Kelowna council wants a stronger Tenant Protection Plan with clearer rules.
At Monday乌鸦传媒檚 (Mar. 3) meeting, Deputy Mayor Luke Stack said he was looking for a more structured approach.
乌鸦传媒淚 think one of the things that the development community is always telling us is, don't leave it an open slate as to what council might want or what a future council might want,乌鸦传媒� Stack said. 乌鸦传媒淭hey usually say, 乌鸦传媒楪ive us something definitive, give us some rules.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Stack expected staff to present a clearer plan, adding, 乌鸦传媒淚 think it actually introduces uncertainty.乌鸦传媒�
The need for tenant relocation policies were highlighted in May 2024 when council delayed a rezoning decision for a Mills Road property in Rutland. The site乌鸦传媒檚 20 rental units are set to be torn down and replaced with 55 new purpose-built rentals, displacing several residents.
Under the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA), landlords must give tenants four months乌鸦传媒� notice and one month乌鸦传媒檚 rent in compensation when ending tenancy due to redevelopment. However, a staff report noted there乌鸦传媒檚 no formal assistance beyond those basic requirements.
At Monday乌鸦传媒檚 meeting, staff proposed new tenant protection measures for properties with five or more rental units that are being redeveloped. Developers would need to submit a tenant protection plan with their applications, outlining how they meet RTA obligations and any voluntary measures for tenant relocation and support.
Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 2023 Housing Needs Assessment estimates that around 48 per cent of future housing demand will be for rental units, making redevelopment of older rental stock increasingly common.
Councillor Loyal Wooldridge backed Stack乌鸦传媒檚 call for a clearer process.
乌鸦传媒淚 think to even the playing field and make more certainty for the development industry, which we hear consistently that乌鸦传媒檚 what they want, I think having a proven and repeatable system and template would be advisable,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭he contents of that would be debated by council.乌鸦传媒�
Council directed staff to report back with more details on tenant relocation policies and how they could be implemented.
