Tag: occupancy standards

Relocation, the internal waiting list and unit allocation

Summary

If you are a Woodsworth member currently living in the co-op and wish to move to a different unit:

  • Apartments and townhouses are allocated based on waiting lists.
  • Complete the Internal Relocation Form (available online or in the Photocopy Room).
  • Management is responsible for maintaining the lists and making offers based on the lists and the Membership Bylaw and the Occupancy Bylaw.
  • You may check the internal waiting list at any time (copy room) or speak with Management, who oversees waiting lists and unit allocations.

1. Qualifications for a unit in Woodsworth

(Member Approval and Unit Allocation (Membership Bylaw), Article 4.2)

(a) The co-operative must be satisfied that the household will meet the obligations to pay the monthly charges to the co-operative in accordance with the bylaws and their occupancy agreement. The co-operative will take into account whether or not the household qualifies for a subsidy in the new unit if a subsidy is available. See also Article 5.1.2 (c) Household in arrears.

(b) The household must meet occupancy standards.

(c) The households must qualify based on Articles 5 (Internal) or 6 (External).

2.   Types of waiting lists

Internal waiting list for unit allocation – Membership Bylaw, Article 5.

External waiting list for unit allocation – Membership Bylaw, Article 6.

3.   Who can join the Internal Waiting List? 

The Internal Waiting List is made up of members or households who live in the co-operative who are:

(a) Want or need to move to a different unit, or
(b) Are required to transfer under the co-operative’s Bylaws or any requirements of a rent-geared-to-income program or the Occupancy Bylaw, or
(c) Are former members who have been approved as returning members.

Important note:  If you move out of the co-op, you lose your membership. Former members cannot join the Internal Waiting List unless they have been formally approved as returning members.

Not a Woodsworth member?

→ See External waiting lists and moving into Woodsworth.

4. Additional eligibility restrictions

(Membership Bylaw, Article 5.1.2)

To join or remain on the internal waiting list, members must meet all of the following:

Minimum residency

Members must have lived in their unit for at least 2 years before applying. The Board may approve exceptions.

New members who joined as long-term guests or Turning 16’s

These new members must be members for 2 years before joining the internal waiting list. Time before becoming a member does not count.

Financial requirements

Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility.

Verifiable proof of income is required.

Arrears

Households in arrears may not apply or transfer units.

Exception: required rent-geared-to-income (RGI) moves.

Occupancy rules

Members may apply only for units they qualify for based on occupancy standards.

After moving, households must meet occupancy standards for three years. Otherwise, they are considered over-housed and must move to a smaller unit to meet occupancy standards.  See Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.4

All prospective occupants of the household must be listed on the relocation request and waiting list.

5. Occupancy Standards

  • Who counts toward occupancy:
    * Members
    * Children
    * Long-term guests with a signed long-term guest agreement.
  • Casual guests do not count.
  • There must be at least one member living in each unit.
  • There is no co-op-specific maximum occupancy, but all units must comply with City of Toronto property standards.
  • You must meet minimum occupancy standards to be eligible for a certain unit size:

Unit size

Minimum people

Exceptions
1 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant None
2 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant in mid-rise and Wilton Street only 2 occupants required for 2-bedroom townhouses.
3 bedroom Minimum – 3 occupants None
4 bedroom Minimum – 4 occupants None

Source:  Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.3

6. Choosing unit preferences

You may have requests up to two unit types at a time.

Preferences may include:
Unit type
Street or floor
Specific unit(s)

Tip: Narrow preferences (for example, a specific floor or street) do not lower your position on the list, but may delay offers. You will only be offered units that match your stated preferences.

Adding preferences does not give the household any priority for units.

7. How units are offered

When a unit becomes available:

Management offers it to the first qualified applicant based on:

For details, see Alternating between internal and external waiting lists – unit allocation.

8. Offers, refusals and contact rules

The co-op will try to contact you within 3 business days.
You have 3 business days to respond.
No response counts as a refusal.
After 3 refusals, you are moved to the bottom of the internal waiting list.

Important notes:

One refusal is counted per offer, not per preference.

The number of preferences you list does not affect refusal counts and does not give any priority when a match for your preferences comes up.

