Posts Tagged ‘landlord advocacy’

« Older Entries

BC Landlords Can Raise the Rent 1.4 % in 2021

Friday, September 4th, 2020

How Much Can A Landlord in BC Raise the Rent Next Year?

British Columbia landlords can raise the rent by up to 1.4% in 2021

How is the Rent Increase Guideline Calculated?

The rate is based on inflation. Unlike in past years only the inflation rate is used.

How Does This Compare to Other Provinces?

In Ontario, landlords are faced with the 2021 rent increase being capped at 0%

How Do I Give My Tenants Notice I’m Going to Raise the Rent?

Rent increase documents are available from government Residential Tenancy Branch here

What Does the BCLA Recommend Landlords Due Regarding the Rent Increase Guideline for 2021?

We recommend BC landlords raise the rent the maximum amount of 1.4% in 2021.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in B.C. landlords, bc landlord advocacy, Landlord BC | Comments Off on BC Landlords Can Raise the Rent 1.4 % in 2021

How Much Can BC Landlords Raise the Rent in 2018?

Friday, June 22nd, 2018

bc landlord rent increase guideline for 2018

B.C. Landlords Can Raise the Rent 4% in 2018

With low vacancy rates throughout British Columbia it’s important to encourage more people to become landlords. 

When more good people are motivated to invest their hard earned savings into creating secondary suites in their homes or buying an investment condo it helps tenants.  More landlords means more supply of high quality rental housing and gives tenants more options in finding a nice place to live.

Landlords Are Running a Business and Need To Keep Up With Increasing Costs

One of the biggest challenges we hear from small residential landlords across B.C. is that their cost keep increasing each year. The reality is it’s becoming more expensive to create safe and well maintained rental units that service-oriented landlords provide.

Successful Landlords Know the Importance of Maintaining Their Rental Property

Keep your property up can be expensive. Some repairs are urgent and obvious. The furnace might break. A toilet might need to be replaced. A fence might need to be repaired.  A tree might need cutting down.

Other improvements might be upgrades to keep your current tenants happy or to make the property attractive to new prospective renters. This could mean new paint, new stairs, and lots of other expenses.

This is why BC landlords know it’s important to raise the rent each year. Especially as lots of new restrictive rule changes coming for landlords in BC.

How Much Can British Columbia Landlords Raise The Rent In 2018?

Annual rent increases are an important part of running a successful rental business. In 2018 small residential landlords can raise the rent by a maximum of 4%

Why only 4%? My Costs Are Much Higher Than That!

In British Columbia the allowable rent increase is based on inflation plus 2 percent.

According to the BC Residential Tenancy Act website:

Annual rent increase

22 (1)  In this section, “inflation rate” means the 12 month average percent change in the all-items Consumer Price Index for British Columbia ending in the July that is most recently available for the calendar year for which a rent increase takes effect.

(2)  For the purposes of section 43 (1) (a) of the Act [amount of rent increase], a landlord may impose a rent increase that is no greater than the percentage amount calculated as follows:

percentage amount = inflation rate + 2%

Are Tenants Aware of The Challenges Small Landlords Face?

The good news is that most tenants are aware of the challenges small landlords face in running our rental businesses. The price of gas goes up, the price of utilities, the price of groceries. 

Rent isn’t something special…it also need to go up to cover costs. Small landlords are not immune to rising costs.

Of course there are people out there who think all landlords are billion dollar corporations with unlimited funds. 

The reality is the typical BC landlord is someone who has a regular job and is hoping to make a good investment or create a secondary suite to help them cover their mortgage.

The CBC reports some tenants believe the rent increase is gouging tenants and there should be a “rent freeze.”

How Does The 2018 Guideline Compare to Previous Years?

Last year it was 3.7%.  In 2012 the increase was higher at 4.3%

How Does The BC Rent Increase Guideline Compare to Other Provinces? 

Ontario landlords can only raise the rent by 1.8% in 2018. So compared to them we are doing okay. 

However, Alberta landlords don’t have rent control and can raise the rent as much as the market can bear (as long as they provide property notice, etc.)

BC Landlords Are You Going To Raise the Rent in 2018?

Experienced and successful landlords across British Columbia know that it’s important for landlords to raise the rent according to the guideline each year.

Good tenants demand attractive and well-maintained properties and you need to be charging rents that allow you to offer what good tenants want. In order to keep your property great for tenants and also make sure you are running a profitable business it’s important to raise the rent in 2018.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Rent increase 2018 | Comments Off on How Much Can BC Landlords Raise the Rent in 2018?

Join Us For Help and Great Services For BC Landlords!

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

BC Landlords Association Membership

Join us for a One-Time Registration Fee (No Annual Fee!) For Real Help For Landlords and Property Managers

BC landlords are waking up to the fact you need to screen tenants carefully to avoid renting to the “pro tenants” out there.

