The Canada Landlords Association is a leading organization for small residential landlords across Canada. We provide a unified voice for private landlords and promote and protect residential landlord interests to national and local government. We provide a unified voice for private landlords and promote and protect landlord interests to national and local government.
The Ontario Landlords Association for small business landlords has received a request to create a list (with follow-up explanations) of what changes should be made to the Residential Tenancy Act and to the Landlord Tenant Board.
Here’s a chance to get your views to those who make the decisions. Please keep it to 3 main points, and if you can add an explanation or personal experience regarding the matter, please do so.
Please post in the HELP FORUM and get YOUR VIEWS HEARD!!
Who Do I call if I think my tenant is committing Welfare Fraud?
The Welfare Fraud Hot Line number is available for the public to report suspected cases of Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program fraud.
Callers can remain anonymous.
Callers will be asked for the name and address and, if possible, the phone number of the person who may be cheating. Suspected cases may be reported by telephoning 1.800.394.7867
Q. How much can I raise the rent in 2011?
A. The Annual Guideline for 2011 is 0.7%
There are questions Landlords ask everyday in Ontario:
1. I need help with the Landlord and Tenant Board
2. How do I evict a tenant?
3. My tenant hasn’t paid rent?
4. I need landlord help
Welcome to the Ontario Landlord Association HELP forums!!
By Dominique Jarry-Shore | Tue Feb 01 2011
With several cold snaps already behind us, renters may be wondering whether it’s better to have their heat and hydro included in the rent or pay it separately.
There are pros and cons to both.
When heat is included budgeting can be easier with set costs every month. This can be especially helpful where roommates are concerned since divvying up heating bills from month to month is an extra hassle. It also protects you from rising energy prices, since the amount of rent you pay will likely stay the same or rise by only a small amount, as set out by the Landlord and Tenant Board.
This year, the rent increase has been set at less than 1 per cent, and although landlords can apply for a rent increase over and above that amount .
If you’re planning on staying in your apartment for several years, it could be more advantageous to have the heat included because annual rent increases will likely be less than the increase in energy costs.
The drawback to having the heat included is that you have less control over how much you pay for it. If you’re someone who is good at saving on heat, and generally has a small heating bill, you could end up paying more than your consumption when it’s included in the rent.
Stuart Henderson is a member of the Ontario Landlord’s Association and a small-business landlord who owns about 50 rental units.
He says landlords will often adjust the amount of rent a tenant pays when the heat is included to account for a tenant who might waste energy. Even if you aren’t the type to leave the window open in the middle of winter, your landlord may have factored that kind of wastefulness into the price as a precaution.
Henderson says a more worrisome concern is rising energy costs and that uncertainty means many landlords are wary of including utilities in the rent.
He calls the 10 per rebate on hydro bills introduced by the McGuinty government a “very small help” and estimates costs for landlords have gone up 10 to 20 per cent in recent years due to a combination of factors, including the HST, the increase in the cost of energy, and in some areas, rising property taxes.
With the rent increase set at 0.7 per cent for 2011, Henderson says landlords are more and more willing to negotiate a rent that doesn’t include utilities.
This is where it can get interesting for renters.
By comparing similar units in the neighbourhood, renters may want to try bargaining for a lower rent in exchange for paying the heat themselves.
Here are some tips for negotiating a better deal on your rent where heat and utilities are concerned.
1) Compare apples to apples. Take some time to research the prices for similar units in the neighbourhood both with heat included, and excluded from the price. That way you’ll have a better starting point when bargaining. Craig’s List and other online housing sites can be a good place to start.
2) Find out how is consumption is measured. Sometimes heat is included in the rent because it’s not possible to determine the exact consumption in your unit. This is especially true in some older townhouses where one heating system may be used for a couple of units. Find out how exactly your consumption will be measured to make sure it’s fair. If this seems suspect, you might want to skip offering to pay your own utilities.
3) Check the energy efficiency of the apartment. Are the windows winterized? Which was does the apartment face? Keep in mind that a basement will cost more to hear than a top floor apartment.
4) Find out who you’re you dealing with. You’ll probably have more of a chance negotiating a rent with a small-business landlord as opposed to a large company-managed building where rules may be less flexible
Dominique Jarry-Shore is an editor with thestar.com. She lives in an apartment in downtown Toronto.
http://www.moneyville.ca/article/931309–is-it-better-to-rent-with-utilities-included?bn=1
Whose job is it to clear the snow at a rental property? The tenant or the landlord?
A woman in London makes a case for a by-law requiring landlords to clear the snow from tenants’ walkways and driveways.
The OLA’s Jane Schweitzer called the idea of ignoring what is put in the lease ‘ridiculous.’
http://www.cbc.ca/ontariotoday/2011/02/01/whose-job-is-it-to-clear-the-snow/
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BYLAW: A city hall committee is set to consider a proposal for a new bylaw that would govern who has to shovel what
By KATE DUBINSKI, The London Free Press
If there’s ever been a time when snow removal has been on Londoners’ minds, this has been the year.
But some landlords are crying foul over suggestions they be made responsible for clearing snow from their London tenants’ walkways and driveways.
“What’s next? Are landlords going to be responsible for making sure their tenants eat their vegetables every day?” said Jane Schweitzer, a representative of the Ontario Landlord Association.
“It’s Canada. We all know we’re going to have to deal with ice and snow. I don’t think the city should be involved in these issues,” added her husband and fellow landlord, Mike Schweitzer. The couple are based in Brantford.
The Ontario Landlord Association represents landlords with properties that have 10 or fewer units.
The city’s built and natural environment committee will hear arguments Monday for a new property-standards bylaw to deal with snow removal in rental units.