9.  Move-in timelines for internal relocations

After accepting an offer, you will receive at least 30 days to move into the unit.

You must move on the specified date.

Once you accept a unit, you are removed from all other waiting lists.

10.  After you accept a unit:

Your household is removed from all waiting lists.

Members in your unit must sign a new Occupancy Agreement.

You will receive at least 30 days’ notice for an internal relocation.

External moves follow different timelines.  They are given more time to move in. If the unit is ready earlier, the household should move in sooner if it won’t cause them financial loss. (See Membership Bylaw, Article 6.2.8.)

The household must pay or update the first and last month’s housing charges and a maintenance deposit equal to half of the last month’s charge. If you receive a subsidy, different rules apply. Refer to Occupancy Bylaw, Article 3.5.

You must vacate your current unit and move into the new one on the specified date.

You must live in your new unit for at least two years before rejoining the waiting list. In some cases, the Board may make an exception to the residency requirements. If you need an accommodation for accessibility reasons, Woodsworth has a policy in place to support you.

Your household must continue to qualify for the unit size based on the occupancy standards for 3 years.

11. When should you update your Internal Relocation Form?

You should update your form as soon as possible if:

                • Your household size or composition changes
                • Your accessibility needs change
                • You now qualify for a larger unit
                  (Example: a couple or parent with a child may qualify for a 2-bedroom townhouse; single applicants qualify only for mid-rise or Wilton Street units)
                • Your contact information changes (phone or email)
                • Your income changes (affects affordability and subsidy eligibility – (Membership Bylaw, Article 4.2 (a))

Reminder:

Updating your information or preferences does not affect your position on the waiting list.  (Membership Bylaw, Article 4 (g) and (h))

12.  Where to Get the Form

Schedule E of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw – Internal relocation application form

Copies are available:
– In the Photocopy Room
– On this website

13.  Recommended reading for details

Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw
→ Article 4: Allocating Units
→ Article 5: Internal Waiting List
Occupancy Bylaw
→ Article 9.3: Occupancy Standards

Alternating waiting lists
How alternating between the internal and external waiting lists works and what the bylaw says.

Final reminder:

If you’re thinking about relocating, make sure your form is up to date.
Accurate information helps ensure that:
– You don’t miss an offer
– You don’t receive offers for units you no longer want or qualify for
– You avoid unnecessary refusals

Principal residence, absence, sublets, home businesses

Principal residence and absence

  • Member Absences: Each member must use their co-op unit as their principal residence and personally live in it.
  • Absence limit: Members may not be away from their unit for more than 10 consecutive months without Board approval.
  • Unit status during absence: Even while away, the unit must remain the member’s principal residence.
  • Short visits don’t reset the clock: Members will still be considered absent if they only return for short visits during a longer absence.
  • See Occupancy Bylaw, Article 6.2
  • Subsidy recipients: Members receiving a housing charge subsidy may face additional limits on absences under government rules or co-op by-laws. If this applies to you, please review Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw, especially Article 1.3.
  • Proof of residency – see ID requirements as proof of principal residence
    (Membership Bylaw – Member Approval and Unit Allocation)

Sub-Occupancy (Sublets)

If you need to leave your unit temporarily, you may allow someone to occupy your unit as a sub-occupant, but you must follow the Occupancy Bylaw procedures.

Rules and Approvals

Agreement required: All co-op members in your household and all sub-occupants must sign a Sub-Occupancy Agreement approved by the co-op before the sub-occupancy begins.

Board approval: Any sub-occupancy longer than 1 month must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Length of stay: Normally, sub-occupancy cannot last more than 3 months. In unusual cases, the Board may approve a longer term — but never more than 12 months.

Members who receive housing charge subsidy, and who are thinking about sub-occupancy or other absence from the co-op, should find out what effect it may have on their housing charge subsidy. (Occupancy Bylaw, Article 3.7.4 The assisted household may not sublet its unit.)

No profit: Article 6.5. (b) says that says that members must not profit, directly or indirectly, when they allow others to use their unit. This includes sub-occupancy of the unit when the member is away or any sharing arrangement.
(c) Examples of profit are key money and placing too great a value on the furnishings of a unit. Profit does not include guests or sub-occupants paying their fair share of the housing charges and other household costs if it is not a hidden profit on the housing charges.

