Posts Tagged ‘Ontario Tenants and Marijuana’

Ontario Landlord PROTECTION MEMBERSHIP Is Now Available!

Tuesday, October 16th, 2018

Due To The Huge Challenges Ontario Landlords Are Facing We Have Created A New Level Of Membership

Get Tools and Services You Need To Succeed For A One-Time Registration Fee

We have received thousands of replies from small landlords who took part in our campaign to put the issue of marijuana smoking and growing on the forefront of the provincial housing file.

It shows how concerned people are about this issue (and for good reason.) While other provinces took action, our members have been informed the ministry will watch what happens and address the issue if they see evidence of major problems arising.

We keep hearing from landlords across Ontario about the challenges and problems they face beyond even the marijuana issue.

And the stories are scary. 

Yes there are a lot of great tenants out there. But there also many tenants who are abusing the system and destroying the financial futures of so many honest, ethical and hard working residential property investors.

These investors are not billion dollar corporations.  We are working people. We are teachers, doctors, plumbers, electricians, firefighters, professors, scientists, chefs, taxi drivers, engineers, secretaries, retired people, contractors, etc.

We are ethical people who have invested in creating high quality rental housing.  We have invested our savings and we need to not only be protected, we need to be encouraged to continue to invest in Ontario rentals.  To  be frank many people are looking to invest in more business-friendly environments, such as in the USA, these days. 

If Ontario is truly “open for business” then Ontario landlords need the rules to be changed!

It could be stories about first time landlords losing over $40,000 due to a bad tenant who not only made huge damages, but stole the appliances (and the police said it was a ‘civil matter’).

Or about renters who go “on strike” instead of paying their rent. They think a landlord following rules to get a rent increase is the reason they should “join together” and all decide to not pay rent (and break the law).

Savvy tenants have also learned how to manipulate the system to break fixed term leases leaving landlords hung out to dry. For these tricky tenants signing a lease for a one year term means nothing to them.

Ontario Landlords Face Overwhelming Challenges…And We Are Here To Help

Even our most experienced landlords say things are different these days. We have veteran expert landlords who have been in the industry for ages saying “you need to be so careful these days because one slip up can bankrupt you.”

And one experienced and successful OLA member said, the issue of legal marijuana in rental properties is one of the “biggest landlord issues in 20 years.” He said this to Bloomberg News (Bloomberg International…so the whole world can see what we face!)

Let’s look at some of the biggest issues for landlords across Ontario:

1. Marijuana Is Legal (And Tenants Can Even Grow Plants in The Rental Property)

Many people are still unaware of the consequences of marijuana becoming legal. In Ontario the rules from the past Liberal government allow tenants to not only smoke weed, but to grow plants! Yes, grow plants in your rental property!

2. No Damage Deposit Can Equal Huge Financial Losses

We cannot charge a damage deposit in Ontario. That’s right, it’s illegal. Even if your renters volunteer to pay they can always go to the Landlord and Tenant Board and you will be forced to pay it back.

This means even good paying tenants seem to think it’s okay to leave a mess behind when they move out. And some tenants are actually happy to cause huge damages that can bankrupt landlords or at least end up costing us tens of thousands of dollars.

3. Even New Rentals Are Covered Under the Unfair Rent Guideline Now

Prior to April 2017 rental properties built after 1991 were exempt from the ridiculously low annual government rent increase guideline. Now even these properties are covered.  The 2018 Ontario landlord rent increase guideline is only 1.8%. Will this cover your increasing costs?

4. Evictions for Renters Simply Not Paying Rent Can Take Months

Did you know if your renter doesn’t pay rent they get a two week delay to pay? And after those two weeks if they don’t pay you have to pay to take them to a “hearing” which can take 2-6 months. The at the hearing the tenant gets free government legal help to fight you or to “play the system” to let the tenant live rent-free in your property for even longer.

5. Tenants Are Networking And Educating Each Other How To Abuse the System

Tenants are networking and teaching each other how to manipulate the system. And with the current rules,that can means months and months of living ‘rent free’, breaking leases, or leaving your property in horrible shape costing you tens of thousands of dollars.

