Safe Apartment Buildings Program

Engage Hamilton

Safe Apartments - How We Assess Building Conditions

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Hamilton’s Safe Apartment Buildings By-law 24-054 comes into effect on January 1, 2026. It is designed to improve the condition of common areas in apartment buildings across Hamilton by helping the City, landlords and tenants work together to fix problems more quickly and effectively.

This By-law will help ensure safer, cleaner, and more livable housing for tenants while supporting landlords in maintaining their properties to a consistent standard.

Under the By-law, apartment buildings with two or more storeys and six or more rental units must register annually. Building owners must also create plans that show how they keep the building well-maintained.

The Safe Apartment Buildings By-law does not apply to:

Condominiums
Long-term care homes
Licensed residential care facilities
Licensed retirement homes
Lodging homes
Housing co-operatives

Information for

Property Owners & Tenants

Information for Property Owners

Information for Tenants

Registering Your Property/Properties

To register a building for the Safe Apartment Buildings Program, property owners must submit the following information:

A registration form to confirm information about the property owner, contacts for the building, details about security features and other general information about the building
Proof of general liability insurance with a minimum per occurrence limit of $2,000,000
Mandatory plans for:
- Pest management
- Waste management
- Cleaning
- Maintaining a state of good repair – a five-year forecast of capital and common element repairs and improvements
- Electrical maintenance
- Disruptions to vital services (planned and unplanned)

Each building must be registered separately if a property owner owns multiple apartment buildings. The building registration is valid for one year and must be completed annually.

Download the reference form and owner guide for more information about how to register your property.

Safe Apartment Buildings Registration Form - Reference Only(PDF, 232.44 KB)

Safe Apartment Buildings By-law Building Owner Guide(PDF, 401.32 KB)

After building registration, City staff will complete an evaluation of each building to assign a score that reflects the building’s maintenance practices and standards. Evaluation scores will be made available to the public.

To remain in compliance with the By-law after successfully registering the apartment building, property owners must:

Follow the mandatory plans created when registering for the Safe Apartment Buildings Program
Provide copies of the plans to tenants upon request or when undertaking planned or unplanned activities
Establish a process for receiving, addressing and recording the outcome of Tenant Service Requests
Maintain a record of all Tenant Service Requests and maintenance activities completed for at least 30 months from the record creation date
Maintain a voluntary contact list of tenants needing assistance in case of emergencies
Install a tenant notification board in a central and prominent location in the building and keep it up to date with information impacting tenants of the building
Use certified tradespersons for servicing heat, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing systems or completing any pest management activities
Provide City staff with access to the building to conduct inspections, evaluations and audits or to confirm compliance with issued orders
Notify the City within 7 days of any changes to building registration or ownership

Property owners must not rent or offer to rent a vacant rental unit if:

The condition inside the rental unit does not meet minimum maintenance standards prescribed under the City’s Property Standards By-law
There are property standards orders issued against that unit
If there is a discontinuance of any vital services to that unit
If there is a known presence of pests in that unit

The Safe Apartment Building By-law requires that property owners/landlords provide existing or prospective tenants with:

A tenant notification board in an easily accessible common area with essential information about the building and who to contact for assistance
Copies of the mandatory plans and building evaluation results
A clear process to submit Tenant Service Requests and receive responses for concerns related to:
- building or unit safety and security
- disruptions to vital services
- pests
- general repair or maintenance
The option to add their name and contact information to a voluntary list of tenants who require additional assistance in the case of emergencies or loss of vital services

Tenants are responsible for helping prevent pest infestations by:

Submitting a Tenant Service Request as soon as they observe or suspect a pest infestation, or conditions likely to cause an infestation
Avoiding creating conditions that may attract or harbour pests
Treating fleas, lice or ticks on any pets or animals under their care

Date modified

November 07, 2025