Last updated July 12, 2026 · Legislation and effective dates can change; verify current rules before acting.
Short answer: since January 1, 2025, Hamilton has had the first municipal renoviction by-law in Ontario: the Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law. If you serve an N13 to evict for extensive repairs or renovations that require a vacant unit, you must apply for a Renovation Licence within 7 days of serving the N13. The application needs a report from a qualified person confirming the work is so extensive the unit must be empty. The licence costs $715 per unit plus a $125 annual renewal. You must honour the tenant’s right of first refusal to return, and provide either comparable temporary housing or monetary rent-gap compensation. Genuine, well-documented renovation need and honest good-faith intent keep a Hamilton landlord onside.
What is Hamilton’s Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law?
Hamilton’s Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law came into effect on January 1, 2025. It was the first municipal renoviction by-law in Ontario, and it set the template several other cities have since followed.
The word “renoviction” describes an eviction dressed up as a renovation: a landlord serving notice to empty a unit not because the work genuinely requires it, but to end a below-market tenancy and re-rent higher. Hamilton’s by-law does not ban renovations. It requires you to prove the work is real, to license it, and to protect the tenant’s right to come back. Legitimate renovation is still entirely lawful. The by-law simply raises the bar on documentation and honesty.
Two points to be clear about from the start. First, this by-law complements the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA); it does not replace it. You still follow the RTA’s N13 process at the Landlord and Tenant Board and the by-law’s licensing process at the City in parallel. Second, it applies to units in Hamilton. If your property is elsewhere, check that city’s rules. Several now exist.
When do I need a Renovation Licence, and how fast?
You need a Renovation Licence when you serve an N13, the RTA notice used to end a tenancy for extensive repairs or renovations that require the unit to be vacant.
The timing is tight and unforgiving. You must apply for the Renovation Licence within 7 days of serving the N13. Miss that window and you are offside the by-law regardless of how genuine the renovation is. Practically, that means the licence application and the N13 should be prepared together, not sequentially. Serve the notice, and the clock is already running.
What proof does the licence application require?
This is the heart of the by-law. Your application must include a report or letter from a qualified person (the kind of professional whose opinion carries weight, such as an engineer or architect) confirming that the work is so extensive the unit must be vacant while it is carried out.
That requirement is deliberate. It stops a landlord from claiming a cosmetic refresh needs an empty unit. If the work can reasonably be done with the tenant in place, it is not grounds for an N13, and no qualified professional should be attesting otherwise. Get this document right and honest. It is the single strongest piece of evidence that your renovation is legitimate, and it is exactly what a tenant, the City, or the LTB will scrutinize if the eviction is challenged.
What does the Renovation Licence cost?
The licensing costs are specific:
- $715 per unit for the Renovation Licence.
- $125 annual renewal fee.
Those are the fees to the City. They are not the whole cost. On top of them you fund the renovation itself and, critically, the tenant’s accommodation or compensation during the work. Budget for the full picture before you serve an N13, not after.
What is the tenant’s right of first refusal?
Under section 53 of the RTA, a tenant evicted for renovations has a right of first refusal: the right to move back into the unit once the work is complete, at a rent similar to what they were paying, rather than the new market rate.
In Hamilton, there is a procedural step the tenant must take to preserve it. The tenant must notify the landlord in writing within 120 days of receiving the N13 that they intend to exercise the right of return. If they do, you must honour it when the unit is ready.
For a landlord, the practical implication is simple: a renoviction does not reset your rent roll. If the tenant exercises the right of return, they come back at roughly their old rent. The economics of renovating specifically to raise rent on a returning tenant do not work, which is precisely the behaviour the by-law is designed to discourage.
What relocation or compensation must the landlord provide?
While the work is underway, the by-law requires you to provide the displaced tenant with one of two things:
- Comparable temporary accommodation, reasonably similar in cost, location, and size to the tenant’s current unit; or
- Monetary “rent-gap” compensation: the difference between the tenant’s current rent and the average market rent for similar-sized units in Hamilton, based on CMHC data.
If you choose the compensation route, you submit an attestation form to the City’s Licensing and By-law Services confirming the arrangement. This is a real, recurring cost for the duration of the renovation, and the rent-gap figure is tied to market data, not to a number you pick. Model it honestly before committing to the project.
How does Hamilton compare to other Ontario cities?
