All Forum Posts by: Thomas S.

If they are in doubt they should be asking the landlord or PM why they were turned down for the two bed. They should not make assumptions, they should ask questions, if they want answers other wise they should just move on. 

Price , quality and management generally have very little to do with how long a tenant will stay. Assuming all three are in a average acceptable zone. Tenants move primarily due to personal life issues, job, relationship, moving up etc.

All you have to do is give 24 hr notice and you can legally enter with or without the tenant being present. There is no reason to have to deal with a tenant or work with them if you wish to enter your property. It makes no scenes to "arrange" an appointment time with a tenant to do work. Just give proper legal notice, show up and enter.

When a landlord says their tennat will not give them access it is obvious the landlord does not know their legal rights to enter. A tenant can not legally block a landlords access when the landlord has given proper notice. 

It is very common for tenants being evicted to move before the hearing, my guess is you did not bother to screen her. Steep and expensive learning curve.

It was cruel to leave it behind, he shoule have filited and eaten it.

You have a lease, enforce it by filing the notice or don't bother having a lease in the future. A lease that is not enforced is not a legal lease.

After they leave if they have not paid and you can not deduct it from their deposit you file the case with your small claims court. Normally the threat of destroying their credit is enough to change their mind assuming you are not dealing with C/D class tenants. If they are C/D tenants let them go, you are never going to collect. 

I would never invest in a property that does not have fully split utilities. It allows the tenants too much leverage to abuse the situation. It is very common for tenants to leave windows wide open all winter, leave power on and run water without consideration of cost. Imagine what a bad tenant can do to cost you a fortune.

As for terminating tenants to reno you can do it but the tenant has the right to move back in following completion of work at their previous rent should they choose. The system requires they give written notification of their intentions to move back when the work is completed. There are ways to work around this obviously by manipulating the reno timing but this can cost extra in vacancy timing in some cases. My advice is to creatively persuade tenants to leave on their own and wait to reno until they do. Unless rents are painfully low it is best to wait. In Ontario you do not ever want long term tenants since it will be impossible to maintain rents at market. Ideally you want turn over every 2-3 years. Target B class properties and NEVER rent to any one on any form of government assistance (welfare or ODSP) in Ontario.

Ontario is extremely tenant friendly, the LTB has a unwritten policy of not granting evictions, so you must study/memorise the RTA and  fully understand how it is regulated. I would strongly recommend you attend your local LTB hearings to get a good feel for the process. You will want to avoid ending up there with a tenant at all cost. The LTB is your worst enemy.

The one good thing about our system is the L9 application, it will become your most valuable asset since it is the one application the LTB will consistently enforce in your favour. Tennat always pays the filing fee even if it does not go to a hearing. I have taken tenants to the board when they refuse to pay me the fee and always win. Never ever file a N4, it is a waste of money, unless you are committed to multiple hearings over a extended period of time. Best to always "persuade" tennats to leave by choice. 

I operate a business that does not feel a need for compassion. Compassion is not required to address the situation. It does not pay the bills and the tenant is not seeking your compassion or understanding. Your tenant is leaving, he is not asking for permission he is telling you he is breaking the lease. Landlords that believe they are giving permission are delusional, the tenant could care less what you think. He is taking care of himself and you are responsible for taking care of your business.

What you need to do is prepare to find a new tenant and inform him that you expect his assistance in showing the place and that he will be held responsible for the rent up to the date a new tenant moves in. He will also be responsible for your costs of finding a new tenant.

I assume your lease has language in regards to tenants breaking a lease. if It does not say anything about letting them go free if they have a good excuse then you enforce your lease. Situations like this is the very reason you have lease language to protect yourself. Your tennat agreed to the rules when they signed and if you have no intention of enforcing your lease you have no reason to bother having a lease. A term lease has no relation to when any tenant will decide to leave contrary to what some landlords may believe, it does not. You need to decide if you are in business or operating a charity. Professional landlords deal with these situations by enforcing their lease while trying to work with tenants. Hobby landlords simply throw up their hands and take the financial hit.

Two issues to keep in mind is that the homes, because they were built vey flimsy, have higher maintenance costs than regular homes (very likely 50% range or higher) and second the quality of tenant renting a "mobile home" will likely be very low. Social standards may be nearly non existent meaning you will need to closely manage. They will be your normal C/D class tenant. They can be a challenge bringing in dangerious breeds of dogs, unlicensed vehicles, and unauthorised "guests".

I never leave lawn care to tenants, they simply do not care, do not have the time and it tends to create more stress having to continually remind them to cut the grass etc. Make sure you set up the property without gardens to simplify down to only grass cutting and do it yourself or hire someone (not a tenant).