Monthly Archives: October 2010

Tenants rights raised at Toronto-Danforth debate

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http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2010/10/15/tenants-rights-raised-at-toronto-danforth-debate/

Alicia Baird
Posted 15 October 2010

Maureen Codd (foreground left) and brother Paul Codd (right), listen in at the Toronto-Danforth all-candidates debate on Oct. 14.
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All Maureen Codd wanted to do was move into an apartment building with a clean slate.

“Don’t do anything,” was her motto and she hoped no issues would get in the way.

All of that changed the morning of July 20, 2008, when a hydro vault explosion sent flames through her 2 Secord Place apartment. Dozens of families living in the 21-storey high rise were forced out of their homes for more than a month. That’s when Codd, 50, realized her attitude had to change. Continue reading →

The landlord blues

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/mortgages/the-landlord-blues/article1762225/

DAKSHANA BASCARAMURTY

Mathieu Mazur-Goulet has three tenants living in the house he bought a year ago in an up-and-coming Ottawa neighbourhood, but he’s still waiting to break even. The 26-year-old government policy analyst bought the triplex for $257,000 and expected he’d pull in $2,700 each month to cover his fixed costs and return a modest profit.

But unexpected repair costs have made what he thought would be a great long-term investment a major drain on his personal savings. He bought the house thinking it was the perfect “passive” investment: He wanted to live in it after he started a family and planned to rent it out until then. Continue reading →

Landlord licensing in Toronto – An election issue?

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“Licensing landlords will create disincentives to people becoming landlords – bad idea. Toronto needs rental housing and policies to encourage it. Every cost to a landlord is passed on to the tenants. Apartment buildings with more than 7 units are forced to pay higher property taxes. http://www.toronto.ca/taxes/property_tax/tax_rates.htm”

Toronto Ward 29 Candidate John Richardson commenting on:

http://www.thestar.com/yourcitymycity/article/776371–bad-idea-to-license-landlords

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As you know the Municipal Elections are  on October  25, 2010. It appears that the issue of “Landlord Licensing” in Toronto is becoming an election issue. Although this has been an issue for some time,  the emergence of bedbugs in Toronto has brought  this issue back  to the forefront.

Indeed, the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations (FMTA) which describes itself  as having been:

“committed to working tirelessly with and for tenants, and advocating for better rights for all tenants in Toronto”,

sent all  Municipal Candidates a survey which was composed  of the following questions: Continue reading →

Don’t use real estate agents to find tenants

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The simple fact is that real estate agents have no vested interest in finding you a good tenant. I have noted this before.  Do not use a real estate agent to find you a tenant. The following article reinforces this view.

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http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/realestate/article/868304–how-to-avoid-the-tenant-from-hell

ILLUSTRATION BY RAFFI ANDERIAN/TORONTO STAR

Raffi Anderian illustration

How to avoid the tenant from hell

September 30, 2010

Jennifer Brown

Special to the Star

When Barbara Milean’s husband was transferred from Toronto to Ohio with his job as an operations manager at Chrysler last year, the couple faced a difficult decision — what to do with their yet unfinished three bedroom condo. Continue reading →