Renting to someone on an income rental assistance program??

Question

Looking for advice on renting to an individual on a rental assistance program through the government. The property is in Nova Scotia, Canada. This is my second duplex and I do not have experience renting to someone in this situation. Does anyone have advice or experience with this? Is it risky? The potential tenant says the rent will be paid directly from the program. Thanks!!

Wayne Griffith · Answer

Guaranteed rent payments, from the government, and this is a bad thing? There are other factors to consider, to be sure, but on that score I disagree.

Matthew Crivelli · Answer

Yes it is risky, they are on government assistance. My advice, find a tenant who has a track record of paying rent. It's not worth the extra monthly income that comes with getting involved with low income renters. They are more likely to not pay there portion of the rent, more likely to destroy your house, and more likely to squat / drag out an eviction process as long as humanly possible.

Dan Baldini · Answer

A good rule of thumb is this:  Be careful and fully understand the risks of "getting in bed with the government".  You will, likely, be required to sign and comply with their auxillary agreements, which you may not like/enjoy if push comes to shove.  Not to mention, you've now become reliant on a 3rd party for income streams, and yes, they do occasionally run short of funding and, yes, they have no compunction with telling you to pound sand until they get new funding.  So, essentially, you are introducing a new uncontrollable risk into your landlord proforma.