Hamilton was first, but it is no longer alone. As renoviction pressure grew, other municipalities followed:
- Toronto. Rental Renovation Licence, effective July 31, 2025.
- London. Rental Unit Repair Licence, effective March 2025.
- St. Catharines, Guelph, and Owen Sound have considered similar by-laws.
The details differ city by city, but the direction is consistent: municipalities are layering licensing, documentation, and tenant-return protections on top of the RTA. If you own in more than one city, do not assume the Hamilton rules travel. Check each jurisdiction.
Why do honest documentation and good tenant selection matter here?
Here is the practitioner’s read, from a firm based in Hamilton. This by-law does not punish renovation. It punishes pretext. The landlords who run into trouble are the ones who cannot show their renovation was genuinely necessary or who treated the N13 as a lever to reset rent. The landlords who stay onside are the ones whose paperwork tells a true story: a qualified professional’s report that stands up, a clean 7-day licence application, honoured tenant rights, and honest good-faith intent throughout.
That discipline starts long before the N13. The most common reason landlords reach for aggressive tactics is a tenancy that went wrong, and many of those could have been avoided at the application stage. Proper, legally compliant tenant screening (verifying identity, income, and rental history within the limits of the Ontario Human Rights Code and PIPEDA) is the quiet groundwork that keeps you out of adversarial territory in the first place. Good tenants and honest documentation are the same strategy applied at two ends of the tenancy.
For the ongoing issues that surface mid-tenancy, our piece Tenant Troubles? How Private Solutions Investigators Assist Landlords sets out what a landlord may lawfully look into. And if you are weighing how these municipal rules sit alongside the province-wide changes arriving this year, see our companion explainer on Ontario’s Bill 60 RTA changes for 2026.
Ontario legal context
Residential tenancies in Ontario are governed by the Residential Tenancies Act and administered by the Landlord and Tenant Board. The N13 is a prescribed notice with strict content and service requirements, and the tenant’s right of first refusal sits in section 53 of the RTA. Municipal renoviction by-laws, Hamilton’s Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law among them, add local licensing, documentation, and compensation obligations on top of the RTA; they do not replace it. Fees, forms, and CMHC market-rent figures can change, and each municipality’s rules differ. A licensed investigator can gather and document facts lawfully; decisions about notices, licensing, and compensation should be made with a licensed Ontario lawyer or paralegal who can apply the current rules to your property.
Not legal advice
This article is general information about investigative practice in Ontario, not legal advice. Laws change and every situation is different. For advice about your specific circumstances, consult a licensed Ontario lawyer or contact a licensed investigator directly.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hamilton’s renoviction bylaw?
Hamilton’s Renovation Licence and Relocation By-law was the first municipal renoviction by-law in Ontario, in effect since January 1, 2025. If a landlord serves an N13 to evict for extensive repairs or renovations that require a vacant unit, they must apply for a Renovation Licence within 7 days of serving the N13, include a report from a qualified person confirming the unit must be vacant, and protect the tenant’s right of return.
How much does a Hamilton Renovation Licence cost?
The Renovation Licence costs $715 per unit, plus a $125 annual renewal fee. Those are the licensing costs alone. A landlord also has to fund either comparable temporary accommodation for the tenant or monetary rent-gap compensation, on top of the renovation work itself.
Does a tenant have the right to return after a renoviction in Hamilton?
Yes. Under section 53 of the Residential Tenancies Act, a tenant has a right of first refusal to return to the unit after renovations at a similar rent. In Hamilton, the tenant must notify the landlord in writing within 120 days of receiving the N13 to preserve that right, and the landlord must honour it when the work is complete.
What is rent-gap compensation under the Hamilton bylaw?
Where a landlord does not provide comparable temporary accommodation, the Hamilton bylaw requires monetary rent-gap compensation: the difference between the tenant’s current rent and the average market rent for similar-sized units in Hamilton, based on CMHC data. The landlord submits an attestation form to the City’s Licensing and By-law Services.
Do other Ontario cities have renoviction bylaws?
Yes. Hamilton was first, effective January 1, 2025. Toronto’s Rental Renovation Licence took effect July 31, 2025, and London’s Rental Unit Repair Licence in March 2025. St. Catharines, Guelph, and Owen Sound have considered similar bylaws. These municipal rules complement, and do not replace, the Residential Tenancies Act.