Durham Region Real Estate Blog

Purchasing a home in north Oshawa as an income property does come with some restriction. Residential properties located in the vicinity of Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (DC/UOIT) must be licensed through the Residential Rental Housing Licensing (RRHL) By-Law and they must compy with the city’s zoning by-laws.

The RRHL By-Law came into effect in Jun 2008 and it requires homes within a certain area near DC/UOIT to be licensed. Number of rental bedrooms are limited to four on all streets in the rental area.

Property owners must consider five main criteria with their houses:

1. The property may only be used as permitted under the city’s zoning by-laws.

2. An R1 zoned home must function as a single housing unit.

3. Only a maximum of 4 bedrooms are allowed.

4. The home must comply with the fire code, building code, electrical code and property standards by-law

5. The owner must carry a minimum of two million dollar liability insurance policy.

If the owner complies with all these things, they can apply for a license and pay the required fee. Once reviewed, the owner will be contacted to set up the required inspections. The owner must schedule their own inspection with the Electrical safety Authority.If the application is denied, the owner may appeal.

The licence is valid for up to one year and expires on August 31 of each year and it is the responsibility of the owner to apply for a renewal each year.

Have a look at the map attached here. If your property falls within the boundaries and you’d like to rent it out to students, have a look at oshawa.ca/rrhl. If you are thinking about purchasing a home in Oshawa and you’d like to know a little more about renting it out, give me a call so we can get together and discuss what your best options are in today’s market.

Tags: Durham college, Durham Region Real Estate, home buying, investment property, oshawa real estate, Student housing