Sure there are a lot of great tenants out there. However, times have change and it’s important for landlords to protect themselves, their properties and their wallets.In the past you could rely on a handshake with tenants before you handed over the keys. Oh, those were the days!

Experienced BC landlords know there are lots of great people looking to rent safe and affordable properties from friendly and professional small landlords and also lots of not so good tenants who can end up costing you thousands of dollars in losses and months of stress.

It’s up to you to make sure you find good tenants and rent to them. And you now have the services and tools you need to identify good tenants, avoid the bad tenants out there, and become a successful BC landlord for an incredible low price.

Lots of Great Tenants, And Some Others You Need To Avoid

Landlords across British Columbia are still shocked at how a couple of serial bad tenants managed to rip off so many landlords in a short period of time.

They eventually paid one of the landlords what they avoid to avoid jail time, but there are still lots of landlords who they owe money to and the legal process for B.C. landlords seeking justice is slow and stressful.

You Can’t Get Blood From a Stone

This old saying applies for BC landlords.

If you rent to bad tenants who don’t pay rent and rip you off you will have to go to court to try to get your money back.

Canada doesn’t have debtors prisons and if your ex-tenants don’t have any money you won’t see a cent.

This is why it’s important to run tenant credit checks and rent to good tenants and avoid all the hassles of chasing bad tenants who will never pay you the rent they owe and you will never be fully paid for the stress they gave you!

Why Do BC Landlords Rent to Bad Tenants?

There is an excellent article at the Globe and Mail on this topic.

The Globe interviewed Rochelle Johannson who is a lawyer who deals with landlord and tenant disputes.

According to Rochelle too many small landlords base their decision on who to rent to on whether they “like the person or not.”

Too many landlords rely on their “gut feeling” and don’t verify what the people who want to rent your rental property say.

Even when some landlords do a bit of digging they often don’t do it the right way.

Calling a reference the renter gives you might be a friend acting as a former landlord or former employer. They will tell you lies to help their pal rent from you…and rip you off!

Get Terrific Services for BC Landlords (for only a one time registration fee!)

Join us for an affordable one-time registration fee and get access to networking, the BC Landlord Rental Kit, and premium easy to use credit check services. 

Here’s what you get, it’s an incredible deal for landlords!

1. One time registration fee only

No annual membership fee. Once you join you never have to pay another cent. Compare this with other BC landlord groups who charge you $50 just to get set up, and then they keep on charging you year after year.

2. BC Landlord Rental Kit  

Get all the documents you need in your own Rental Kit library that you can download 24/7.

3.  Landlord Community Center and LANDLORD PROFESSIONAL Forum

Network with thousands of other landlords in BC and across Canada. Get tips and advice from a huge nation-wide network of experienced and successful landlords.

4. Handbooks and Manuals

Landlords can get ahead to the line with premium landlord education.

5. Premium Credit Checks

Start running premium credit checks on tenants to protect your investment.

Property Management Companies

You can join get our BC landlord services for a one time fee just like smaller residential landlords can. Why spend thousands of dollars when you can join our landlord and property management community?

BC Landlords Help

We are not affiliated with the government. We are run by successful residential landlords and property managers not bureaucrats getting salaries.  We have worked hard to offer the best deal possible to help landlords succeed.

Our group charges only a one-time registration fee for great services including premium tenant credit check service and access to the BC Landlord Rental Kit with leases and applications! There are not “annual fees” because we understand BC landlords are on a tight budget.

Join Us and Welcome To Our Community! Get Great Tools and Services For a Low One-Time Registration Fee (No Annual Fee!)  WE ARE REAL HELP FOR SMALL RESIDENTIAL LANDLORDS!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in B.C. landlords, British Columbia landlords, Credit Check, Credit checks, landlord advocacy, Landlord rights, Landlord Services | Comments Off on Join Us For Help and Great Services For BC Landlords!

Saturday, April 16th, 2011

OLA Member’s Petition Read to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

April 2011

OLA member Jane Schweitzer made sure her concerns about charging landlords $170 per application (while tenants pay from nothing to $45) were heard! (more…)

Tags: , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | Comments Off on

Highlights of Our Meeting with the Ministry of Housing!!

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

Highlights of Our Meeting with the Ministry of Housing

February 2011 – Landlord Justice, LTB

On Thursday, February 17, 2011, Senior Members of the Ontario Landlords Association met with three Senior Members of Minister Bartolucci’s staff at the Ministry of Housing Offices, 777 Bay Street, Toronto. Also in attendance was the Honourable MPP Mike Colle, who really engaged with us and shared a number of troubling stories from his own constituents.

(more…)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | Comments Off on Highlights of Our Meeting with the Ministry of Housing!!

Do you have questions about the Landlord and Tenant Board? How to evict a tenant? Your tenant hasn’t paid rent? Do you need Landlord help?

