Mississauga Ward 7 Councillor Nando Iannicaa (third from left) gives a thumbs-up to the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) as they help Peel Housing Corporation launch the Certified Rental Building Program at Peel Living’s Surveyor’s Point, 11 Agnes St. in Mississauga. More thumbs-up (l-r) from FRPO’s Manager of Policy Mike Chopowick; Director of Certification Ted Whitehead and newly-elected Board Chair Allan Weinbaum; Peel Housing Corporation’s Manager, Residential Operations Bruno Colavecchia; Manager, Resident Services Mary Jo MacCrae and Treasurer Dave Bingham.
MISSISSAUGA – JUNE 22, 2010 – The Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) recently launched the Certified Rental Building Program (CRBP) for Peel Housing Corporation (PHC) in Mississauga at Peel Living’s Surveyor’s Point – 111 Agnes Street. PHC is the first social housing provider in Canada to receive the CRB Program designation.
This residential rental housing initiative is the first quality assurance Program of its kind, in North America, designed specifically for tenants (consumers). Since 2008, FRPO members have enrolled over 102,000 suites, in over 1,400+ buildings, across Ontario. At the end of April 2010, over 650 multi-residential apartment buildings have received official “certification status” in the province.
“FRPO’s goals with this Program are to promote professionalism in our industry, and provide tenants with a quality assurance alternative when selecting their rental home,” said FRPO President & CEO Vince Brescia.
“The Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario is to be commended for launching the Certified Rental Building Program in Mississauga and providing tenants with a much valued peace of mind when selecting their rental unit, knowing their unit meets the rigorous requirements of the program,” said City of Mississauga Mayor, Hazel McCallion.
“As Canada’s first social housing provider to achieve the Certified Rental Building Designation, we take tremendous pride in receiving this quality assurance recognition for all 70 of our building communities,” said Paul Palleschi, Regional Councillor and President of PHC. “This achievement reinforces our commitment to offering the 16,060 residents of Peel Living with the highest standards in quality housing and customer service.”
FRPO’S Director of Certification Ted Whitehead said, “FRPO’s Accreditation Program provides its members with a consistent set of standards that represent solid value in rental housing for Ontario consumers. The Program’s seal of approval communicates to consumers a symbol of quality-assurance that helps tenants easily recognize well-run, well-managed buildings.”
Added Whitehead, “A key benefit of the Program for Ontario tenants is that it provides them with added peace of mind when they choose a CRBP-approved building. It confirms that they have selected a rental home where the property manager cares about the quality of the rental building product and the quality of service they provide to tenants. Ontario tenants are responding very favorably to the Program, as the number of inquiries on our website continues to grow exponentially”
FRPO’s goal is to have 90,000 suites and 800+ multi residential apartment buildings certified in the Program by the end of 2010. Whitehead said “Member enrollment continues to grow and we are well on target to meet our current goal. Since the program’s inception in 2008, over 650+ buildings representing 80,000 suites have now been fully-certified across Ontario.”
The Program will introduce a ‘best practices’ approach to the provincial rental marketplace, to make it easier for tenants to recognize ‘good’ buildings and ‘good’ property managers. For the first time in the rental housing marketplace, renters will have a quality assurance alternative when selecting their apartment home.
The Program’s objectives are:
• To approve and classify multi-residential apartment buildings, across the Ontario marketplace, that meet a defined set of industry quality assurance standards for rental housing consumers
• To make it easy for tenants, and potential rental housing consumers, to recognize well-run, well-managed multi residential apartment buildings
• To provide rental housing consumers with a quality assurance alternative when selecting their apartment home
For a multi-residential apartment building to qualify as a Certified Rental Building it must meet the five mandatory requirements of the Program:
• abide by FRPO’s & the Program’s Member Code of Conduct
• adhere to the Program’s Mandatory Standards of Practice
• successfully comply with the mandatory Third-Party Audit Process
• have identified staff successfully complete the Program’s Training & Education component
• agree to market and identify their building as Certified Rental Building to prospective tenants
Consumers and tenants looking for Certified Rental Buildings in Ontario can visit www.crbprogram.org