Required Forms

Request Form
First step in approval.
Must be completed and signed by all household members and the sub-occupant(s). Submit to Management for Board approval.

Sub-Occupancy Agreement
Must be signed before the sub-occupancy starts.
All household members and sub-occupants must sign, with Management as witness. Filed with Management.

Reminder – no short-term rentals

It is against the Occupancy By-law to use your unit for Airbnb, Bed & Breakfast, or similar rentals. This rule applies to all co-op units.  (Occupancy Bylaw, Article 6.3 (b))

You may have long-term guests living with you in your unit but they can only pay their fair share of costs.

Home businesses

Related uses” are typical home business uses that are related or incidental to the use of a unit as a member’s principal residence. Members can have one or more related uses, if:

• the use is permitted by government requirements, including zoning by-laws
• the use does not create disturbance beyond what is appropriate in a residential community like the co-op, such as by too much noise or too many visitors
• the use does not involve excessive demands on co-op utilities and services, such as electricity, and
• co-op by-laws are obeyed.

See Occupancy Bylaw, Article 6.3.
(a) Related Uses
(c) Insurance and liability for related uses

Woodsworth households, occupancy standards, and unit sizes

A Woodsworth household includes only people who have official approval and status under the co-op’s bylaws.

Who is part of the household

These people count toward household size and occupancy standards:

  • Members
    • Approved by the Board of Directors
    • Have signed an Occupancy Agreement for the unit
  • Long-term guests
    • Approved by the Board of Directors
    • Have signed a long-term guest agreement for that unit
    • Live only in that specific unit
  • Children of members
    • Under age 16 who live in the unit
    • Age 16 or older who continue to live in the unit
    • Whether someone qualifies as a “child” is determined by the Ontario Family Law Act
Who is not part of the household

These people do not count toward household size and have limited or no rights:

  • Casual guests (short-term visitors)
  • Visitors
  • Sub-occupants / sub-lessees
Rights of people who are not members

Long-term guests

  • Count toward occupancy standards
  • Are not members
  • Have no independent right to live in the unit
  • Cannot stay in another unit unless they move with the household
  • Have no place on the internal waiting list
  • May apply for membership only if the household members agree
  • The Board may withdraw their long-term guest status

Children and young people up to age sixteen (16)

  • Same rights as long-term guests – i.e. count toward occupancy standards and are not members.
  • Teens automatically become long-term guests if they do not apply for membership.
  • Are encouraged to apply for membership after they reach age 16.
  • A modified or simplified membership process applies to applicants between the ages of sixteen (16) and nineteen (19) – “Turning 16s”

Casual guests

  • Have no right to live in the co-op
  • Are not part of the household

Sub-occupants

  • Have rights only as defined in their approved sub-occupancy agreement
  • Are not part of the household
Key takeaway

Only members, their children, and approved long-term guests make up a Woodsworth household. Everyone else may stay only temporarily or under special agreements — and does not count for occupancy standards.

Unit selection and relocation – occupancy standards:

  • Occupancy standards set the minimum number of people required to occupy a unit. They also restrict members to a maximum number of bedrooms.

  • Each unit must be occupied by at least one member.

  • For occupancy standards, household size includes all those with Woodsworth status: members, children, and long-term guests.

  • Household size does not include guests without long-term guest status, visitors, or sub-lessees.

Woodsworth’s occupancy standards (Occupancy Bylaw):

Unit size

Minimum people

Exceptions
1 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant None
2 bedroom Minimum – 1 in mid-rise and Wilton Street only 2 occupants required for 2-bedroom townhouses.
3 bedroom Minimum – 3 occupants None
4 bedroom Minimum – 4 occupants None

The co-op bylaws don’t specify maximum household size, but say it is determined by the City of Toronto Municipal Code, Property Standards, Occupancy Standards. (See Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9.3)

Applying for membership

In all cases, applying for membership starts with attendance at an information session held by the Membership Committee.

