Archive for the ‘Tenant screening’ Category

Top 10 Landlord Answers That Are Illegal (And a warning you should not rent from them!)

Monday, February 1st, 2021

FINDING A RENTAL IS NOW EASY AND TENANTS CAN DEMAND OUR RIGHTS: HERE ARE 10 ANSWERS FROM LANDLORDS THAT SHOULD LEAD YOU TO WALK OUT!)

With vacancy rates so high in Toronto and across Ontario tenant applicants can be tough and demand landlords follow the law!

Times have changed and tenants are now in the drivers seat!

When the vacancy rates were so low just a year ago many innocent and vulnerable tenant victims were afraid to ask their potential landlords important questions or they might not never find a home.

Not Being Careful When Choosing A Landlord Can Lead To Problems Later On

While it seems at first something you don’t really need to do, not screening your potential landlord can lead to huge problems down the road.

And these huge problems will occur when you not only least expect them, but when you don’t need need extra stress in your life.

For example, the landlord problems often happen when you have exams, or have important work meetings, or have important relationships visiting you or moving in.

Rental Properties Are A Dime A Dozen And Landlords Need YOU (and your $$$ to cover their costs!)

Please rent my place! Don’t you know I have a mortgage to cover, property taxes, condo fees!

Due to Covid19 many rental properties are empty. This means unlike times prior to the pandemic landlords and their over mortgaged rental properties are a dime a dozen.

Landlords need to fill their rentals and are DESPERATE to get someone in to pay their mortgage for them.

They took the risk and over-leveraged…their whole investment strategy was to sit back and collect rent!

Don’t Listen To The USA Sites!

Many American sites will tell you landlords can ask for things that are illegal covered under the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act.

For example, some American sites your landlord can say:

-We have our own screening policy

This is meaningless because Ontario landlords must follow the rules for screening tenants according the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

If they don’t follow these rules you can take them to the Human Rights Commission and get a huge penalty against them.

The rules in Ontario include:

Housing is a human right

International law says that people in Canada should be able to get good housing that they can afford. To help achieve this in Ontario, tenants and landlords (or housing providers) have rights and responsibilities under the Human Rights Code.

As a tenant, you have the right to equal treatment in housing without discrimination and harassment.

You cannot be refused an apartment, harassed by a housing provider or other tenants, or otherwise treated unfairly because of your:

  • race, colour or ethnic background
  • religious beliefs or practices
  • ancestry, including people of Aboriginal descent
  • place of origin
  • citizenship, including refugee status
  • sex (including pregnancy and gender identity)
  • family status
  • marital status, including people with a same-sex partner
  • disability
  • sexual orientation
  • age, including people who are 16 or 17 years old and no longer living with their parents
  • receipt of public assistance.

You are also protected if you face discrimination because you are a friend or relative of someone identified above.

-We have our own pet policy

In Ontario it is illegal to not allow a tenant to have pets. You can even lie to a corrupt, rule breaking landlord and say you don’t have pets, move in, and then bring in your pets and there is nothing your landlord can do!

-We have our own guest policy

In Ontario tenants can have guests and it’s none of the landlords damn business.

-We have our own lease renewal policy

This is meaningless because in Ontario a lease automatically goes to “month by month” at the end of a fixed term lease.  A landlord can’t kick you out when your lease ends.

-We have our own repairs policy

In Ontario this is meaningless because the landlord is responsible for all repairs.

-We have our own notice to leave policy

This is also all covered in the Residential Tenancies Act. A landlord must give at least 24 hours written notice to the tenant and served to the tenant in a legally acceptable way.

-We have our own policy for you to pay us huge fees for sublets

If you want to move it’s easy in Ontario and already legally covered. You can assign or sublet your apartment.

An even easier way is to just learn how Ontario tenants can legally break a fixed term lease.

-We charge a security deposit, it’s our policy

In Ontario any money other than “first and last” is ILLEGAL.  If the landlords demand it you can pay it, then move in, and take your landlord to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) and get all the money back!

-What is your citizenship or refugee status, it’s our policy to know

This is illegal in Ontario.

-You need to inform me what is your source of income?

This is illegal in Ontario

Tenants Don’t Rent From Unlawful Landlords!

The rental industry is highly regulated in Ontario. Many of your concerns are already protected under LAW and there are severe penalties you can apply to your potential landlord if they break them.

