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Shared Accommodations and Lodging Houses

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A strong and inclusive community depends on a variety of housing options that meet the needs of all residents. The City of Brampton is commi​tted to fostering diverse housing choices, including traditional homes, rental units, shared accommodations and lodging houses. A broad range of housing types ensures affordability, accessibility and flexibility for individuals and families at different life stages and income levels.​

Types of Shared Accomodations

A shared accommodation is a multi-tenant living arrangement where multiple individuals share a residential dwelling unit. This is common among students, young professionals, and individuals seeking affordable housing options. Examples of different types of shared accommodations can include:

  • Homestay or Exchange Programs – This is an arrangement where an individual(s) lives with a family (called a host family), providing them with a place to stay and meals.
  • Group Living Arrangements (Single Housekeeping Units) – These can include a group of family members, friends, co-workers or students who reside together and share control and decision-making responsibilities over the rental unit, and function as a single-housekeeping unit, or other similar social unit. All tenants have access to all habitable areas in the unit.
  • Co-Living Arrangements – These include arrangements where up to four tenants reside in a residential dwelling unit but generally only share common areas while maintaining private bedrooms. This model fosters community while keeping costs manageable (permitted without a license based on number of tenants).
  • Lodging Houses – A lodging house is defined by the City of Brampton as a property where separate residential accommodations are provided for more than four individuals, each occupying their own bedroom and not living together as a single household. This does not include groups of people, such as students or friends, who live together communally and share control of the property (also commonly referred to as rooming, boarding, or multi-tenant houses) ​

Why Shared Accommodations Are Important

By supporting a diverse housing landscape, Brampton is creating a more inclusive, affordable, sustainable and economically vibrant community where all residents have a place to call home. A mix of housing options supports a thriving city by:

  • Providing Affordable Choices – Not all residents can afford or need traditional single-family homes. Shared accommodations and lodging houses offer cost-effective alternatives, particularly for students, seniors and low-income individuals.
  • Supporting Workforce Housing – A strong local economy relies on housing options for workers in various industries. Affordable accommodations help businesses attract and retain employees who live and work in Brampton.
  • Promoting Inclusivity – People from different backgrounds and lifestyles require flexible housing arrangements. Shared accommodations allow individuals to live in a community setting while maintaining affordability.
  • Maximizing Land Use – Alternative housing options, such as lodging houses, contribute to sustainable urban development by making efficient use of existing residential areas.

How the City Regulates Shared Accommodations

The City of Brampton ensures that all housing types comply with regulations designed to maintain safety, property standards, and community well-being. In the City of Brampton, lodging houses must be licensed and permitted under the Zoning By-law. Boarding, Rooming and Lodging Houses are regulated by different pieces of legislation.

  • City of Brampton Zoning By-law – establishes zones lodging houses are permitted in and establishes standards for land use, including parking requirements.
  • City of Brampton Business Licensing By-law – requires a business license to be issued and renewed annually.
  • Ontario Fire Code – Requires compliance with Ontario Fire Code requirements.
  • Ontario Building Code – Requires compliance with Ontario Building Code requirements.

Enforcement

The City of Brampton is responsible for enforcing compliance with zoning, property standards and licensing regulations. Penalties for violations can be significant, including fines under the Planning Act, Building Code Act, and Municipal Act. Individuals. Corporations found in violation may face fines ranging from $25,000 to $1.5 million, with daily penalties for continuing offences. Administrative penalties are also imposed for certain offences such as constructing additional bedrooms without a permit which can range from $250 to $1,250.

However, there are specific parameters for investigating potential violations, ensuring that any action taken is in line with provincial legislation.

Occupancy and Relationship: The number of occupants or their relationship to one another does not, by itself, constitute a contravention of the Zoning By-law. The Ontario Planning Act does not grant municipalities the authority to create by-laws that distinguish between related and unrelated persons in respect of the occupancy or use of a building. Therefore, there is no effect on the legality of accommodations being provided.