Unit allocation procedures – internal and external waiting lists

This summary is based on the Membership (Member Approval and Unit Allocation) Bylaw #84 and covers internal and external waiting lists.

[Article references are to Woodsworth’s Membership bylaw unless noted as referring to the Occupancy Bylaw]

Outline:

– Management’s role
– Internal relocation requests
– Exceptions:  There are some cases where a member or household can’t join the internal waiting list.
– Splitting households (internal)
– External waiting lists for units
– All unit allocations, internal and external
– Unit preferences, internal and external
–  Making and receiving unit offers – Woodsworth alternates between waiting lists of the same size.
– Timelines for contacting people, and accepting units, for internal and external unit allocations.
– Move-in date requirements
– No fee
– Special situations – priority list and wheelchair-adapted units

1. Management is responsible for:

– maintaining waiting lists and ensuring that applicants are on the appropriate waiting lists based on the occupancy standards in the Occupancy Bylaw.
– unit allocation:  making offers of units to members based on the Membership bylaw and the Occupancy Bylaw; and tracking refusals

 2. Internal relocation requests

(a)  Members normally are allowed to apply to relocate within Woodsworth.

(b) Members may apply to transfer to any size or type of unit that meets applicable occupancy standards. (See chart in #6)

Occupancy Standards
The minimum number of persons required for occupying each of the co-operative’s unit types. See Occupancy Bylaw, Article 9 for details and about when the standards do not apply.

(c) Households living in Woodsworth and Returning Members who have been approved by the Board of Directors as members may join the internal waiting list. Households must apply using the Relocation request form.   [Membership: Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw #84, Article 5.7]

(d) There are copies of the Internal Relocation Application form in the Photocopy Room and on the co-op website.

(e) Position on the internal waiting list

An applicant’s place on the internal waiting list is determined by the date that a completed Request for Internal Relocation form is received by the co-operative office, subject to any restrictions on joining the waiting lists, regardless of unit size request changes.

3.  Exceptions:  Cases where a household can’t join the internal waiting list.

(a)  A household in arrears can’t be on the waiting list. (Exception: on subsidy) [Article 5.1.2 c]

(b)  Minimum period of residence in a unit – Members must live in their unit for at least two (2) years before they can apply to relocate. [See Article 5.2.5] This applies to all relocation requests . However the Board may waive it.  [Article 5.1.2 a]

(c)  New members who became members as long-term guests or Turning Sixteens (Turning 16s) must wait two years after Board approval of membership before joining the internal waiting list. Exception: if already on the waiting list as of Sept 26, 2023, the old bylaw of 1 year wait applies. [Article 5.1.2 b]

They cannot join the internal waiting list until the required waiting period of two years has elapsed. The time the new member lived in the co-op previously to becoming a member does not count as part of the two (2) years’ wait. [Article 2.3.3 I]

They cannot inherit a unit alone until they have lived with the household for two (2) years after membership approval. Exception: Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.4 Death of a member. However, they may be eligible to move with the rest of the household.

See restrictions on joining the waiting list in Article 5.1.2 (b).

4.  Splitting households (internal)

(a)  This is in the Occupancy Bylaw but the new Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw has more specific information.

(b)  There may be a requirement to move if one or more occupants move out and the remaining household does not meet occupancy standards. [Occupancy Bylaw Article 9.4] unless the remaining household has lived in the unit for three years and achieved tenure. For details see [Occupancy Bylaw, 9.4a].

(c)  The households on subsidy have their own rules on occupancy. See Appendix C of the Occupancy Bylaw and the Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw.

5.  External waiting lists for units

(a) Households who used the external membership process and have been approved by the Board as members are put on the external waiting list. (Staff transfers the information from the application form to the external waiting list. All prospective occupants must be listed.)   [Article 6.1]

(b) Management transfers requests from the external application form to the external waiting lists.

(c) Position on the external waiting list
The record date for determining an applicant’s place on the co-operative’s external waiting list will be the date when a completed application is received by the office.

6. All unit allocations, Internal and External

(a) All prospective occupants of the requested unit must be listed on the application form in order to meet occupancy standards.

