The City of Burlington Property Standards By-law 28-2009 provides minimum standards for property owners to ensure residential properties are structurally sound, properly maintained and safe. The building department bylaw enforcement officers make sure property owners understand and adhere to the minimum standards outlined in the bylaw. The Property Standards Committee is a committee appointed by City Council to consider appeals to orders issued by property standards officers.
Examples of the standards in the property standards bylaw include:
- Minimum heat requirements for residential rental buildings
- Rental building maintenance
- Residential occupancy standards
- Building structural capacity
- Snow removal for residential rental properties
- Minimum lighting standards for parking garages
- Designated heritage property maintenance
- Marijuana grow operations
- Hazardous tree maintenance
- Standards for all exterior property areas, including vacant land, which shall be maintained in a clean and reasonable condition so as to prevent fire, accidents or health hazards
Request for Service
To place a request for service for bylaw enforcement, please call 905-335-7731 or email building@burlington.ca. Be sure to include your name, address and telephone number as complaints without contact information will not be investigated. Your personal information will be kept confidential.
Tenants making a property standards request regarding his or her dwelling or apartment building should first advise the landlord of the concern in writing to allow landlord the opportunity to address the maintenance issue prior to bylaw enforcement involvement.
To Make an Appeal
An owner or occupant who has been served with an Order may appeal to the Property Standards Committee by sending a Notice of Appeal by registered mail and the fee as set out in the Property Standard Bylaw 28-2009 Schedule "B", to the Secretary of the Committee within 14 days after being served the Order.
Certificate of Compliance
Property owners can request a property standards certificate of compliance from a bylaw enforcement officer to obtain a written opinion of property compliance within the standards contained in the Property Standards By-law 28-2009 and the Building Code Act. Requests can be made by submitting a written request to the building department bylaw office. Fees are indicated in Schedule "A" of the Property Standards Bylaw. Bylaw enforcement officers will conduct an inspection prior to application to determine whether or not a Property Standards Notice or Order has been served.