Ontario Landlord PROTECTION Membership Is Now Available To Help Landlords Succeed In These Difficult Times

Become a Landlord PROTECTION Member and get access to the services you need to run a successful and profitable rental business. For only a one time fee start using our services to protect your business. Join us in making our landlord voices heard (and a loud voice will help make the system more fair.)  

Here’s what you get:

Rental Kit

Get access to applications, notices and everything you need in our online library that is available to you 24/7.

Access To the Forums, Including the Private Members Forum (for verified landlords only)

Network with other landlords and property managers to help you and your rental business succeed. In our private forum only verified landlords are allowed to enter. This means you are networking and getting help from real landlords, including many veteran experts.

Discounted Credit Checks

Get huge discounts on excellent credit check services.

An OLA member wrote: “I’ve actually made money by joining the OLA! Just the savings on credit checks over the past couple years adds up to way more than the one-time registration fee. It’s a deal that can’t be beat!”

Tenant Friendly Credit Checks (With Risk Scores From Transunion)

These days good tenants are very concerned about providing their personal information to a potential landlord. Get access to tenant friendly credit checks where tenants do not need to provide private information to you…and tenants can even pay for it online.

This makes running credit checks an easy and non-confrontational process.

Criminal Checks

Many experienced and successful landlords are now including criminal checks as part of their professional landlord tenant screening system. Now you can too for a huge discount for OLA members.

The “Top 100 Lease Clauses You Need” CD

The new government Ontario Standard Lease doesn’t protect landlords. The document gives lots of help for tenant to “learn there rights” while leaving landlords dangerously vulnerable.  You need to protect yourself especially if you end up at the Landlord and Tenant Board or Ontario Small Claims Court.

How To Protect Yourself From Tenants Smoking and Growing Marijuana CD

While other provinces have made changes to protect landlords Ontario has not. Learn how to protect yourself and your rental from tenants smoking marijuana and growing marijuana plants! Filled with “landlord tips and tricks” from experienced landlords across the province.

Insurance

Get access to one of the best rental insurance packages in Canada. Also covers student rentals! You get a big discount as a member.

Property Management Software

Get discounts on premium property management software to take control over your rental business.

Become a Landlord PROTECTION Member and Get the Services You Need To Succeed…ALL FOR A LOW ONE TIME FEE!

In these difficult times landlords need to come together and help each other get our voice heard and succeed and run profitable rental businesses. 

Become an Ontario PROTECTION MEMBER and Get Amazing Tools and Services To Help Your Rental Business Succeed and Make Profits!

“Ontario Tenants Will Be Able To Smoke Marijuana And There’s Nothing Landlords Can Do About It”

Thursday, March 1st, 2018

Ontario tenants speak out

Tenants Speak Out and Share Their Concerns and Opinions on the Rental Industry

marijuana tenants ontario 1

“Ontario Tenants Will Soon Be Able To Smoke Marijuana In Their Homes And There’s Nothing Landlords Can Do About It”

The uproar from landlords and their friends in the media regarding marijuana is both frustrating and frightening. While landlords are allowed to frame the debate regarding the non-existent “tenants smoking marijuana issue” there has been a great racist and class discriminating wall preventing tenants from sharing our opinions and experiences.

Hey Media! I am aware landlords spend millions of dollars in advertising dollars to the media, but couldn’t you even give tenants a few iotas of your precious ad space, I mean news stories.

It’s clear the landlords in Ontario, both big and small, have spent a lot of time and money working together to create a plan to try to prevent tenants in Ontario from using marijuana in our homes.

I can just imagine all the secretive meetings between all the landlord lobby groups at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto to prepare a “united front” against tenants. While sipping $100 bottle Bordeaux at the Cafe Boulud they talk about how tough life is being a landlord. 

And “oh how dare the working class enjoy smoking cannabis now that it will soon be legal” they sigh while downing dishes the average worker could never afford!

