I recently got this question from Jennifer Paterson of kmimedia.ca:

I’m writing up a short online piece that looks at whether there should be stricter bylaws enforced on landlords to fulfill housing repairs. It seems that this case (https://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/news-story/5515477-herongate-tenants-rally-for-strict-housing-bylaw-landlord-penalties/) is to do with a pretty run-down property that is not managed very well, but it begs the larger question about whether Ottawa’s bylaws need changing. What do you think?

Here’s my answer:

I’d probably go in a different direction,
Jennifer. Regulations often backfire. Ottawa brought in a tree protection bylaw some time ago,
and the result was that people who had owned/properly managed their forest lots
for generations, clear cut their lands in anticipation of that bylaw. It was a
mess.

Do u know how airbnb.com works?  Hosts rate guests and vice versa. A bad review
is big trouble for landlords (and guests too).

So I’d create a rating system for both
groups—tenants and landlords to rate each other. It would be fairer, faster, cheaper, self regulating and would punish bad actors on both sides.

Oh and by the way, I would not allow any anonymous rating. What makes airbnb.com’s system work is that they are not anonymous. So the best forum would be to use something like Facebook log in or Facebook comments for this platform…

Bruce M Firestone, ROYAL LePAGE Performance Realty broker, Ottawa Senators
founder

call: 613.422.6757 x 250

email:
bruce.firestone@century21.ca

text: 6137628884

tweet: @profbruce
@quantum_entity

https://www.brucemfirestone.com/

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