Toronto has finally made major strides toward cracking down on bad landlords in the city. The first phase of a new plan to deal with property owners adopted at city council yesterday could be in place by next year. It will force landlords to register with the city, subject buildings to inspections, and mandate that the results are posted at their entrances.

Where it gets even more interesting, however, is that a DineSafe-style grading system is likely to be put in place for landlords as well. The idea has been around for some time, but when Municipal Licensing and Standards considered it as part of new rules for landlords a few weeks ago, it appeared that it was off the table.

It's now a central part of the mandate that city staff have been given to create a bylaw that would govern rental properties around Toronto thanks to an amendment by Councillor Josh Matlow. Affordable housing advocates are hailing the new rules as groundbreaking.

Part of the plan also involves an additional 12 building inspectors to ensure that buildings are being kept in a good state of repair or face the consequences of a lower rating. The initial word is that the grading will adopt a letter-system from A to F, differentiating it from DineSafe's colour-coded green, yellow, and red rankings.

City staff are expected to report on the new bylaw by October 2017.