Just found this information on rental property maintenance. Definitely something to start asking landlords when looking at properties.
ontariolandlords.org/blog/tenants-do-not-have...
ontariolandlords.orgPosted May 27, 2021, 1:48 PM UTC
6145
ontariolandlords.orgIf the landlord doesnt shovel snow or cut grass and you fall or get ticks and bug bites you could sue the landlord.
17
I wish this was a federal rent law. It’s ridiculous that my services are basically exploited just for shelter. On the move out inspection they even wanted me to pressure-wash the outside windows of the house, like do you want me to clean the eavestrough as well? forget that nonsense.
5
In an apartment building sure. But if you rent a house the landlord isn’t going to shovel your driveway or cut your grass.
-32
The type of building is irrelevant my friend.
I rent a house, and the landlord is responsible for clearing snow in winter and cutting grass. He doesn't do it himself, he hires a local property maintenance company to do it.
30
they are legally obligated to, its the law.
I rented a house for 2 years thinking it was my responsibility, based on the lease i signed, found out what the actual law said, threatened to take my landlord to the LTB if he didnt reimburse me for the 24 months of work, he wrote me a check.
18
[deleted]
15
Yep lol, if some potential tenant decided to get all uppity like this, I'd take their application and throw it in the garbage.
I'm giving you a roof and a fully furnished floor to live in at a reasonable price (and not price gouging like many) while you're here trying to pretend to be Harvey Specter, fuck outta here.
-48
all uppity?
so on top of paying your mortgage for an appreciating asset. you want me to do the maintenance that comes with it? for free?
gtfo.
37
Who said for free?
-13
This is the problem with small entitled landlords. They think they can pick and choose which parts of the law to follow while someone else pays their mortgage. If you don't like the laws in place, get out the game. No one is forcing you to be a landlord.
33
Not really, I'm not picking and choosing without benefits on your part. If you tell me you're willing to HELP take care of the property, I'd incentivize it with a nice discount (say 20-30% off). If all you want to do is smoke weed and trash the house however, then I'm either not going to take you on as a tenant or I'll charge regular due to risk.
-21
No one said anything about smoking weed or trashing the house m80. The landlord has responsibilities of their own and if you get sent to the LTB then good luck lol. They’ll wreck you
11
Wow this is how you look at your tenants eh?
4
I'm giving you a roof and a fully furnished floor to live in at a reasonable price
fuck off, im paying your mortgage.
if some potential tenant decided to get all uppity like this, I'd take their application and throw it in the garbage.
lmao, you see the trick is to not mention it until the lease is signed.
at that point, you are fucked if you try to force your tenants to maintain the property without reimbursing them.
you are the owner of the property, you are responsible for maintaining the property, and for any slip and fall accidents that happen if you dont.
fucking typical leech landlord, just wants all the money without any of the responsibility
29
fuck off, im paying your mortgage.
To the streets with you then. It's stupid fucks like you who give tenants bad names because you think every landlord is trying to charge you 3000 for a single bedroom when not everyone is that unreasonable.
"iM pAyInG yOuR mOrTgAgE" fuck outta here lol, I'M paying my mortgage with or without you, you're paying me to live in my house.
-28
To the streets with you then.
dude I WISH you were my landlord lmfao, you wanna talk about how bad a tenant can be, wait until you get one who fully understands the law, and how to use the LTB to their advantage. Imagine trying to evict a tenant because they wont let you break the law and take advantage of them... good luck paying your mortgage while I hold rent in escrow until the LTB resolves the dispute, at some point in 2023.
just know that its YOUR shitty fucking attitude that would be the cause.
fucking leech
26
yep
i discovered this after renting a house in Mississauga for over 2 years, clearing snow, mowing the grass, etc.
I told my landlord I wanted to be reimbursed for 24 months of snow clearing and cutting grass, and if he didnt I would take him to the LTB, we negotiated to $40 a month and he gave me a cheque.