How Can I File A Human Rights Complaint Against An Illegal Landlord?

Yes, and it’s easy.

And many expert tenants say it’s very easy for tenants to win at the OHRC. Go for it!

If you need human rights legal advice or help filing an application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, contact the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre at: 416-597-4900 or 1-866-625-5179 and speak with a Human Rights Advisor.

To file an application directly with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, visit their website and follow the instructions for How to file an application.

We (The Ontario Human Rights Commission) have many progressive human rights policies that may support your application before the Human Rights Tribunal. If you want the Tribunal to consider our policy position, you have to let them know

I can’t afford another month of an empty rental! My Realtor lied to me!

Do Not Rent From Desperate Landlords Who Break The Law!

Tenants now have power with vacancy rates so high. They are desperate to find someone to rent from them to pay their mortgages and other expenses.

Demand landlords follow the law and find good landlords who know and follow the law.

Reward only lawful landlords with your rent money they are desperate to get from you to survive!

I Worked Out A Fair “Win-Win” Payment Plan With My Landlord

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

 

My Landlord Cooperated With Me 

These are difficult times for everyone. So many people are out of work and many have even been fired from their jobs!

The pandemic has changed the world and has hurt so many people.

And with all the schools closed many parents have to try to educate and entertain our children. This is especially tough when we can’t go to parks or playgrounds.

Landlords And Tenants And Paying Rent

As a long term tenant I have paid my rent according to the lease with my landlord all the time.

Now things have changed, the economy has changed, the whole world has changed due to the Corona Virus.

Economic Challenges

We tenants have lost hours, lost jobs, and even lost hope. This is a unique situation we have never seen before.

So How Should Tenants Deal With Their Landlord?

It’s all about being upfront and honest and working together.

Inform Your Landlord Of Your Predicament

Be open and honest with your small landlords because they will care and understand the challenges you face.

Most small landlords are nice people…they don’t want you to move (at least in my case). And they are willing to listen. And they are often flexible to reach a win-win situation.

Also, they don’t want to try to find a new tenant to replace you if possible. They want you to stay and hope you are willing to work with them.

See Things From The Landlords Point of View And Ask Them To See Things From Your Point Of View

Most small landlords are not like the rich corporate landlords living in their castles. They want you to stay and be their client.

They also know that finding another good paying tenant in the current environment will be very difficult and would prefer you to stay.

So it’s entirely possible to ‘work things out’.

Work Out A Payment Plan

I worked out a fair payment plan with my landlords.

Since I only get $2000/month from CERB and my rent is $900/month we agreed I would pay $500/month and I would catch up when the pandemic is over and I can get back to work.

This allows me to have confidence I will keep my home and also gives me $1500 for other things I need in life (and I still don’t need to dip into my savings!)

Working Together…Works!

View your small landlord as a partner in this whole crazy mess of a world.

Your small landlord likely rented themselves or have friends or kids renting so they are on your side. They might even be helping their kids or relative or friend who is renting deal with this situation.

Working Class Tenants Working With Working Class Landlords is Key

Many working class landlords aren’t rich and have bills to pay. They are usually pretty kind and flexible and if you be polite and tell them you want to work things out they will do it.

Make sure you rent from a small working class landlord because you can talk to each other and prepare win-win plans.

Stay Safe and Let’s All Work Together

Ontario Landlords – Nightmare tenant Nina Willis battling with new landlord over 7th eviction

Monday, June 2nd, 2014

 Ontario Landlords – Make Sure You Rent To Great Tenants (And Avoid Nightmare Tenants) With Good Tenant Screening, Including a Credit Check!

Ontario Landlords – Make Sure You Rent To Great Tenants (And Avoid Nightmare Tenants) With Good Tenant Screening, Including a Credit Check!

The story in the Toronto Star last Friday was shocking for many residential landlords across Ontario.

It was about a person the Toronto Star calls a “Tenant from Hell” who is facing being evicted from her Scarborough rental property.

It’s brought a lot of discussion at the Ontario Landlords forum.

Nina Willis is in the process of appealing a Landlord and Tenant Board decision ordering her to either pay rent on time or move out of the rental property she is staying in

The original Landlord and Tenant Board Order told her she had to move by March 2014.

However, she is “appealing” the Order which means she can delay the eviction (and avoid paying rent) for more months until she gets her say in the next court.

