It seems many residents in Belleville like the action city council is taking to try and regulate overcrowded rooming houses.
Monday council unanimously supported a motion by Councillor Kelly McCaw that anyone renting more than two rooms must get a licence from the city, a process that would include an inspection of the home ensuring it meets fire and building code requirements.
The home would also have to be owner-occupied at all times.
McCaw tells Quinte News the issue has touched a nerve with residents.
“I have received more than an outpouring of support for this motion. People are contacting me through phone, through email and they’re letting me know that they are totally in support of this and that this problem is more widespread than even I believed it was.”
Homes bursting at the seams with renters, often students, are clogging quiet neighbourhoods throughout Belleville and threatening a drop in property values.
Staff is now seeking a legal opinion on whether the proposed licensing regime can be implemented by the city.
