(Check for update on the audit program here: MLS Auditing Program for 2011 )
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The first annual report released by the City of Toronto’s first Ombudsman contained a troubling statement about the “lack of effective communication between bureaucrats and public”. Check here to access the Ombudsman’s report. This lack of communication identified in the report has clearly been a source of great frustration for the public. In particular, it is a serious impediment to resolving landlord violations of property standards in multi-residential apartment buildings (MRAB). Hence this huge number of tenant complaints for the City of Toronto Ombudsman to deal with in the past year. Interestingly enough, the Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) department that handles violations by landlords, was identified at the top of the list of departments most complained about in the Ombudsman’s report.
Since a major responsibility of the MLS department is to resolve violations committed by landlords in multi-residential apartment buildings, this report by the Ombudsman is welcome news for long-suffering tenants. Most of us who are renters in multi-residential apartment buildings in the GTA are acutely aware of the violations that many landlords have been getting away with over the years. This is also substantiated by comments from many of our viewers about numerous violations of property standards that remain unresolved. Some viewers have also expressed great frustration about their dealings with MLS when trying to resolve these violations especially when using the 311 phone number to lodge complaints. Renters who have made repeated calls to 311 indicate they were not dealt with in a professional manner by MLS employees. For example, some callers say they were told to send an email, their calls are not returned and the employee who is supposedly there to help them is not helpful at all. The general feeling from renters dealing with the MLS department is that there is no impartiality when it comes to resolving landlord violations.
Incidentally, the East York Tenants Group notified viewers of this auditing proposal by the City of Toronto in one of our earlier posts New Auditing Regulatory Strategy for Multi-Residential Apartment Buildings published in November 2008. We also published other posts addressing property standard violations such as: 390 Dawes Road: No Heat Despite Cold Weather and Repairs and Building Maintenance Issues. These posts focused on the challenges faced by tenants trying to resolve landlord violations.
According to reports in the media, the most recent MLS audit conducted on multi-residential buildings confirmed a large number of serious violations of property standards. These media reports can be accessed at City Ombudsman’s website: http://ombudstoronto.ca. Since the main responsibility of the MLS department is to ensure that multi-residential buildings are liveable for tenants it could be argued that there are major deficiencies in the services provided by MLS. In addition, it comes as no surprise that most of the apartment buildings targeted for the audit strategy are mostly located in low-income neighbourhoods.
Here are some useful links to familiarize yourself with the MLS audit report:
Audits conducted on apartment buildings in Wards 31 and 32 – Toronto East York can be accessed at this link: http://www.toronto.ca/licensing/mrab/audit_activity_by_ward.htm
We need answers to some important questions with regard to the reasons for implementing that audit proposal: a) Wasn’t MLS personnel conducting routine inspections of buildings either ad hoc or based on complaints from tenants? b) Was there an absence of ‘enforcement’ of property standards? and, c) Is it a systemic problem at MLS, a lack of enforcement, incompetence or all of these issues?
We need to see a prompt and effective response from MLS to the findings of the Ombudsman’s report and look forward to solutions MLS should implement in response to the findings by the Ombudsman.
SPECIAL NOTE
A Property Standards Committee Meeting for Toronto and East York Panel is scheduled to take place shortly and details are provided below for those who are interested in participating:
Property Standards Committee Meeting
2010 Property Standards – Toronto and East York Panel
THURSDAY, February 11, 9:30am – 12:30pm
COMMITTEE ROOM 2, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto ON
For information on the Agendas and Minutes and also for instructions on how to communicate with City Council or committees go to this link:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/2010/agendas/sz.htm
East York Tenants Group 
Although I have not had to deal directly with MLS, I have friends who have had to do so. The stories that they had told me are certainly upsetting.
Tenants just want to get their problem (or problems) fixed, since being in whatever situation they are in is distressing. Also, since they are paying rent, they rightly feel that such problems need to be remedied.
i also agree with one of the previous people who commented that it seems as if Landlords only want MORE MONEY & are not prepared to spend any of the MONEY to remedy any ‘problems’ in the buildings they own.
I was not all surprised when I saw the report on TV about the high number of complaints against the MLS for their poor service to the public. Just imagine well over 1000 complaints to the Ombudsman and the MLS was at the top of the list! I was quite put off seeing the awful conditions in that horrible building that tenants live in. They showed the inside of the tenant’s unit which was quite neat but the building itself needed a lot of repairs as it had with crumbling walls, bad plumbing and malfunctioning toilets and those dreadful roaches and other pests running around all over. Tenants don’t live free of charge, they have to pay rent so why aren’t landlords made more accountable? All landlords care about is MONEY and more MONEY! I am left to wonder what actually goes on at MLS. It’s a pity that tenant associations have all but disappeared. Landlords intimidate tenants (mostly newcomers to Canada) and go to great lengths to prevent tenants from organizing. That is illegal and tenants should not allow themselves to be intimidated. Tenants should take their case to the Landlord and Tenant Board and have the landlord pay a hefty fine. Tenants should also ask for financial compensation.
What exactly are the responsibilities of the employees of MLS? Isn’t monitoring and resolving property violations between tenants and landlords one of the main reasons why that department exists? Am I wrong in assuming that the job description of these employees contains a responsibility that they deal with the public in a professional manner! They make very good salaries for their mediocre (or terrible) work performance. These employees are ‘over’ paid, ‘over’ staffed, ‘over’ rated and based on what I read in the Ombudsman’s report they are ‘under’ performing and are grossly ‘under’ skilled. Lots of ‘OVERS’ and ‘UNDERS’ but in the wrong areas! It is no wonder that we tenants end up having to go through the harrowing process at the Landlord and Tenant Board to get some justice. And I along with many other tenants are wondering what the City of Toronto will do to fix this.
Message to Mr. City Hall: you do not need to hire more people… you just need to get rid of the excess incompetent staff and get the other staff to do the job they are paid to do. That will save the City some money in this tight economic climate!
Ralph