She has done this is each of her previous cases. It’s an easy way for tenants to continue to stay in a rental property and live “rent free” for months.

This isn’t the first time the Toronto Star has reported on this tenant and her tactics to rip off small landlords.

The Star says this is the 7th case of Nina Willis being evicted since 2005.

The Ontario Landlords association has also written about this “Tenant From Hell” in the past to warn landlords.

At least seven different landlords who have been cheated out of rent and dragged through the tribunal system. A system that can be expensive, time-consuming and extremely stressful.

Nina’s current Scarborough landlord won’t even talk to the media as they try to evict Nina from their rental property.

Why Do Landlords Rent To Bad Tenants?

No landlord wants to rent to bad tenants.

The worst tenants (meaning tenants who have a plan to rip off small landlords from Day 1 are often very crafty.

For example, Willis will do an Academy Award worthy performance when she first meets a potential landlord.

Bad tenants will be exceptionally friendly when they first meet you.

They will appear to be really “decent people” who will convince you they will pay rent on time and take care of your rental property like it is their own home.

It’s only when you rent to them that you begin to see their true face.

You won’t believe how they change as they accuse you of neglecting maintenance issues and even harassing them.

How Can I Find Good Tenants and Avoid the Bad Ones?

One of Nina’s former landlords is now an OLA member and is very careful to screen her tenants to avoid “tenants from hell.”

One of the best tenant screening tools is a credit check.

Check out the Ontario Landlord Credit Check site for more information on the importance of doing credit checks on tenants. This site was created to help Ontario landlords learn how to find good tenants and avoid tenants from Hell.

How Can a Tenant Credit Check Help Landlords?

Conducting a tenant credit check will give you the essential information you need to know about a potential renter before you rent to them.

This isn’t only important for Ontario landlords, but also key for Alberta landlords and British Columbia landlords who are also facing challenges.

How Can Tenant Credit Checks Help Me Avoid Tenants From Hell?

That’s an excellent question. After all, small landlords are often on tight budgets and conducting a credit check is an extra expense.

Let’s take a closer look at how a tenant credit check can help Ontario landlords find good tenants and avoid tenants from hell.

#1 Current and Past Addresses

A credit check from the Ontario Landlords Association will show you the current and past addresses of your potential tenant.

You don’t have to ‘trust’ what the tenant tells you. You can see the FACTS on the credit report.

You can then make sure you talk to the REAL current and previous landlords and learn the TRUTH about the tenant who wants to rent your rental property.

#2 Current and Past Employment

It’s very common for bad tenants to lie about their employment history.

They lie because they know landlords want to rent to tenants with stable jobs that provide enough income to cover the rent.

A tenant credit check from the Ontario Landlords Association will show you the REAL employment situation of the potential renter.

#3 Financial Responsibility

Bad tenants will smile and tell you they always pay their bills on time.

A tenant credit check will show you the TRUTH.

Do they pay their bills on time? Do they owe anyone money? Are there judgements against them? Are there any collection agencies after them?

Even British Columbia landlords are now recognizing the importance of credit checks as they face some serial bad tenants ripping off landlords in BC.

We often think of Alberta as the best place to own rental properties in Canada. Yet even Alberta landlords are conducting tenant credit checks to make sure they avoid pro tenants who can end up costing landlords tens of thousands of dollars.

How Can I Run a Credit Check On My Prospective Tenants?

In the past running a credit check was complicated and expensive.

Some of the landlord credit check companies out there add on all sorts of extra fees on you and have a complicated start up process.

As a small landlord, you want everything open and up-front.

You also want low fees and a fast and efficient system.

Join the Ontario Landlords Association

For only a one-time registration fee , Ontario landlords can get access to premium credit checks for only $10/check!

That’s right. No annual fee. Just a one-time registration fee.

You can then access premium credit checks foronly $10/check for credit checks that give you a credit score, addresses, employment and all the information you need to make a smart, informed decision on whether or not you will rent to a tenant.

You will even get a recommendation from the credit report.

Ontario Landlords – Bad Tenants Are Out There But You Can Protect Yourself!\

Become a Member of the Ontario Landlords Association and Get Premium Credit Checks For Only $10/check from your Home or Office Computer.

It Really Is the Landlord Deal of a Life Time!