“There’s no recourse for Londoners. Right now, you either kick up a fuss with the landlord or property-management company, or you go before the landlord and tenant board, which takes time and money,” said Tiffany Roschkow. She is proposing the city consider a new bylaw to make landlords responsible for shovelling or plowing walkways, driveways, ramps and parking spaces.
“It makes sense. You move into a rental property and you expect that kind of thing to be done for you.”
Roschkow lives in a three-storey walk-up in Wortley Village.
Several days before Snowmageddon, the building manager there died, leaving no one responsible for the snow clearing, Roschkow said. Piles of snow built up around cars and around the dumpster and recycling bins. Tenants began leaving their garbage bags in the hallways.
“For the garbage, I called the city and they came out right away because it was a property-standards issue but for the snow, we couldn’t do anything about it,” Roschkow said.
Someone eventually cleared a pathway to the front door about the width of a standard shovel. that didn’t help much when an elderly tenant out doing errands fell on the walkway, she noted.
“There was nothing being done about it, so I started nosing around and I realized that London doesn’t have a bylaw for rental units like Toronto does,” said Roschkow.
In London, landlords are responsible for keeping rental units in a good state of repair as required under the Residential Tenancies Act.
In Toronto, an additional property-standards bylaw states, “Steps, landings, walks, driveways, parking spaces, ramps and similar areas shall be cleared of snow and ice during and immediately following a snowfall to provide safe access and egress for persons and vehicles.”
The Ontario Landlord Association recommends leases include a section about who is responsible for snow clearing.
Ward 11 Coun. Denise Brown supports Roschkow’s proposal for a newer bylaw.
She has a visually impaired acquaintance who was stuck in his house after Snowmageddon in December and whose landlord told him to shovel his own driveway. “Eventually I had my son and husband do his driveway, but I can’t do that for the entire ward,” Brown said.
“I want staff to look at Toronto’s bylaw and what happens in other cities and to bring back recommendations so we can set something up here.”
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/01/30/17092936.html
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“A Landlord’s Rights & Obligations in Ontario, 2011”
Niagara Falls: January 27, 2011
Burlington: February 3, 2011
Toronto: February 10, 2011
**OTTAWA!! TWO DATES ADDED DUE TO DEMAND:**
Feb. 24, 2011
Feb. 26, 2011
Good Afternoon Katherine
Just a sincere note of thanks for the EXTREMELY informative course you ran yesterday on ” Ontario Landlord’s Rights & Obligations 2011 “. I have been a Real Estate Broker with Royal LePage since 1985 and am a Second Generation Rental Property Owner, whose late Father, Arthur Wheeler, was one of the First Organized Property Manager’s listed in the Yellow Pages in Toronto in the 1950’s – 50 years of Property Management experience can never replace the valuable information gained from this course ! This one day course has changed how our Family will be managing our Properties to save thousands of dollars and reduce potential hours of unwanted stress !
In addition to the day to day management of our existing Rental Properties, Katherine’s Course has also impacted how we are dealing with the acquisition of new Investment Rental Properties.
Again, Katherine, I can’t begin to thank you enough for all your knowledge and experience that you imparted to me yesterday.
David Wheeler
Real Estate Broker
Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.
Katherine Paliwoda, tells everything you need to know, and then some in her latest seminar. “A Landlord’s Rights & Obligations in Ontario, 2011″ will give you the leading edge information that you need to properly and safely represent your client, or rent out your property.
Katherine is a “first class” facilitator who is far from new to the real estate industry. Participants in her live events find themselves spellbound and hanging on her every word. With 27 years of experience, Katherine Paliwoda comes highly recommended by The Ontario Landlord Association, and by virtually every student she has taught.
In this 6 hour course; “A Landlord’s Rights & Obligations in Ontario, 2011″, you’ll learn about the critical things you must do, and things that you definitely shouldn’t do when purchasing, renting, and managing a residential rental property in Ontario.
Do you want to protect yourself from issues that are likely to happen when you purchase, sell, or rent your property? Katherine will break it all down for you in understandable bite sized chunks. You’ll be lead through several potential scenarios and give you solutions that can only be acquired through several years of experience in dealing with landlord tenant matters in Ontario.
If you’re a real estate investor, seasoned or novice, a real estate agent in Ontario who wants to properly protect your investor clients, or you’re a landlord in Ontario, this full day seminar was designed for you.
You will leave with a clear understanding of your rights and obligations as a landlord, which will help you to avoid unnecessary and costly legal issues. You’ll understand the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), and how it effects you as a landlord in Ontario.
This is a full day course jam packed with money saving information and tips for anyone who is a landlord in the Province of Ontario.
Katherine is offering a 15% attendance discount to members of the Ontario Landlord Association. If you are not already a member of OLA, join today!
For other dates location & registration information please visit us at
http://www.landlordtenantmatters.ca 1-866-548-6358
Please note that this course does NOT qualify for CEU’s.
Landlord Tenant Matters respects the industry guidelines and governance of RECO’s educational mandate.
Our mission is to educate and coach Ontario landlords so they may have peace of mind when navigating and understanding the rules of tenancy in Ontario. Due to the nature of this training, the program has been fortunate to attract landlords who are also real estate practitioners and real estate practitioners that serve and work for the best interests of landlord investment clients.
Our program requires timely, up-to-date information and access (if needed) to the instructors during and after the educational programs we provide.
It is in our opinion that we are better served by offering our program exclusively of RECO and their CE Credit guidelines.
The Landlord Tenant Matters Team
“Peace Of Mind For Todays Landlord”
http://www.LandlordTenantMatters.ca
