Multi-Tenant Houses Renovation & Repair Program

The City’s new Multi-Tenant Houses Renovation & Repair Program provides funding to address costs related to improving safety and building conditions for tenants and bringing properties into compliance with the multi-tenant housing framework. Grant funding and/or fee waivers for planning application and building permit fees are also available to eligible property owners.

Through the program, the City aims to:

  • Support property owners and operators to obtain a licence under the new regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses and come into compliance with the City’s Zoning By-law, Ontario Building Code, and Ontario Fire Code.
  • Protect tenancies while improving housing conditions and the health and safety of residents.
  • Secure existing privately-owned affordable rental housing and preserve housing affordability by preventing renovation costs related to compliance with the new framework from being passed on to tenants in the form of rent increases.

Properties with outstanding City work orders related to compliance with the multi-tenant houses framework are encouraged to apply, with the intent of correcting the deficiencies with program funding and obtaining a licence.

Renovation projects must meet the criteria below to be eligible for the program.

Criteria for Property

  • The Multi-Tenant Houses Renovation & Repair Program is for unlicensced multi-tenant houses only. Applicants that already have a licence from the City’s Municipal Licensing & Standards Division under Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 575, Multi-Tenant Houses (“Chapter 575”), are not eligible for funding.
  • The multi-tenant house may be occupied or vacant.
  • Tenancies or housing must be at-risk due to non-compliance with the regulatory framework, the condition of the property, or the potential for tenant eviction and/or displacement from the multi-tenant house. 

Criteria for Applicant

  • Applicants must have registered their intent to apply for an Operator Licence with Municipal Licensing & Standards Division through the online Multi-Tenant Houses Licence Application Portal.
  • Both non-profit and for-profit applicants will be eligible.
  • Program applicants must be an “operator” as defined by Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 575, Multi-Tenant Houses, and the property must be a “multi-tenant house”, as defined by Chapter 575. Please see the definitions section of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 575, Multi-Tenant Houses.

Criteria for Project

  • The renovation and repair work must be required to comply with applicable laws and be issued a licence from the City.

The program application process is competitive, and funding is limited. Only those applications that best meet the program’s requirements will be eligible for funding and not all applicants will be successful. Successful applicants should not expect their entire funding request to be satisfied, and the final amount of funding provided to a successful applicant shall be at the City’s sole discretion.

Funding

Successful applicants may receive up to $50,000 per “multi-tenant house room” (as defined under Chapter 575) for eligible renovation costs, and/or City fee waivers, that directly support work needed to bring their multi-tenant house into compliance with the regulatory framework and obtain a licence under Chapter 575.

City Fee Waivers

Successful applicants may receive financial incentives in the form of waivers of planning application fees (including minor variance, rezoning, or other as required), and/or waivers of building permit fees. Successful applicants may be provided these incentives with or without being approved for grant funding under the program.

Forgivable Loan

All funding will be provided in the form of a forgivable loan. The value of the City funding and incentives provided will be repayable if the conditions of an applicant’s agreement with the City under the program are not met.

Successful applicants will be required to provide security, commensurate with the value of the City funding and incentives provided, to secure this obligation, as determined by the City. Amounts of $25,000 or less will be secured by a promissory note, and amounts exceeding $25,000 will require a mortgage to be registered on title.

Soft Costs

Eligible soft costs are as follows:

  • Costs to hire a consultant and/or qualified architect/designer to undertake pre-development planning and due diligence e.g. building condition assessments, preparation of capital repair plans, developing plans and designs for municipal building, planning, and other approvals.
  • Costs to hire a consultant for work that facilitates short-term compliance and safety.

Hard Costs

Eligible hard costs are as follows:

  • Small-scale building improvements that support habitability and improve compliance and housing stability.
  • Renovation and construction costs to bring the property into compliance with the regulatory framework and obtain a licence under Chapter 575, including the Ontario Building and Fire Codes, and the Zoning By-law.

Other Funding Sources

Applicants who are non-profit operators may also be provided renovation funding through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative.

Work that is not eligible for funding includes:

  • Fines or charges as a result of enforcement actions taken by the City for non-compliance with applicable laws.
  • Costs not related to work required to bring the multi-tenant house into compliance with applicable laws and obtain a licence under Chapter 575.

The City will determine if the requested types of work and associated costs are eligible, and decisions will be final.

The program application package is available from the City of Toronto’s Housing Secretariat. The application package will be provided after an introductory meeting between City staff and the applicant and/or their representatives. The application process is designed to ensure the City receives applications in an orderly and efficient manner and that applicants receive fair and equitable treatment in the receipt and evaluation of their applications.

Please contact Housing Secretariat staff to arrange for an introductory meeting by emailing MTHrenovationfund@toronto.ca.

Emails should use the following format, providing the address of the multi-tenant home property and contact information:

Subject: (Insert address of multi-tenant house) MTH Renovation Program inquiry

Contact information:

Name:

Telephone number:

Email:

Find out more about the new regulatory framework for multi-tenant houses came into effect on March 31, 2024.