Rental Housing Protection

The Rental Housing Protection by-law applies to any property which contains six or more residential units and at least one rental unit, where changes are being proposed that could be considered a conversion or demolition. Dwelling units are still considered rental units regardless of whether or not they are occupied by a current tenant.

Declaration of Use and Screening Form

To determine if the By-law applies to your proposal and whether a permit is required, a Declaration of Use and Screening Form is required to be completed. Applicants submitting applications for planning approvals or for a building permit may be asked by staff to complete the form. There is no fee for the Screening Form process.

Complete Declaration of Use and Screening Form(PDF, 195.02 KB) 

Completed Screening Forms can be submitted by email to [email protected] or in person at: 

City of Hamilton
71 Main Street West, 5th Floor
Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 4Y5
Attention: Planning Division

Planning Staff will review the Screening Form to confirm if a Permit Application is required to be submitted. 

Permit Application

This application may be required in relation to changes being proposed by a Development Planning application, a Committee of Adjustment application, or a Building Permit application. Please refer to the Application Fee section for applicable fees.

Complete Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion Application(PDF, 928.62 KB)

Permit Applications can be submitted through a SYNC link. A SYNC link can be requested by emailing [email protected]. 

User Guidelines

Refer to the Rental Housing Protection User Guidelines for more information about the application process, submission requirements, and timing.

Review Rental Housing Protection User Guidelines(PDF, 266.37 KB)

Payment of the application fee must be made when the Permit Application is submitted. Application fees are non-refundable. 

Refer to the Planning Division Fees page for a complete list of application fees.

The application fee can be paid by cheque, certified cheque (payable to “City of Hamilton”), or by in-person credit card transactions. All cheques submitted to the Planning Division must be accompanied by a cover letter or Fee Intake Memo(PDF, 129.58 KB).