FAQs
- a unit for which the rent does not exceed 30 percent of gross annual household income for low and moderate income households; or
- a unit for which the rent is at or below the average market rent of a unit in the City of Hamilton.
- applications to convert existing rental units from a rental tenure to a condominium (ownership) tenure, and
- development applications which would result in the demolition of existing rental units.
What is considered “affordable” housing?
In the Urban and Rural Hamilton Official Plans, affordable (in the case of rental housing) means the least expensive of:
What does “primary rental housing” mean and how does it relate to this initiative?
Primary Rental Housing is defined in the City’s Urban Hamilton Official Plan as: “Buildings or groups of buildings containing six or more dwelling units, owned by a single owner or agency, built with the intention of being permanently rented.”
The City’s Official Plan policies about conversions of rental housing to condominium tenure and demolition of rental housing only apply to rental units which meet the definition of Primary Rental Housing.
Also, the powers of the Municipal Act only permit a Municipality to regulate conversions and demolitions of rental housing for properties with 6 or more rental units.
What is not included in the scope of this initiative?
This initiative is focused only on the policy and planning process framework around:
It does not deal with the issue commonly referred to as “renovictions” or the creation of new affordable housing.