Long-term Rental Housing Concern – Unlicensed or Unregistered (e.g. basement apartment) (Portal Content Only)
Additional Residential Units (ARUs) must be registered with the City of Brampton. ARUs may also be known as basement apartments, additional dwelling units, second or third units, accessory residential units, accessory apartments, granny flats, in-law suites, garden suites, laneway suites, and/or coach houses (See list of registered ARUs). They are self-contained residential dwelling units, with their own cooking facility, sanitary facility and sleeping area, and that it is located either within a single detached, semi-detached or townhouse dwelling (attached ARU) or within an ancillary building (garden suite).
To be considered legal, these units must be registered with the City of Brampton.
- Units registered before November 16, 1995:
- Still recognized as valid and do not need to re-register
- Units with Legal Non-Conforming status (under Bill 120):
- Must now register with the City following the new process, though they do not need to comply with the new Zoning By-law requirements.
- All other existing or proposed second units will be required to register and comply with the new Zoning By-law requirements for Two-unit Dwellings
For concerns about the legality of an ARU the Enforcement and By-Law Services division investigates zoning violations regarding second-units. Concerns regarding the legality of a second unit will be investigated.
For further information regarding Second Units refer to Enforcement and By-Law Services
Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) Pilot Program requires landlords of rental housing units in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 to also be licensed by the City of Brampton: Brampton has a two-year Residential Rental Licensing (RRL) Pilot Program (ending December 31, 2025) requiring rental properties with four or fewer units to obtain a business licence in Wards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Use Find My Ward to determine which Ward a property belongs to (See list of issued licenses).
For concerns about the conduct of the Residential Rental License (RRL) holder or you believe the property is not being operated in accordance with a By-law, you can request a review of the license.
Lodging Houses must be licensed by the City of Brampton: Shared accommodations do not require a license. A lodging house is where separate residential accommodations are provided to more than four individuals, each occupying separate bedrooms, and not living together as a single household. This does not include a group of people living together communally and sharing control of the property, for example a group of students or friends residing together.
Related Information:
