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renoviction
< blend of "renovate" and "eviction"
DCHP-3 (Apr 2024)
As with other coinages, renoviction was first circulated mostly orally for a few years (see the 2004 quotation from Twitter) before, in 2008, journalist Jane Armstrong wrote in the Globe and Mail one of the first national pieces on the phenomenon.
n. — Law, Finance, Informal, Urban culture
the eviction of tenants for large-scale renovations, often used to maximize profits.
Type: 1. Origin — Renoviction is a term that gained wide currency in the first decade of the 2000s, driven by largely unchecked profit-maximizing effects in Canada's urban rental markets, above all Vancouver, followed by Toronto. A combination of the 1990s stoppage to public housing building by the CMHC, increased immigration to Canada, and no or lax rules about housing as investment objects in the country made renovictions more and more common. Although the term is currently not listed in COD-2, CCD-2010, Gage-5, ITP Nelson or FWSCD-82, the term seems to almost exclusively be used in Canada.
The term is not listed in OED-3 or EDD.
Additionally, the term is not listed in DARE, Merriam-Webster Unabridged, W-2 or W-3.
The term is not listed in OED-3 or EDD.
Additionally, the term is not listed in DARE, Merriam-Webster Unabridged, W-2 or W-3.
Quotations
2004
It's becoming more and more common for Canadians to face renoviction or be asked to pay double their rent at a moment's notice. We're taking action.
2008
Mr. McFall and his two sisters moved into the three-floor, brick building in 1961, when the West End was dotted with all kinds of these sturdy walk-up apartment blocks with their chandeliered foyers, soaring ceilings and fireplaces in every suite. Forty-seven years later, Mr. McFall and his surviving sister, Mary, 91, still share a second-floor suite, which is adorned with framed family photos and mementos. If evicted, the elderly siblings say they will likely have to go to a seniors home. So the tenants of the Seafield apartment building have banded together with the McFalls and refused to leave. They say they are victims of a new trend in B.C. - nicknamed "renoviction" - in which landlords evict tenants by announcing big renovation plans.
2009
Broster, who's been living at the Seafield for 16 years, accuses Nelson and Gordon of using the loopholes to drive the Seafield tenants out in several ways, including threats to evict them to make way for renovations. Some tenants living in other buildings say when they were evicted to make way for renovations, the work turned out to be nothing more than a coat of paint.
The Gordon Nelson application is also under review at city hall. The practice is becoming so common in the West End, it's been dubbed "renoviction." And according to the Residential Tenancy Act, it's legal.
The Gordon Nelson application is also under review at city hall. The practice is becoming so common in the West End, it's been dubbed "renoviction." And according to the Residential Tenancy Act, it's legal.
2010
The latest round of eviction notices came 10 days after the Residential Tenancy Branch denied their landlord's decision to increase rents by 73 per cent. Amid signs that read "no tenant in B.C. is safe from renovictions," Vancouver-West End NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert called on the Liberal government to amend the Residential Tenancy Act to better balance the rights of landlords and tenants.
2012
Once evicted, many tenants have no recourse. "Unfortunately, many people find them-selves on their own," Herbert said. What's required is "a group commitment and a friendly lawyer" to fight the renoviction at the provincial residential tenancy branch.
2013
The renoviction epicentre, the West End of Vancouver within the core of Vancouver proper, got well underway about a decade ago; it's been slowly creeping outward since.
2016
It wasn't until three decades later, however, that that constant state of flux became hugely problematic. A renoviction from her Kitsilano home, followed by a four-month scramble to find a new digs, are two experiences central to Oger's recent decision to try and do something about it.
2018
Late into Tuesday night, Vancouver councillors heard from some of the 93 people registered to speak on the motion, put forward by Coun. Jean Swanson, seeking to protect tenants from “renovictions,” a term referring to landlords using proposed renovations or repairs to evict long-term tenants and bring in new tenants at higher rents.
2021
A sustainable housing market needs rentals to incubate the next wave of buyers as they build their careers, save for down payments and plan families. Sure, build more houses for first-houses buyers. But first, give us more affordable urban high-rise rentals where you can live affordably and without fear of renoviction.
2024
For many renters, just hearing the news of a possible renoviction or demoviction can send us into panic mode. Landlords know this, and many use it to their advantage. Know what you are entitled to, and don’t move until you’ve secured what is owed to you.
2025
Some other Ontario cities, including Hamilton, Toronto and London, have approved bylaws to prevent renovictions, a term is used to describe the actions of landlords who evict tenants — ostensibly to renovate rental properties — but later replace the evicted tenants with new tenants who pay more, failing to meet the legislated requirements to allow the original tenants to return. In Ontario, evictions are covered under the Residential Tenancies Act, which governs how and when evictions can legally occur. The Landlord and Tenant Board resolves disputes about tenancy. A tenant who is being evicted to allow for renovations receives a notice called an N13.
References
- OED-3
- DARE
- COD-2
- CCD-2010
- Gage-5
- EDD
- Merriam-Webster Unabridged
- ITP Nelson
- FWSCD-82
- W-3
- W-2
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