Brampton City Council is considering whether to legalize and regulate lodging houses as part of its broader affordable housing strategy — even as complaints about illegal operations have surged to around 3,500 since 2020.
Currently, the city’s zoning bylaws allow a maximum of four rental units in a single-family dwelling, with landlords required to register under the Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) program. Illegal rooming houses — often overcrowded and housing international students — have long raised health, safety, and neighbourhood deterioration concerns.
Mayor Patrick Brown has made tackling unregulated rentals a top priority, citing “slum landlords” and unsafe living conditions. The city has expanded its bylaw enforcement team, but staff say legal action is hampered by provincial case law that sets a high evidentiary bar for proving a property is a “lodging house.”
In a June 18 report, staff recommended that legalizing and regulating lodging houses could expand safe, affordable options while enabling stronger enforcement. Options under consideration include:
- Allowing lodging houses citywide in single-detached homes under zoning-specific rules.
- Limiting them to strategic locations for resource and neighbourhood balance.
- Restricting operations to approved non-profit or institutional partners.
Council will decide after staff complete their policy review; no timeline has been set.