Bylaw, fire officials taking new approach to inspecting apartment buildings
The London Free Press Randy Richmond
Bylaw and fire inspectors will be checking three apartment buildings in London next week at the launch of a pilot project set up to answer concerns from tenants, advocacy groups and politicians.
Inspectors will check out common areas, talk to landlords and listen to tenants about their concerns, Nicole Musicco, city hall’s co-ordinator of licensing administration and policy, said Friday.
“The main purpose is the health and safety of tenants, and the education of both landlords and tenants,” Musicco said. “Tenants are welcome to request an inspection of their unit.”
Inspectors will try to do unit checks the same day. Otherwise staff will follow up with tenants to arrange another date, she said.
“In a case where maybe a tenant isn’t comfortable coming forward that day, there will be information for the tenant that they’re more than welcome at any time to request that an inspection occurs to address their concerns.”
Under the pilot project, owners, property managers and tenants will get about a week’s notice about the inspections.
“The education piece is reminding property managers and landlords of their responsibilities in terms of property standards and ensuring tenants understand their rights,” Musicco said. “The notice to the tenants will let them know generally what staff will be looking for.”
After the first week of inspections, city staff will know better the number of inquiries and complaints generated and the resources needed to continue the pilot project, she said.
“We really can’t gauge it until we get out there and inspect a few buildings,” Musicco said.
From there, the pilot project will build out for the next few months, before council receives a report on the project, Musicco said.
The origins of the project were a series of council meetings in 2021 over property standard concerns.
Council balked at spending the money to have all rental units in London fall under the landlord licensing rules and mandatory inspections.
Only buildings with five or fewer units fall under the current licensing rules and receive mandatory licences, meaning apartment complexes and units are inspected only when someone complains.
About 6,200 units in the city are licensed, and almost 50,000 are not. It would take another 37 bylaw officers to inspect all units, city staff calculated.
Apartment units and other rentals excluded from licensing are already covered by regulations and inspections for fire, building, electrical and maintenance standards, the London Property Management Association said.
Despite rejecting licensing and regular inspections of all units, council expressed concerns about gaps in property standards and tenant protection and asked staff to look at ways to improve conditions.
The pilot project is the result of that ask, Musicco said.
There have been high-profile landlord-tenant incidents in London, including a fire in an overcrowded student bungalow in February 2022 that almost claimed the lives of three women trapped in a basement until they were rescued by passersby.
“This program is not in response to a particular problem. We used the council direction provided in October 2021,” Musicco
said.