It seems they only want wealthy homeowners to be allowed to enjoy a toke of a nice strain due to their wealth and privileged position in society.

Tenants Have the Human Rights To Do The Same Things in Their Homes That Homeowners Do In Theirs

Homeowners need to realize that when you rent to a tenant in Ontario it is no longer “your property”. It is now the tenant’s home. And just like you tenants can do what they want in their home. 

So just like you in your home, tenants in our home can do things like:

-play scrabble

-watch Netflix

-cook really tasty popcorn to eat while we watch our favorite shows

-play with our pets

-have passionate sex with whomever we choose to do so

-pray to our gods and goddesses without discrimination or fear

-smoke marijuana and grow our own plants with sweet as hell strains that the LCBO chains will never match

It almost seems landlords think a tenant should pay the rent and yet never even live in the property.

ontario tenants flight attendant hot

Ideal Tenant – Never Home!

I often think the ideal tenant for Ontario landlords is a flight attendant.

He rents from you and is never home as he flies across the country earning a wage to pay rent.  Oh and if he ever brings his boyfriend back the landlord will be livid and preparing evictions notices.

Or suddenly things don’t get fixed.  Or there are constant needless repairs. Constant harassment to move. (Probably because both Mr. and Mrs. Landlord are jealous of what they are missing). Unless the hook up is short and the tenant leaves again and seems to just disappear while the rent money keeps flowing in like a river.

Too many landlords view their rental apartments as only a money making machine and not a place where real people live.  I will soon submit my next article on rentals with no parking, ha ha!

The Whole “Oh Marijuana Smells So Bad” is a Straw man Argument and Not Logical   

Does curry smell bad? No, I get hungry when I smell it because it was part of my family’s regular food supply. Does marijuana smell bad? For me, no not at all. I can barely even smell it and if I do notice it I’m reminded of my family garden as a child.

Smell is subjective and based on the life experiences of the person smelling. Some people don’t like the small of curry and “Indian food” or garlic and “Chinese food”.

It’s like asking 10 people “What do you think of this perfume?” Some will love it, some will like it, some will dislike it and some will hate it.  Everyone has a different opinion and it’s the same with the smell of marijuana (if there really is a smell, because I usually don’t even notice it).

What would I like to ban? 

Fat slobs who over cook animal flesh.  I don’t like the smell of burnt meat. It reminds me of how much the cow must have screamed while being slaughtered. 

Ontario tenants marijuana tv dinner

Burn animal flesh reminds me of the pain the animal felt. Let’s make tortured meat smell a way to evict people

But since meat is typical “landlord” food there’s nothing I can do about it. Stop eating meat! And notice they advertise this as “hungry-MAN.”  That says a lot. Another reason to never rent from male landlords.

Tenants Can Smoke Marijuana And There Is Nothing Landlords Can Do About It

I have felt so threatened and angry over the past few weeks. Maybe I need to give up social media. 

The good news is tenants can smoke marijuana and grow plants in our homes and there is nothing landlords can do about it. It is reassuring to know that tenants have the same rights as homeowners and that means tenants are protected from landlords who only want to enjoy the benefits of marijuana to themselves and their land owning class.

And don’t think any “no smoking clause” will work for you because the tenant can just say she wasn’t smoking and it was the smell on her clothes or something. You won’t get your eviction!

I want to create some balance here so landlords repeat after me:

What the Tenants Are Doing In Their Homes Is Our Business And If We Are Smoking Marijuana and Growing Some Plants There Is Nothing You Can Do About It. 

Marijuana is not only for the wealthiest in our society and not only for the homeowner class.

 

As part of our “Let’s Improve the Ontario Rental Industry” we have invited landlords and tenants to share their opinions on how we can make these improvements. These opinions are from individual contributors and are not the opinions of the Ontario Landlords Association. We believe by fostering communication between landlords and tenants we can improve the Ontario rental industry.  Landlords and tenants can share your thoughts and opinions by emailing us at landlordtenantsolutions@groupmail.com Submissions should be between 500 to 2000 words and up to 5 pictures.)