I have a tenant who I think I’m going to have to evict. I feel I was toyed with last month and this month and served the N4 form later than I should have. I know I have to serve and L1 except they may pay up again to keep me from evicting them. (more…)
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.
You wouldn’t think how the experience of dealing with tenants (or for this article, ex-tenants) could be so close to the story of Cinderella but when I gave it a closer look, I was surprised to see the similarities. Things CAN change when the clock strikes midnight- especially if your tenant decides to do a midnight run. That beautiful and expensive carriage (vehicle) that you thought they owned turns out was either borrowed or leased. The great references disappear quicker then the horses that were pulling the carriage. But remember there can be a happy ending if you take the rights steps.
Let’s look at the Prince (in this case it will be played by GTS-Global Tracing Solutions) he has a clue as to where “Cinderella” (ex-tenant) could have gone. He starts with the glass slipper, well as most people don’t realize, they leave footprints wherever they go- Cinderella is no different. And in her case the Prince is lucky that there are also some digital footprints left behind as well. So the Prince starts to analyze the foot prints and pulls out some clues for him to follow. With a few phone calls, more searching and some helpful “info fairies” along the way he is able to locate a different location. Where the peasant girl –Cinderella (the tenant that made the midnight move) now calls home (yes she too ended up back with her evil step mother) .
So it’s not exactly like that for a skip tracing company but in many ways it is. People pretend to be things they are not and provide an “image” and information to get what they need- in this case it’s a roof over their head. That is why it’s important to start off on the right foot (sort of speak) and make sure that you are using a thorough application and doing the checks on the information provided. NOW is the time at the beginning of the relationship to confirm and ask the questions that you need answered. Don’t have time – use a service like Tenant Verification Services. At least give US a chance to start on the right path , so we can give you the best chance to recover by locating a new address for service or a new phone number so you can start your collection process. It is hard to find someone when you are their last known address and there is nothing else to go on.
GTS-Global Tracing Solutions Ltd. is here to help you recover what is rightfully yours from those that are clearly not making the right decisions. www.gtsglobaltracing.ca
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
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
