Landlords will soon have to disclose the state of their apartment buildings to tenants through a new rating system as part of a RentSafeTO motion passed by city council this week.
Beginning in 2026, landlords must post colour-coded signs in public locations around their apartment buildings that indicate the status of any outstanding property standards violations.
The rating system, similar to the city’s DineSafe program, will require apartments to post one of three signs in visible areas: a red sign that indicates serious health and safety violations, yellow for more minor infractions and green for buildings that are in good condition.
Approved by council in a 20-3 vote on Thursday, the colour-coded rating system will also be integrated into the RentSafeTO online Interactive Building Score Map, a tool that provides information on safety and maintenance performance of Toronto apartment buildings.
The motion, recommended by Coun. Josh Matlow (Toronto-St. Paul’s), outlined that landlords have claimed that a red sign would “stigmatize” people in apartment buildings. However, he said renters and tenant organizations communicated to the city that its obscenities such as mold and cockroaches that are stigmatizing — not a sign.
His motion argued that the current system provided “little incentive” for landlords to make timely repairs, pointing to buildings that received high scores despite having major issues.
“Most landlords are decent landlords, but the worst landlords in the city will stop at nothing to stop what we are doing because they know that they’re actually going to have to invest in their tenants,” Matlow said during a press conference this week.
“Having this program in place really just gets it all under one roof so that every part of the city, every ward, has something … to actually get landlords to comply,” added Coun. Chris Moise (Toronto Centre).
According to a press release from Matlow, the motion will also direct city staff to provide greater weighting in city audits involving “serious” infractions — such as pests, mold, and inoperable appliances.
“If there are cockroaches or mold in your apartment the City will stick a red sign in the window until it’s fixed,” Matlow noted in the release.
City staff will report back to council in 2026 on the implementation plan for the colour-coded rating system.
