Rental Housing Licence

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

Business Licence Application Form(PDF, 985.37 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.
• Certified Electrician Inspection
• You are required to hire an Electrical Safety Authority(ESA)/Electronic Contractor Registration Agency (ECRA) licensed electrician to perform a general inspection and provide documentation that states:
• The address of the rental property
  • Date of electrical inspection
    • Statement that the proposed use of the property complies with the Electrical Safety Code, O. Reg. 164/99;
    • Signed by a licensed Electrician including their ESA licence number
• For convenience, the following template can be utilized by the electrical contractor(PDF, 104.53 KB) however, the electrical contractor can use their own form as long as it satisfies the information required within the By-law as listed above.
• To find a licensed electrician in your area, you can visit esasafe.com and search by location. 
  • Note: This link is provided as a resource only. The City of Hamilton does not maintain this resource and cannot confirm the accuracy of information or the quality, service or license status of the contractors listed. It remains the responsibility of the license applicant to do their research and ensure the contractor meets their personal standards as well as the requirements of the by-law.
• 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 - Open Monday and Wednesday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
• City Hall, 71 Main St, Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
• 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, 1.07 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 licence number if paying for a renewal i.e: 18-XXXXXX (first 2 digits represent the year)
• your application number if paying for a new licence i.e: 18-XXXXX (first 2 digits represent the year)

Please note: that postal code entered must match the one on file with the credit card provider.