Questions about rooming houses

In Toronto, rooming houses are defined as shared houses of 4 or more unrelated people who pay rent separately.

Rooming houses can be found in all parts of the city, providing affordable homes for newcomers, students, seniors and other low-income singles. However, rooming houses are only legally permitted in the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto, and parts of the former York and Etobicoke. This lack of legal recognition means that rooming house tenants are often afraid to complain to public officials if their homes are not property maintained, and at the tenants are at risk of losing their homes should a neighbour complain.

The City has recently proposed a pilot project that would permit rooming houses in five pilot areas outside the downtown using a “temporary by-law”.

Learn more:

Toronto’s current rooming house policies

Results of Toronto’s rooming house consultations, 2015

Toronto’s regulatory and licensing strategy for multi-tenant houses and consultation plan

Rooming houses belong in the downtown. So what are they doing in Scarborough?

Rooming houses appear wherever single people need an affordable place to live. Historically, rooming houses have been an entirely respectable choice for working singles who wanted to live downtown and other areas, where rents were affordable, and for students wanting to live close to campus.

Today, Toronto’s suburbs are often more affordable than the downtown, and are the home to universities and colleges. So it is no surprise that students, newcomers and other low-income people want to live there. The City’s regulatory framework has simply not caught up.

We have a problem rooming house on our street. What can we do?

Do they same thing you would with any other neighbour.

A minor problem? Start by knocking on the door. Many issues can be worked out simply by talking.

A more serious complaint? Call 311. The City has by-laws covering property standards, snow shoveling, garbage disposal, noise, over-crowding, parking, pets — virtually every type of safety or good-neighbour issue.

Worried about criminal activity? Call the police.

Remember:

Rooming house tenants may be as interested in addressing problems as you are. See if there are opportunities to work together.

Many tenants are afraid they will lose their homes. As you work with tenants and the City, emphasize that you want to fix problems, not drive tenants out of the neighbourhood.