Rental Contract - Canada (Basement)

[Yetunde Ijams]

Hi All! I will appreciate if anyone can share with me please rental contracts that might be suitable for a basement in Canada. I am considering letting out my basement and thinking of how to word the contract Also, I see most adverts say "no pets". Is this the standard and in your experiences please, what are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing / not allowing pets Also, what is the best way to screen prospective renters? Thanks v much and have a great day all Yetunde

[Roy N.]

@Yetunde Ijams

Here is a copy of the Alberta Residential Tenancies Act ... a good place to start.

Then you can visit Laws for Landlords and Tenants in Alberta for additional information and  sample documents.

[Mark Marcotte]

the best place for a rental contract is from the Edmonton landlord advisory board website. It has everything you need.  Also animals are very tricky. Cats will rip carpet and if they spray (piss)  on the carpets they will stink and cannot be cleaned. Always charge extra for pets as they tend to cause damage to floor g and baseboards. 

[Ram Srinivasan]

@Yetunde Ijams, PM me, and I can send you over a contract I use....

[Samuel Sedore]

Realtors can supply great contracts for your market. Also if the basement is not a legal apartment be mindful of who you let in and how you advertise, check local by-laws. Pets are a good bonus but I would not initially offer pet friendly unless you have issues renting, even the best pet will cause more damage then no pet.

My 4 musts to screen

-Credit Check

-Landlord Reference

-Job letter/ proof of employment

-Gut Check= Bad vibes, bad tenant

If people can't come up with atleast 2 of these 3 things, they likely are hiding something. Also use 2 previous landlords as reference to avoid being tricked by the guy who your prospective tenant is already ripping and he wants rid of.

[Yetunde Ijams]

Originally posted by @Roy N.:

@Yetunde Ijams

Here is a copy of the Alberta Residential Tenancies Act ... a good place to start.

Then you can visit Laws for Landlords and Tenants in Alberta for additional information and  sample documents.

Thanks so very much Roy. Really appreciate your input

[Yetunde Ijams]

Originally posted by @Mark Marcotte:

the best place for a rental contract is from the Edmonton landlord advisory board website. It has everything you need.  Also animals are very tricky. Cats will rip carpet and if they spray (piss)  on the carpets they will stink and cannot be cleaned. Always charge extra for pets as they tend to cause damage to floor g and baseboards. 

Thanks v much Mark. The potential tenants with pets eventually fell through which may be a blessing in disguise. Hoping other interested ones will show up soon

Thanks a lot!

[Yetunde Ijams]

Originally posted by @Samuel Sedore:

Realtors can supply great contracts for your market. Also if the basement is not a legal apartment be mindful of who you let in and how you advertise, check local by-laws. Pets are a good bonus but I would not initially offer pet friendly unless you have issues renting, even the best pet will cause more damage then no pet.

My 4 musts to screen

-Credit Check

-Landlord Reference

-Job letter/ proof of employment

-Gut Check= Bad vibes, bad tenant

If people can't come up with atleast 2 of these 3 things, they likely are hiding something. Also use 2 previous landlords as reference to avoid being tricked by the guy who your prospective tenant is already ripping and he wants rid of.

Thanks v much Samuel for the knowledge sharing, really appreciate it and will definitely follow your suggestions.

[Ram Srinivasan]

@Yetunde Ijams, also get a copy of their driver's license. Make sure it matches up with the name on the lease agreement, I had a friend who rented his property who faked his name on the agreement, so when he googled the fake name, he got totally different results than what he should have gotten. If he used his real name, he would have quickly found out that the tenant was not worthy..