December 1st, 2012
Ontario Landlords
Own Student Rental Properties in Oshawa, Ontario and Tenants Noise or Bad Parking Can
Lead the Landlord Into Closing Down For a Year or More!
What’s Going On In Oshawa?
Student rental properties in Oshawa are already licensed. Now the City of Oshawa has created a new system to have even greater control over landlords and tenants.
What Is It?
They have created a new system whereby each landlord and their properties are subject to a demerit point system.
A Demerit Point System? You’ve Got to be Kidding.
Unfortunately, it’s really happened. Student landlords in Ontario already have enough challenges, and then this new system comes along.
Does This Apply to Every Landlord in Oshawa?
No. it will apply to rental properties in the northern part of Oshawa near the campus of Durham College and the campus of UOIT.
Why Is This Happening?
Student rental housing has caused conflict between landlords, their student tenants, and residents in the area for a long time. Licensing, and this new system is yet another stage of the conflict.
How Does the Demerit System Work
Here’s how it works.
1. If the rental gets up to 7 demerit points, the landlord will get a letter with a warning.
2. If the rental gets up to 15 points, the landlord will lose their license to operation for at least a year.
How Does a Landlord Lose Demerit Points?
The landlord will lose points for things such as:
– Tenants making noise
– Tenants parking their cars in unauthorized ways
– Landlords operating without a valid license.
So the Tenant Makes Noise or Parks Wrong and the Landlord is Punished?
Yes. This is particularly frightening considering landlords have so few controls over what tenants can do. Even in ‘pro landlord’ provinces such as Alberta tenants can get out of control.
How Long Do These Demerit Points Stay On the Landlord’s Record?
The demerit points stays on a property record for two years.
Is This System Permanent?
This new system will exist for at least a year and likely more.
How Much Will This System Cost?
A councillor admits the government doesn’t know how much it will cost but they should ‘do something.’
How Can this Be Defended?
The councillor who started this whole plan says this is another tool for the government to deal with landlords who ignore city bylaws.
What If the Landlord is an Investor and They Hire a Bad Property Manager?
It will be the landlord who is punished. This is why investors should be careful to only hire the best property management service companies to manage their properties that can deal with bad tenants and bad situations.