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

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!!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | Comments Off on Do you have questions about the Landlord and Tenant Board? How to evict a tenant? Your tenant hasn’t paid rent? Do you need Landlord help?

Lots of hearings cancelled tomorrow (Wed. Feb. 2, 2011) at LTB

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
Due to extreme weather conditions LTB hearings scheduled for Wednesday February 2nd, 2011 at the following locations have been cancelled and will be re-scheduled:

Simcoe:
Best western Little River Inn
203 Queens Way West,Simcoe, ON,N3Y 2M9

Brantford:
Best Western Alexander Graham Bell Room
19 Holiday Drive Hwy,(403 and Gretzky Pkwy),Brantford, ON, N3T 5W5

Owen Sound:
ServiceOntario, Boardroom – Main Floor,1400 1st Avenue West, Owen Sound, ON,N4K 6Z9

Cobourg:
Best Western Inn & Convention Centre, 930 Burnham Street, Cobourg, ON, K9A 2X9

For up to date information regarding hearing cancellations please contact our Call Centre 416-645-8080 or Toll-free 1-888-332-3234

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | Comments Off on Lots of hearings cancelled tomorrow (Wed. Feb. 2, 2011) at LTB

Landlords want tenants to clear snow

Monday, January 31st, 2011


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

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | 1 Comment »

Waterloo the next city to license landlords

Friday, January 21st, 2011

WATERLOO — Waterloo proposes to become the first local city to regulate landlords who rent houses, charging them $1.2 million a year for rental licences.

Critics see it as a costly red-tape headache that will dissuade people from renting out bedrooms and houses.

“It’s really an attack on the Mom-and-Pop operation,” said Glenn Trachsel, of the Waterloo Regional Apartment Management Association. He predicts it will lead to a housing shortage.

Proponents say rental regulation will improve property standards and tenant safety.

“We know we have lots of rentals and we want to make sure that they’re all safe,” said Jim Barry, director of bylaw enforcement. “And by safe, we want to make sure that they’re safe for the people renting, and for the neighbourhood around them.”

Landlords would be charged fees ranging from $501 to $819 to secure a rental housing licence. Annual renewals would cost $231 to $405. Fees would pay all costs for rental regulation.

Apartment buildings are excluded due to higher provincial safety codes. The target instead is an estimated 5,000 houses, townhouses, and duplexes where bedrooms are rented out. This includes owners who rent out bedrooms in a house they still occupy.

Rentals would be capped at three bedrooms to reduce the impact of large rentals on neighbourhoods.

Campus-area challenges are driving the proposed regulations, unveiled Thursday following public consultation. Some rented homes are decaying in student neighbourhoods. The city has also had trouble enforcing licences it currently requires for lodging houses, which allow more than three tenants.

Regulation could provide helpful clarity around rental standards, said George Patton, president of the Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Board. But there’s concern about the impact on landlords.

“Does this negatively impact whether or not people are prepared to invest?” Patton said. “If it does have a negative affect, it may have a ripple effect in terms of availability of accommodations for students.”

Regulation would require landlords to submit floor, maintenance and parking plans, provide proof of insurance and tenancy agreements, allow city staff to enter and inspect the units, and comply with codes and bylaws. Landlords could face $350 tickets for violating their licence.

Council could approve regulation in February after hearing delegations.

“We don’t want to jeopardize the business of rental housing,” Coun. Scott Witmer said. But tenant safety is also critical. “With that, sometimes there is a cost.”

Waterloo would be the first local city to license rental homes, following Oshawa, London and Mississauga. It’s a power municipalities received in 2007.

Licences for lodging houses would be phased out. Landlords could eventually secure licences for boarding houses, or drop down to three bedrooms.
http://www.therecord.com/news/local/art … l-licences

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | Comments Off on Waterloo the next city to license landlords

Do you agree with the Liberal Minister of Community and Social Services?

Thursday, January 20th, 2011



Landlords have rights

By Hon. Madeleine Meilleur, Ottawa Citizen January 20, 2011

Re: The Public Citizen: New landlord discovers tenants have cards stacked in their favour, Jan. 16.

The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) was created to help people with disabilities to become more independent and live with dignity — something our government takes seriously. However we do not tolerate fraud or the misuse of funds for illegal purposes and I encourage everyone to report such a practice to the proper authorities.

Our government also takes tenant safety seriously, which is why we changed the Residential Tenancies Act to make it easier to evict persons whose actions pose a serious threat. Under the Act, grounds for eviction based on the behaviour or actions of a tenant include damage to a unit and involvement in illegal activity.

Every tenant in Ontario is subject to the same rules regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or whether the tenant is a social-assistance recipient. I would imagine this case is indeed following those rules set out by the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur,

Minister of Community and Social Services

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Landlords+have+rights/4135873/story.html#ixzz1BczSCacR

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Landlord and Tenant News | Comments Off on Do you agree with the Liberal Minister of Community and Social Services?

« Older Entries