Renting out a property can help homebuyers recoup some of their costs. While it sounds like a great plan, sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way, especially if you’re stuck dealing with a bad tenant.
Landlords need to be aware of what their responsibilities are and the emergency repairs they will need to handle, but they also need to know what their options are if they’re put into a bad situation.
Before allowing someone to move in, make sure you do your due diligence in checking the potential renter’s references, getting a record of employment and conducting a credit check. Getting a hold of a past landlord is crucial since you’ll get a chance to ask them questions about how the person lives, whether they were clean, noisy, and paid their rent on time. All this information will help you decide whether you think this tenant is a good fit for your property.
But sometimes even after all these checks, you discover an issue with your tenant after they’ve moved in. Once this happens, there are certain steps you can take to evict the tenant.
In 2012, the Toronto Star wrote about the “tenant from hell” who was evicted from a home after she failed to pay the rent. It was discovered she’d been evicted from six homes since 2005, including the most recent one, and she’d regularly delayed evictions and missed rent payments.
Another investigation by the newspaper found a renter who admitted to forging cheques and credit reports that allowed him to “rent” luxury homes, including a $1.1 million home. The 36-year-old has been in front of the tenant board five times since 2008 since he wrote cheques that bounced, according to the Toronto Star. Past landlords weren’t able to dig into his history since they weren’t allowed to access his records, says the Star.
But bad tenant issues are also coming to light in other provinces, such as British Columbia, where there’s been a call for a bad-tenants registry.
You’ve likely seen on TV a landlord simply changing the locks on the doors. This isn’t the proper way to handle the situation and this could land you in hot water with a judge and even a hefty fine.
How you handle the situation is based on what the issue is. For example, if the tenant isn’t keeping the clean space, landlords should start with a verbal or written request. If the tenant is doing something that’s violating the condo’s bylaws, such as excessive noise at a certain time of night, then the police can be called to issue a warning or fines. But if the issue persists, the landlord can send a written complaint to the provincial rental authority to help get the issue resolved.
On the other hand, if the tenant isn’t paying rent, landlords can issue a written eviction notice right when it’s late or within three days, depending on where you live. It’s important the notice includes details, such as: how much the renter owes when the renter needs to move out and a statement that says the renter can disagree with the landlord’s notice. If there’s still no action from the tenant, landlords should contact their rental authority for the next steps. No matter the case, landlords need to provide the proper paperwork to help support their case.
Homeowners may not be aware of the HST rebate, which can be claimed whether you plan to live in the property or rent it out. Rebate4U can walk you through how you can get back money on your investment with a properly filed rebate claim. Our priority is to provide our clients with the most professional and quality service in obtaining rebates for their new and renovated homes. We are proud to offer our clients the most personal and attentive service, and we make sure that all of our clients are 100% satisfied.