RentSafe
Authors: RentSafe, National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, & Ontario Public Health Association
Published: November 2025
Cette ressource est également disponible en français.
This resource is intended to support public health practitioners, policymakers and actors from other sectors to promote healthy housing through intersectoral collaboration and equity-focused approaches. It highlights key concepts related to the impact of housing conditions on health and examples of promising practices by Public Health Units (PHUs) in Ontario. It is intended to inform and catalyze preventive and proactive responses to housing inadequacy and habitability concerns across public health and other sectors in the housing system.
Healthy housing provides the foundation for health and well-being
For too many tenants in Canada, their housing jeopardizes their health and well-being. Conditions such as mould, deteriorating lead paint, inadequate heat and cooling, pests, frequent pesticide usage, and poor indoor air quality take a heavy toll on the health and well-being of residents. This is especially true for those already facing systemic barriers associated with housing access and affordability as well as disability, race/ethnicity, Indigeneity, gender, and/or newcomer status.
Despite the direct links between healthy housing and population health, specific roles for public health to intervene in rental housing conditions remain underexamined. More leadership and greater capacity are needed in public health and other sectors for real and sustained action.
That’s why RentSafe and the Ontario Public Health Association conducted a survey of public health units in Ontario in the winter of 2023–2024. The purpose of the survey was to identify relevant public health practices and opportunities for action. This report, produced in collaboration with the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, presents our findings and recommendations.
For a full summary of the survey data, please access the RentSafe-OPHA Survey Results Report.
Public health is well positioned to promote healthy rental housing
The report analysis identifies five core public health roles and opportunities to address inadequate and unhealthy housing conditions as a determinant of health and key driver of health inequity. Ideas for where to start and bright spot examples from the field accompany each area for action. The areas identified include:
- Engage grounded expertise to integrate the knowledge, insights, perspectives, skills and leadership of people with lived and living experience
- Partner with other sectors to engage with health and non-health sectors to co-develop and implement strategies
- Assess and report community-based data and knowledge on the existence and impact of unhealthy housing conditions
- Modify and orient interventions to promote healthy housing conditions and reduce associated inequities
- Participate in policy development by sharing leadership and providing support to tenant groups and housing organizations for analysis and advocacy
A few ways to use this report:
- Build a case for why and how improving rental housing conditions is a public health priority to advance health equity
- Develop a plan for engaging grounded expertise in all public health housing-related strategies
- Identify intersectoral partners in your area for relationship development and collaborative action on housing conditions
- Share examples of real-time public health actions as a model to adapt for your own work
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