Landlord Feels Like a Prisoner After ‘Freemen On The Land” Declares Rental Property “His Embassy”

Tuesday, September 24th, 2013

 September 24th, 2013

Alberta Freemen of the Landlord Is a Nighmare for His Landlord

We had prepared to post about the great news out of Hamilton.

Hamilton landlords stuck together, created noise, and played a key role in stopping landlord licensing.

We’ll get to that soon because we want to first share a story that’s being reported everywhere from Sun News to the CBC.

It’s about a landlord facing a nightmare situation.

Landlord Victimized By Bad Tenant

We know there are lots of bad tenants out there. We have discussed everything from tenants not paying the rent for months to some tenants being charged from threatening their landlord.

The situation going on now in Alberta is something we haven’t seen before.

Owning Rentals In Alberta

Alberta is known for having some of the more fair laws for landlords in Canada.

Fair laws such as allowing damage deposits and ‘no security of tenancy’ rules. This means a negotiated lease agreed to and signed by both the landlord and tenant carries weight in unlike in Ontario.

This leads to lots of success stories and happy landlords in Alberta.

However, for those who don’t do proper tenant screening problems still arise.

Freemen On The Land

Rebekah Caverhill owns a nice duplex in a great area of Calgary, Alberta.

In 2011 she agreed to rent to Andreas Pirelli based on the recommendation of a friend. He said he was a handyman and she agreed to let him move in in exchange for three months of contracting work.

Pirelli moved in and began abusing his landlord and the rental property, including:

1. Changing the locks without the landlords’ permission

2. Completely gutting the bathroom and the kitchen

3. Painting the bedrooms black

He also informed this landlord he would only pay half of his monthly agreed to rent of $1,500 because the work he did on the home was suddenly to cost $26,000.

Pirelli  had declared himself a member of what’s called Freemen-on-the-land.

This is a movement which believes they don’t have to follow the law if they declare themselves to be sovereign citizens.

Don’t Let This Happen To You

Rebekah Caverhill was taken advantage of and is paying a hefty price. Is it fair? Of course not.

She rented to a tenant based on trust and the recommendation of a friend.

Unfortunately in this day and age you need to do more before handing over the keys.

 

Tenant Screening Ontario Landlords Association Small Claims Court

 

Being a successful landlord means starting out right. This means doing credit checks and other tenant screening to make sure you know who is coming into your property.

Join the discussion at the Ontario Landlord forum

Tenant Ordered To Pay Her Former Ontario Landlord For Locking Him Out

Sunday, March 24th, 2013

March 24th, 2013

Tenant from hell ordered to pay Ontario Landlord

With So Many Great Tenants Out There, Make Sure You Learn The Skills Needed To Find Them (and help them find you!)

The Toronto Star has continued to report on the saga of aTenant From Hell which began in 2011. At long last it looks like the saga has finally ended for the landlords involved.

You might remember this, as the Ontario Landlords Association has followed this story closely.

We were there from the very beginning when a small landlord reached out for help all the way to the “Tenant From Hell” finally being evicted from the house of her last landlord and then moving out.

According to the Star story in February Nina Willis was found guilty of changing the locks on a house she rented and blocking her landlord from entering the home.

The Crown Prosecutor noted Willis didn’t even show up and a message was needed to be sent to discourage the types of things Willis had done.

She was convicted of:

1. 2 counts of of obstructing the landlord’s right to enter the rental unit

2. 1 count of changing the lock without her landlord’s consent.

At the conclusion of the trial the Justice of the Peace, Rhonda Roffey, ordered Nina Willis to pay $2,750. This amount must be paid within the next 6 months.

Don’t Let This Happen To You

Several of the landlord victims who suffered through this ordeal wanted to protect themselves (and never have this happen again) and became Ontario Landlord Association members.

Proper tenant screening is a must for Ontario landlords. There are lots of great tenants out there and you need to help them find you.

How Do You Find Them?

Learn how to attract the best tenants to your rental property.

Ontario landlords attract great tenants

How Do I Make Sure I Rent to Great Tenants?

Tenant screening is key. Learn the questions must ask and the things you must do to find your perfect tenant.

How to screen tenants

 

Knowledge is the key to avoid bad tenants and find great ones. Learn what questions you need to ask and things you need to do to find great tenants.

It’s up to you. The Ontario Landlords Association offers you the tools you need to succeed.

To discuss this and other issues facing Ontario landlords go to the largest landlord forum in Canada.