(b) All households must meet occupancy standards for the unit size they have requested. There is a minimum of 1 occupant per bedroom except for the mid-rise and Wilton Street where a single member household can have a 2-bedroom unit. [Membership Bylaw Article 4 c, Article 4d; also Occupancy Bylaw 9.3]

Unit size

Minimum people

Exceptions
1 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant None
2 bedroom Minimum – 1 occupant in mid-rise and Wilton Street only 2 occupants required for 2-bedroom townhouses.
3 bedroom Minimum – 3 occupants None
4 bedroom Minimum – 4 occupants None

(c) The household can be made of up people currently living in the co-op or those who will apply for long-term guest status when a unit is offered to their family / household. [Membership Bylaw, Article 4e]

(d) Management handles waiting lists, unit offers, and moves. Applicants, please update Management on contact information and household names. Delays in response may affect your position on the waiting lists.

7.  Unit preferences, internal and external

(a)  Applicants can join the lists for a maximum of two choices at any one time, for any unit for which they qualify. [Membership Bylaw, Article 4g]

(b) Applicants may specify that they only wish to live in a particular area of the co-operative, a particular floor, a particular type of unit or a particular unit or units.

(c) Adding special requests may delay being offered a unit. See 5.2.4 (b). This information is listed in the relocation application form.

(d) Applicants are skipped over by Management if the available unit does not meet the criteria selected by the member. This does not count as a refusal. [Article 4h]

(e) Adding criteria such as location does not give the household any priority for units when their preferred unit becomes available. They must be next on the waiting list when a match comes up for their preference. Adding criteria does not give the household the right to skip members above them on the waiting list.  [Article 4h] [Article 5.2.4b]

(f) Members can make changes to unit size or other preferences or household names without losing their place on the waiting list. [Article 4g]

8.  Making and receiving unit offers – alternating between waiting lists of the same size

This is the full Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw Article 4.1
See https://www.woodsworthcoop.ca/index.php/alternating-between-internal-and-external-waiting-lists-unit-allocation/

This  alternating between waiting lists is not the usual practice for Ontario co-ops but adopted by Woodsworth members, first just for 1 bedroom units, and then in 2023, all units in Membership Bylaw: Member Approval and Unit Allocation, Bylaw #84.

9.  Timelines for contacting people, accepting units, for internal and external unit allocations.

(a)  Contacting people with unit offers: if unable to contact the person next in line on the waiting list within three (3) business days, the unit will be offered to the next eligible member. It is considered a refusal.  [Internal – Article 5.5.1] [External – Article 6.2.4]

(b)  Making a decision: a household offered a unit will be given three (3) business days to decide whether to accept the unit  [Internal – Article 5.5.2] [External – Article 6.2a]

(c) Three refusals bump the household to the bottom of the list. [Internal – Article 5.5.3] [External – Article 6.2.5]

(d) No matter how many unit types or sizes or criteria the member indicates on their Request for Internal Relocation or application form, the number of allowed refusals does not change. [Internal – Article 5.5.3] [External – Article 6.2.5]

(e)  No reply or no contact/no response counts as a refusal. [Internal – Article 5.5.1], [External – Article 6.2.4]

(f)  For Priority Moves, after three refusals, they are removed from the priority waiting list. Management must notify the member. [Article 5.5.5]

(g)  Once a unit is accepted, the household is removed from the waiting list for other sizes or types of unit. [Article 4k]

10.  Move-in date requirements

(a)  Internal waiting list:  Members will be provided with at least thirty (30) days notice for an internal relocation. [5.5.7]
(b)  External list: They will not be required to take occupancy and commence payment of the housing charges until the first day of the third month following the offer, approximately sixty (60) days. [6.2.8]

11.  No fee

There is no relocation nor application fee. [Article 5]

12.  Special situations – priority list and wheelchair adapted units

(a) There is a priority waiting list.
Members who require accommodation for disabilities or other special circumstances can request a priority move. There are special rules in place for this. Contact Management. See Article 5.2.1 of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw and Schedule F.

(b) A few units designated as wheelchair adapted are filled differently. See Article 9 of the Member Approval and Unit Allocation Bylaw, Wheelchair adapted units.

See the Membership Bylaw #84 and the relocation application form