Should we consider licensing landlords?

Re Tenant survey bolsters call for landlord

licensing, Nov. 1 The Star has yet again published another story that illustrates the greed and neglect of apartment landlords in this city.

Rent is creeping so high in this city that some are spending upward of 60 to 80 per cent of their income on housing alone. What they get for this rent is infestation after infestation, mould problems and elevator breakdowns.

Licensing landlords could be the solution to the problem. There should also be some sort of audit where landlords would be fined or have rent withheld from units that have unacceptable conditions. Perhaps with these changes, more power can come to the renters to get conditions that are habitable. Brad Globe, Whitby While I am fully aware that there are many issues with housing in Toronto, ACORN’s statistics are even more troubling. The 174 responses represent fewer than 1 per cent of the 20,000 homes. This would be basing the need for yet another level of government intervention on the problems of 0.058 per cent of the tenants of Toronto’s approximately 300,000 apartments.

Are there problem buildings? Yes, but let’s go after them, not everyone. Scott Robertson, Etobicoke