Resident of Toronto condo building worries short-term rental registrations being targeted

Residents who live in a Toronto condo building, recently the target of several complaints, worry the building’s reputation is leading to increased scrutiny over short-term rentals.

Abhijeet Singh, a college student who lives in a small studio apartment inside Dundas Square Gardens at 251 Jarvis St., reached out to Speakers Corner after receiving a notice to revoke his short-term rental (STR) registration.

“They came for an inspection, everything went well and then the next day I received the notice,” Singh told CityNews.

At first, Singh was told he failed to provide enough proof that it was his primary residence.

“But it is, I don’t have any other home, I rent this out only when I am away to help pay for college.”

He challenged the decision, even getting help from his city councillor who looked into the issue by reaching out to the city’s Municipal Licensing and Standards department.

“They then came back and said something completely different, that my name on the Airbnb ad did not match my legal name,” Singh said. “It was a simple fix, and I fixed it but they seem intent on revoking my STR. But what’s more frustrating is nobody is responding, I have sent six emails to MLS [Municipal Licensing and Standards] and received no reply.”

Singh began to speak with other tenants of the building who told him, they too received the same notices recently, although CityNews was not able to confirm that.

“Everybody was telling me the same thing, that they’re either going after them or they had an inspection and they’re cracking down on them more,” he said.

Residents worry the building’s reputation is behind the sudden crackdown. As CityNews reported in January, residents who live there were complaining about a lack of heat, and others have sounded off on social media about security concerns inside the building — all issues management has been working to address.

“I am not sure if it’s the bad press this building received or what, but it seems like the city is finding any way to not allow us to rent out our apartments here,” Singh said. “I only moved here because this is one of a few buildings in Toronto that allow short-term rentals, it helps me pay for college.”

City staff did not confirm the accusation that the building itself is being targeted. A spokesperson told us each STR application is dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

“The City is aware that the condo building at 251 Jarvis St. continues to allow STRs and the City ensures that STRs follow the relevant regulations.”

Staff went on to say it’s up to the listing owner to make sure all the rules are followed.

“The bylaw requires that when advertising or listing short-term rentals, operators need to ensure that the information in their listing is an exact match with the information on their short-term rental registration with the City, including providing their full name as listed on government-issued identification and using the correct and complete address.”

The spokesperson said Singh failed to do that but told CityNews his case is currently being reviewed again with a final decision expected soon.

Singh was hoping to rent out his unit this summer while he’s away to pay for his studies abroad. He said if the city pursues the intent to revoke, he’ll likely have to change his plans.

“There’s just no way I can go for an exchange semester this summer, I will not be able to afford it,” Singh said.

“It was a simple mistake and I already corrected it, so I don’t understand. Why couldn’t it just be a letter or a ticket? Why do you have to revoke something that can be changed right away?”

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