Toronto's renovictions bylaw turns one, on July 31: what tenants can actually check
The Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw has been in effect for almost a year. Here's what it requires before a landlord can issue an N13 — and how to tell a genuine renovation from a pretext using public records.
Toronto's Rental Renovation Licence Bylaw came into effect on July 31, 2025 — so it's about to mark one year on the books. The idea was simple: before a landlord can issue an N13 (notice to end a tenancy for repairs or renovation), the City now makes them prove it's real. A year in, the licence and the paper trail behind it are public — and worth knowing how to read.
What the bylaw actually requires
- A licence, not just a notice. Within 7 days of serving an N13, the landlord must apply for a Rental Renovation Licence — at $700 per unit.
- Proof the work is real. The application needs an approved building permit and evidence that the renovation genuinely requires the unit to sit vacant — not just a paint job dressed up as a gut reno.
- Compensation, either way. If a tenant wants to move back in, the landlord owes temporary housing or rent-gap payments plus a moving allowance. If the tenant doesn't return, they get severance equal to three months of rent-gap payments, plus a one-time $1,500–$2,500 moving allowance.
- Real penalties. Landlords who skip the licence or fudge the paperwork face fines of up to $100,000.
A licence application doesn't guarantee good behaviour — but a landlord who hasn't applied for one after serving an N13 is already off-side the bylaw. That's a concrete, checkable fact, not a judgment call.
Why this matters right now
Renovictions tend to spike when the resale and rental markets soften, because emptying a building for "renovation" can be cheaper than buying it outright. With Toronto condo and rental prices still down year-over-year, the incentive to push out long-term tenants at below-market rent hasn't gone away — the bylaw exists specifically to make that harder to do quietly.
If you get an N13, the questions worth asking are: has a licence actually been filed, does it list an approved permit, and does the scope of that permit match what you were told? Those aren't things you have to take on faith — they're documented.
What it looks like in the data
Permit records show the difference between a cosmetic notice and a genuine capital project. Take 200 Wellesley St E, a 719-unit, 29-storey rental tower in Toronto Centre: its permit history includes a filing for a "wholesale replacement of podium deck landscape finishes, wholesale waterproofing replacement, drainage system repairs, swimming pool demo, localized slab replacement, mechanical/electrical repairs" — the kind of multi-trade, multi-month project (plumbing, mechanical, structural) that a bylaw-compliant N13 is meant to be tied to. That's also a RentSafeTO-evaluated building (score: 83), so tenants there can cross-check the permit trail against the building's own maintenance record.
What the record doesn't tell you
A filed permit or licence application shows the paperwork exists — it doesn't confirm a landlord is negotiating compensation in good faith, or that the scope described matches what happens on-site. Use the record to hold a landlord to their own filing, not as a substitute for getting your compensation terms in writing.
Check any address
Pull the permit history for a building to see what's actually been filed and its status, and check the RentSafeTO report card for its maintenance record. The property snapshot puts both in one view, and monitoring will email you if a new permit appears at an address you're watching.
Permit and building evaluation records are sourced from the City of Toronto and delivered by PropertyMonitorTO.