Landlord Side – How Can We Help

If you have not already, please review our general information about how we can assist you by clicking here and come back afterwards.

Potential Tenant Verification

How do you know if the person you are about to rent to is a good tenant?

There are several ways in which a landlord can verify that their potential tenant will be a good fit.

The first consideration must be of the Human Rights Code of Ontario. No one may be discriminated against based solely on the 15 protected grounds in any of the 5 specific areas, in this case accommodation. If you are considering not renting to someone who may have cause for discrimination, be fully sure you have a good, non-discriminatory reason to deny the rental. If you are unsure whether a decision could be seen as discriminatory, contact us. We can help you navigate this dangerous situation. You may be stuck with a person you don’t want because there was even a perception of discrimination. (for instance, denying a rental only because they are a single mother may be a form of discrimination or rules which appear fair but are in fact discriminatory against a particular individual)

The next check is to make sure that the person is a good past tenant. This will involve contacting previous landlords and asking them what kind of tenant they are. We can help with this by making the calls, or we can alert you to potential problems based on what they said. Of course, you may get glowing recommendations but often the wording is particular to be not lie but not honestly truthful. We can review the information and read between the line to see who you would be renting to.

There are other methods too. Most LTB orders are published. It is not too difficult to find out if the tenant has had previous orders for or against in the past. Either way, this is an import part of vetting and we can help you figure out whether your potential tenant is going to be a legal nightmare.

Finally, there are financial checks available. There are 3rd party companies that can assist with these checks but the Residential Tenancies Act have rules about what information you can ask from a potential tenant and we can help you develop the right questions to ask and to receive the correct information to help you decide.

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Landlord/Tenant Relationship Rules

Once you have agreed to rent your expensive investment property, do you know what your landlord responsibilities to the tenant are?

It is simply not enough to just take money in exchange for providing keys to the unit. Did you know that, even though you own the property, you do NOT have automatic access to that rental portion? The rules and the law are clear that a rental property is the private space of the tenant and a landlord can only enter under very specific circumstances.

We can help guide you around the rules that you must follow. When the tenant does have a valid concern by your actions, we can discuss the matter with the tenant and try to come to a satisfactory resolution to maintain what is otherwise a good relationship. It is more costly to evict someone and find a new tenant than it is to simply work something out with the current one. This is the bulk of the work we can offer in order to make renting a smooth and successful prospect.

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Termination of the Rental Agreement

When it is time for the tenant to move, either on your request or by their own intentions, there are rules that must be followed to ensure that all parties are treated fairly.

We can help you to navigate the notices that are required. Of course, you cannot evict without a good reason at law and we can discuss your reasons and help you understand your obligations on termination of the rental agreement.

Contact us before you take ANY steps to evict a tenant. A violation of any of the rules on your part may prevent the tenant from getting evicted.

Let’s say you have an eviction notice from the LTB (they are the only ones who can order a sheriff to evict a tenant) and the tenant is supposed to pay you back rent? But they left now and you have not received payment. We can help to find the tenant and have the order filed with the Superior Court for enforcement. This might mean getting garnishment of wages or bank accounts, or placing liens on their properties. We can see you through all these processes. Just contact us for more information.

All you have to do is contact us and we will do everything we can to either assist you or direct you to someone who can.

Our only job is to help you!