Yep I just signed a lease with a house where snow removal and lawn care are required on my part. I knew it wasn’t allowed but I didn’t care at the time since the rental market is so hot and I just needed a place to stay. If my landlord ever complains that the driveway isn’t plowed to their standard or the grass is too long for their liking I’ll tell them to eat it though. I also am not a fan of having management companies come in at anytime to do lawn care or snow removal, so I don’t mind doing my own.
dont do it for free.
if you have already moved in, call your landlord and tell them you will be charging monthly for property maintenance or they can hire someone.
if you havent, just tell them when you move in.
I’ve moved in but I’m still on good terms with my landlord. I don’t want to threaten to charge for maintenance for two reasons. First is we got a house rental for $1300/month when comparable houses are about $1800-$2000/month and second I know our landlord is on the fence about selling in a year once our lease is up. Basically they told us we’ll see how you guys are as renters and if you’re shite then we’ll sell the place if not then we’ll keep renting to you.
W̶a̶s̶ ̶m̶a̶i̶n̶t̶e̶n̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶t̶r̶a̶c̶t̶?̶
Edit: Thanks u/EvidenceofReason.
I went through my contract again (it's been a few years).
I noticed some issues I had not being addressed and knew they were bad landlords.
Holy shit, doing some more research and reading regarding snow clearance and other maintenance challenges. These so and so's have been fucking me.
We have a 4 foot wide, 20 foot deep hole (old well that was never filled i) in our backyard man, I keep addressing all these fucked issues. We have a 2 year old.
What the fuck?
Why is everyone around me saying shit like "it's your first rent, don't worry, dont fight it and get a bad record"
And these exact landlords kept professing to me that they wanted long term renters!!!
clearly you didnt read the article
adding those provisions to a lease is illegal
adding an extra form with those provisions, is illegal
whether or not the tenant signs them is irrelevant, as one cannot enter into a contract with illegal stipulations.
I did not, it opened (on mobile) with screen zoomed in on a link on Toronto landlords and i selected that trying to find laws. I dont ever just rely on news articles for laws and just scrolled briefly at first.
Once I checked myself and started finding sources, I knew I had to apologize, then go scrutinize my living situation even more so
holy fuck I just saw this in your edit.
there is no "bad tenant" database.
there is, however, a bad LANDLORD database, maintained by the LTB.
I would withhold rent starting immediately, put it in an escrow account, and provide your landlord with a list of things he needs to address immediately or you are going to take him to the LTB.
knowing the law is crucial, in all situations, never allow your rights to be violated.
this wont stop dickhead landlords from trying, but it protects you when they do.
but here's the thing: if you are looking to rent, and you see one of these illegal demands like "no pets" or "you shovel the snow" and point it out as such, the landlord wont rent to you, and find someone who is ignorant of their rights and rent to them instead.
so just nod, and smile, and sign the lease, then move in with your pets, and tell the landlord that its $100/month to maintain the property, and if he wants to argue you will take him to the LTB and hold rent in escrow until its resolved.
I treat any home I live in as if its my own property, and take care of it as such, so I have no problem doing the work to maintain it, im just not going to let myself be exploited into doing it for free.
so best case scenario is you save money on your rent while doing something you have no problem doing, or a property maintenance company gets hired to do it for you. worst case, you pay rent to escrow for a few years before the LTB gets around to the case, racking up a bill for property maintenance that your LL will have to pay because the law is very clear.
PS: as an aside, on the subject of knowing your rights: never talk to cops, if you get pulled over, give them your license, registration, and insurance, and any questions they ask you say "im not discussing my day" or, "I dont feel like answering questions". If you are just walking down the street, you are not obligated to even acknowledge their existence, unless they can clearly articulate suspicion that you have recently or are about to commit a crime. unless they tell you that you are under investigation for a clearly articulable crime, you dont have to speak to them or provide any identification. ask them if you are being detained, and for what reason, if they cannot give you a direct "yes" with an explanation, just walk away.