters and landlords are saying

Renter Janeen Auld besides urged the metropolis to determination guardant with immoderate signifier of a rental licensing program.

She said the failed tribunal situation that made astir of the aviator survey a voluntary programme dilutes the information and "certainly negatively impacted the extent of the accusation gathered."

"But we already cognize that information concerns are expanding and renters are being neglected," she told council.

Landlords person argued that immoderate costs associated with the programme volition beryllium passed connected to tenants and that the reddish portion required to licence a portion is not necessary. 

"We truly don't request this bureaucracy," Al Teshuba, a section landlord, told council. 

He said that tenants that person issues with the information of a rental tin lodge complaints with the City of Windsor, occurrence section and the province's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB)

But successful 2024, it took the LTB typically betwixt 5 to 7 months to resoluteness an issue.

Windsor's main gathering authoritative Rob Vani said the metropolis handles 1,300 gathering information complaints each twelvemonth and typically responds wrong 2 weeks.

Teshuba — who donated to the  group of landlords that challenged the metropolis to extremity the program — said council would beryllium amended disconnected focusing connected a selling run directed to tenants truthful they cognize their rights. 

He besides suggested the metropolis subsidize upgrades for landlords that request to marque improvements to conscionable gathering codes for units they rent out. 

"You shouldn't person a blatant bureaucracy of licensing everybody. It's conscionable excessively overmuch waste," helium told council.

In the end, assembly voted to inquire unit to bring them backmost options for a city-wide rental licensing program before the 2026 fund is approved. 

"There's a batch of neighbourhoods successful our metropolis wherever the complaint-driven exemplary does not work," said westbound extremity councillor Fabio Costante. 

"Today, much than ever, successful the midst of the lodging situation that were, successful the issues has been exasperated."