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Property Standards

The Property Standards by-law 2009-108 sets minimum standards for existing buildings and properties in the City of Welland.

Scope of the by-law

All property owners, residential and non-residential, are responsible for their buildings and properties, ensuring they are maintained according to the by-law or repairing them to conform with the by-law. A tenant may be responsible for maintenance if their tenancy agreement assigns them the responsibility. Examples of standards in the by-law include:

  • buildings must be structurally sound
  • exterior walls and roofs must be reasonably weathertight
  • plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems must be functional

The Property Standards by-law is enforced based on written complaints only. The Complaint form must be completed, signed, and submitted to the by-law enforcement division.

The complainant’s identity is necessary to obtain additional information and keep the individual informed of the status of their complaint. The form must also identify the subject property with the owner’s name, address, and telephone number. Staff will only investigate problems identified in the form. Complaints are investigated by the property standards officer (PSO) in the order received.

Staff will process complaints from tenants in the manner described above, but only after the tenant has properly advised the landlord of the problems in writing and the landlord has been given a reasonable time to respond. The City will not accept a written complaint from a tenant unless it is accompanied by a copy of the letter to the landlord, and only if the landlord has not completed the repairs in a reasonable timeframe.

An owner may appeal an order issued by a PSO to the Property Standards Committee by completing a form included with the order and sending it to the committee within 14 days of being served. Appeals must be sent to the Property Standards Committee secretary at:

The Property Standards Committee may rescind, amend, or confirm the order and may extend the timeframe to complete the work.

Important

Criteria outlined in the by-law provide for the reasonable maintenance of buildings and properties, considering the overall condition of the existing and neighbouring surroundings. These standards are not intended to reflect those for construction.

Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please note there is no after-hours enforcement.


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