Rental Housing Licensing Pilot Program

To apply for a rental housing licence, property owners will need to submit:

Business Licence Application Form(PDF, 720.03 KB)

Additional documentation is also required:

• Business Registration/Corporate Profile/Master Business Licence
  • If the Owner is a partnership, the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of each partner;
  • If the Owner is a corporation, the address of its head office, the name, address, telephone number of each director and officer and a copy of:
    • Articles of incorporation;
    • A copy of the last initial notice or notice of change which has been filed with the provincial or federal government; and,
    • A Certificate of Status issued by the Ministry of Government and Consumer services.
• Proof of Liability Insurance as a Rental Property ($2 million per occurrence)
• Proof of Property Ownership
• Certificate of Compliance Application(PDF, 133.11 KB)
• Self-Certification Checklist(PDF, 247.93 KB) as per the by-law.
• Floor Plan of the Rental Housing Unit, for each room, its dimensions and proposed use, clearly indicating the location and number of bedrooms. View sample floor plan(PDF, 129.67 KB) 
• A site sketch that indicates the location of the Rental Housing Unit, any external garage/recycling facilities, and parking spaces. The number of parking spaces must be clearly indicated with their dimensions.
• Documentation from an ESA/ECRA licensed electrician stating a general electrical inspection was completed and the rental housing unit complies with the Electrical Safety Code, O. Reg.164/99;
  • Duplexes (Two-Unit Dwellings) do not need to submit Electrical Inspection documentation with the initial application; it may be requested post Fire inspection.
• Certificate of Zoning Verification from the City of Hamilton. Fees are the responsibility of the property owner. Learn more about Zoning Verifications

The Zoning Verification certificate indicates whether a use is permitted and the what the last recognized use of the property is. The property must be recognized for the current proposed use to move forward with the licensing process.

Once Zoning Verification certificate is received, please review the certificate for any additional instructions prior to contacting the Licensing Section.

Note: Properties that are not recognized as their proposed use, may require additional steps to become recognized.

Complete application packages and supporting forms can be submitted in 2 ways:

• In person to 330 Wentworth Street North, Hamilton
• By email to [email protected], a file number will be created and sent back to the applicant.

Please refer to the Business Licence Reference Guide(PDF, 1.14 MB) for more information on application requirements by licence type.

Once a complete application has been submitted, the Rental Licence application process will be initiated. Timelines for licence issuance can vary depending on the results of the required inspections.

Pay Business Licence Fee Online

To make an online payment you must have:

• your application number if paying for a new licence i.e: 22-XXXXX (first 2 digits represent the year)

Rental Licensing Fees

* Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) inspections are done by a 3rd party service provider, property owners are responsible for arranging the inspection and the applicable fees.