Archive for the ‘Student Housing’ Category

University of Toronto Gives Advice for Ontario Landlords Association Members

Saturday, September 12th, 2015

University of Toronto student landlords Ontario Landlords Association

The Ontario Landlords Association Asked the University of Toronto for Advice On How To Successfully Rent to Great Student Tenants!

Lots of new landlords want to rent to students. And why not? Students are focused on their studies and want to live in a great, safe, comfortable rental property that in no way will distract them from their goal of getting high grades and obtaining their degree. And renting to students is different than renting to experienced tenants from hell.

We contacted the University of Toronto to get some advice we could share for our members. For our previous chat see this link: University of Toronto, How Can Landlords Rent to Students in Ontario

1. I want to rent to U of T students. How can your service help me?

We offer a site where you can advertise your rental unit whether it be short- or long-term, private or shared accommodation. Our HousingFinder site averages 13,000+ visitors each month including U of T, George Brown, OCAD, and ESL school students, as well as U of T staff and faculty and students of other post-secondary institutions.

We offer various pricing options, insider tips on topics such as creating a more attractive ad for students, average rental rates in your area, and current legislation.

Your ad will be visible to our users 24/7, you can track how many times your ad has been viewed, include extensive details, and up to 10 photos.

2. How has your service changed since 2014?

For the first time, we’ve invited our landlords to attend our spring and summer Housing Fairs. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your property, meet prospective tenants, and learn more about our service! Our last fair of 2015 will be on August 22nd.

We’ve also added a new annual ad option ideal for those offering week-to-week rentals to medical electives and sabbaticals.

3. What are U of T students looking for in a good rental and good landlord in 2015?

No matter who you are renting to, a good landlord is someone who follows the guidelines of the RTA and stands by their responsibilities to maintain their unit accordingly.

Students are looking for places that are fairly close to campus (or near a subway line), offer competitive rental rates, include utilities, and a flexible lease agreement (i.e. month-to-month, 8-month leases, or ability to sublet in the summer).

We encourage you to include in the ad any amenities and features about your unit that might be attractive to students such as nearby shops, restaurants or attractions, a backyard or patio, natural lighting, air conditioning, or WIFI.

4. How are students choosing properties to rent? How do they decide?

Many students start by browsing the listings that have photos, match their desired move-in date, and are within their budget. The budget is ultimately the deciding factor but students are definitely attracted to a place that offers some of the amenities and features mentioned above.

5. How can good landlords communicate their goodness and professionalism to student tenants?

When students are calling or viewing a place it’s also an opportunity for the tenant to interview the landlord. Being genuine and professional from the start will not only get your relationship with your tenant off to a good start, but also provide an opportunity for future referrals (word of mouth).

Posted in Landlord and Tenant News, Student Housing, Student Landlords | Comments Off on University of Toronto Gives Advice for Ontario Landlords Association Members

Student Housing and Tenant Insurance

Monday, September 9th, 2013

September 9th, 2013

Barrie Landlords and Student Housing

Last weekend was the start of the month and the start of university and college programmes all over Ontario.

It’s a time when thousands of students arrive at the cities and towns where their schools are located. Some arrived for the first time while thousands returned to continue their studies.

It’s a huge market for landlords.

One place of learning that was busy was Georgian College and that meant lots of students moving to homes owned and operated by Barrie and Orillia landlords.

In fact, according to a report on CTV news over 650 students came to Barrie and Orillia over the Labour Day weekend.

The First On-Campus Residence in Orillia

Parents were impressed by Orillia’s new college residences. The two new buildings have 64 dorms in each leading one of the student’s Dads to say the fact that the buildings are new and clean gave him a good feeling.

It’s always nice when you know you are moving into a nice rental you are confident in.

Students moving from home for their very first time like Amanda Summers explained how she felt both “nervous and exited” at the same time.

At Georgian College lots of returning students were on hand to help frosh and their parents make it through the day.

Lots of Students Coming To Off-Campus Housing

Some students are happy to be out of university housing and living off-campus. The chance to live with friends, share cooking duties and hanging out together is an exciting time for them.

Students and Tenant Insurance

Many students aren’t aware of the value of getting tenant insurance.

Student landlords have a great opportunity to ‘educate’ their student tenants and protect themselves (and help students know how to protect themselves).

Help Your Student Tenants Protect Themselves

A simple phone call can protect students from all kinds of mishaps in and around campus.

There’s the obvious— fire, water damage and theft—concerns but there are also liability concerns.

If someone is injured on the premises or a toilet floods over and causes water damage to a few floors below, it can hugely expensive and time consuming without insurance.

Not every rental unit problem is the landlord’s responsibility either.

“There can be a lot of misconceptions out there,” one insurance expert said. “It depends who was found to be negligent. Tenants can be held responsible.” Without proper insurance, tenants who are found to be at-fault are on the hook for damages.

Tenant insurance is especially important for students because student housing can be more risky than single-family homes thanks to high turnover rates—not to mention the parties.

Protecting possessions from theft is reason enough to seek out coverage.

Students may not have accumulated many material possessions but the belongings they do have is usually pretty valuable like notebook computers, TVs, textbooks and even musical instruments.

For those trying to make ends meet, tenants may be tempted to skip tenant’s insurance to try to cut costs.

Explain to them they should consider the cost of replacing their laptop or smartphone if they were robbed.

Now is a good time to hold class to teach basics of tenant’s insurance and ensure your renters have the right coverage in place to protect themselves.

To Discuss Insurance, Student Housing, and Other Issues Welcome to the Ontario Landlord Forum

Tags: ,
Posted in Insurance, Student Housing | 4 Comments »