Authority to Inspect: Under the Planning Act, an officer must have reasonable grounds to believe that a by-law is being contravened before entering and inspecting a property. If a resident suspects a violation has occurred, detailed information should be provided about the specific use and violation, as well as the manner in which this information became known, to support the investigation.​​​​

Frequently Asked Questions

The City of Brampton Business Licensing By-law and Zoning By-law define a Loding House as a single detached dwelling in which residential accommodation is provided, or is intended to be provided in which each lodger does not have access to all of the habitable areas of the building and consists of more than four (4) lodging units; or a single detached dwelling in which lodging is provided for more than four (4) persons with or without meals’.

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If the occupants/tenants, irrespective of their relationship, occupy and control the dwelling unit as a single housekeeping unit (family unit or similar social unit) whereby they all have access to all areas of the house, including the bedrooms and share decision making ability, it is not considered a lodging house and does not require a license. However, may be subject to other licensing and registration requirements, as applicable.

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Boarding, lodging or rooming house under the Ontario Building Code means a building,

  1. that has a building height not exceeding three storeys and a building area not exceeding 600m²,
  2. in which lodging is provided for more than four persons in return for remuneration or for the provision of services or for both, and
  3. in which the lodging rooms do not have both bathrooms and kitchen facilities for the exclusive use of individual occupants

The Ontario Building Code defines a dwelling unit as a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used by one or more persons and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping and sanitary facilities. In order to distinguish between a dwelling unit and a lodging house, recent case law has identified some of the key characteristics of a dwelling unit to try and help define what a “single housekeeping unit” is. These dwelling unit characteristics include the following:

  • All of the tenants in a house knowing each other well in advance of signing their lease
  • All of the tenants deciding together who gets which room with no influence from the owner or their representative
  • No keyed locks on any of the bedroom doors
  • The tenants enter into a group lease
  • The tenants pay the rent as a group
  • The tenants pay all of the utilities in their name separate from the rent
  • That neither the owner nor any of their relatives live in the house (although this may help to reduce the number of lodgers to four or less, if they are on the ownership)
  • The tenants have access to the entire house
  • The tenants provide all of the furniture for the entire house
  • The tenants are responsible for the cleaning of the house
  • That there have not been any renovations to increase the number bedrooms in the house

When upgrading to or constructing a lodging house the Ontario Building Code typically requires items such as the following:

  • Fire rated floors and roofs
  • Fire separated bedrooms, including fire rated doors and self closers
  • Fire rated corridors (hallways), including fire rated doors and self closers
  • Fire rated construction, including fire rated doors and self closers, around the stairs on each storey to separate them as segregated, protected exit stairs leading directly to the exterior and protecting exterior stairs from exterior windows or other openings
  • Fire separated ancillary rooms (storage rooms, washrooms, laundry rooms, service rooms), including fire rated doors and self closers
  • Two required exits from each floor level (depending on the number of lodgers or if there is sleeping accommodation in the basement) *Please note that an egress window is not deemed as an exit.
  • Interconnected, hardwired smoke alarms with battery back-up and visual signals throughout the lodging house, including in each bedroom
  • CO alarms and fire extinguishers
  • Emergency lights and exit signs
  • A fire alarm system (depending on the number of lodgers)
  • Barrier free (including wheelchair) accessibility (depending on the number of lodgers)

Any room used for sleeping must be constructed under a building permit issued by the City of Brampton and constructed in compliance with the Ontario Building Code standards for a bedroom. Existing rooms also cannot be converted into bedrooms without a permit. Click here for building permit requirements for interior alteration​.

Should you choose to bring the property into compliance by reducing the number of lodgers, you will be required to terminate the associated leases in accordance with the legal requirements under the Residential Tenancies Act, and are encouraged to work collectively with your tenants to find alternative living options for them.

Depending on the size and layout of the house there may be an opportunity to construct an additional residential unit and upgrade to a two-unit house instead of continuing operating a lodging house.

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Key Forms and Documents

Related Links

Contact

For information about the City of Brampton's lodging house regulations, please contact:

enforcement@brampton.ca​​