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NEWS FOR LANDLORDSThis site is to inform you of important issues relating to to your ownership and management of residential rental property. Members of WRAMA or FRPO receive further information and money saving solutions. Join today.
CITY OF WATERLOO REVIEWS OF LICENSING AND DEVELOPMENT CHARGES CMHC Annual Rental Market Survey Set for April 2008 - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will be conducting its annual Rental Market Survey during the first two weeks of April. Updated Region of Waterloo Approved Toilet List - Replacement Toilet Rebate Program New Asbestos Notice to Tenants required as of November 1, 2007 Student Connections Offers New Courses 2008 Rent Control Guideline Announced Ontario Human Rights Commission Survey on Ontario Rental Housing Problem with Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) Forms Residential Tenancy Act - January 31, 2007 WRAMA Free Apartment Listing Site Links
CITY OF WATERLOO REVIEWS OF LICENSING AND DEVELOPMENT CHARGES The focus of an April 7 meeting was the intent to review licensing on existing student rentals and the focus of the April 10 meeting was the intent to increase development fees for new units. It seems they are aiming at 5 bedroom units. The license review is to get them out of older areas in hopes families would move back. The fees are to increase revenue from units over 65 square meters. Developers at the meeting said it would discourage building.
Bulletin March 20, 2008
CMHC’s Spring Rental Market Survey Set for April.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will be conducting its Spring Rental Market Survey during the first two weeks of April 2008.
CFAA and FRPO encourage owners and property managers to provide essential data to CMHC survey enumerators when they contact you. All survey data gathered is strictly confidential and CMHC does not disclose building specific information to third parties.
Rental Market Survey benefits to you - Comprehensive rental market data can help your business operations run more efficiently and cost-effectively. The survey provides key intelligence on the rental market. For example, you can monitor and compare trends in availability and vacancy rates or compare different markets across Canada. In addition, the survey results are available in various levels of detail, including size of building and number of bedrooms.
CMHC’s Rental Market Survey reports will be available in June 2008. You can sign up for FREE subscriptions to the survey reports, with PDF versions e-mailed directly to you on the day of release. Alternatively, you can download electronic reports on the day of release. Visit CMHC’s Order Desk at: https://www03.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/b2c/b2c/init.do?language=en to subscribe to or access CMHC’s Rental Market Canada Highlights, Rental Market Provincial Highlights or Rental Market Statistics.
If you need more information about the CMHC Rental Market Survey, please contact:
Pierre A. Lanciault, National Manager Housing Market Surveys (CMHC) Phone: 613-748-2356 E-mail: planciau@cmhc-schl.gc.ca
March 24, 2008 Updated Region of Waterloo Approved Toilets List The Region of Waterloo has updated its list of toilets approved for rebate with the Region of Waterloo's Toilet Replacement Program. For the most up-to-date listing visit www.region.waterloo.on.ca/water . Note that the Region only processes a rebate application form if the consumer's ORIGINAL invoice (or receipt) for the toilet is mailed in with the application. The original is returned to the consumer with their rebate cheque. If a duplicate receipt is mailed with the application form and inspection will be required at the address where the toilet was replaced. March 24, 2008
BULLETIN - New Asbestos Notice to Tenants required as of November 1, 2007 As explained in Fair Exchange in Sept/Oct 2006 and Mar/Apr 2007, a new Ontario government regulation concerning asbestos will take effect on November 1, 2007. In many cases the new regulation requires a landlord to send their tenants a notice. This memo provides: Information about when the notice is
required, or may be advisable Separately: CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL DOCUMENT IN PDF FORMAT For your reference, a copy of the full
asbestos regulation is available at: Oct. 29/07
Student Connections Offers New Courses
Student Connections at WLU has newly designed computer training classes and workshops. They offer everything from Computer Basics to Online Selling & Electronic Storefronts. These one evening, three hour classes are only $40 for computer classes and $35 for workshops. They are offered in Waterloo, Stratford, Brantford and Guelph. New courses begin at various times throughout the year. The manuals are excellent, and all sample material is listed in the WLU website, so you can update your skills after the initial classes. You can learn more about these courses at www.wluconnections.ca
September 24, 2007
2008 Rent Control Guideline Announced
The provincial government has just announced the new rent control guideline
for 2008. It is 1.4%, making it the lowest annual guideline in the history of
rent controls in
The guideline is based entirely on a pre-determined formula based on
The new guideline will also mean there is a change to the threshold for what qualifies for an extraordinary operating cost increase in 2008. According to the regulations, “an increase in the cost of municipal taxes and charges or utilities is extraordinary if it is greater than the guideline plus 50 per cent of the guideline”. That means that the threshold for extraordinary operating costs will be 2.1 percent for 2008. A copy of the ministry’s pres release and backgrounder is available at the following link: http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page4907.aspx
The Ontario Human Rights Commission is studying their policies on Rental Housing in Ontario. The following site http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/issues/housing/index_html will provide details. There is a survey for housing providers
Problem with Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) Forms
FRPO has learned that the new Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) Notice of
Termination forms released on January 31st 2007, except N4s, do not comply
with the legislative (statutory) requirements. This means that those
applications could potentially be rejected and require you to reapply if you
have used them.
Clause 43 (2) (a) of the RTA requires that any notice of termination given by a
landlord must inform the tenant that if they move out in accordance with the
notice, the tenancy terminates on the Termination Date set out in the notice.
The following notices are missing this notification under
Important Information on page 2:
N5
- Notice to Terminate a Tenancy Early
N6 - Notice to Terminate a Tenancy Early - Illegal Act or Misrepresentation of Income N7 - 10-day Notice to Terminate a Tenancy Early N8 - Notice to Terminate a Tenancy at the End of Term N12 - Notice to Terminate at the End of Term for Landlord's or Purchaser's Own Use N13 - Notice of Termination at the End of Term, Demolition or Repairs
Forms currently on the LTB website (www.ltb.gov.on.ca), identified as
"Version: 22/05/2007" (or later) on the bottom of the first page, appear to
have this problem resolved and can be used. Do not use notices dated
31/01/2007 (with the exception of N4).
The RTA Multiple Forms Merge (FDF) Program from the LTB website will not be
updated with the revised forms until late June or early July.
You should not use the Merge Program to
produce the notices listed above. It will function for all other
forms and notices, including the N4 and L1.
If
you have already served notices of termination and are waiting for a hearing,
your notice could be found to be invalid. However, if the respondent or their
legal council does not raise the issue, it is unlikely to affect your case.
If you have had a case dismissed or had to
withdraw it because of an invalid notice, please contact:
On January 31, 2007, the Residential Tenancies Act replaces the Tenant Protection Act. You can view or download the Residential Tenancies Act by visiting www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/06r17_e.htm The Landlord and Tenant Board replaces the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal on January 31, 2007 as well. You can visit the new Landlord and Tenant Board website at www.LTB.gov.on.ca for detailed information and a variety of forms that will be required under the new law. A transitional provision respecting the use of forms permits the use of Tenant Protection Act until March 31, 2007. Note: for a chart comparing the new Residential Tenancy Act to the old Tenant Protection Act go to www.onpha.org then scroll down to and click on "RTA Quick Reference Guides: Download Summary of Numbering Changes". Then click on "Descriptive Summary of Changes RTA to TPA"
Copies of the newsletter prepared by the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations regarding landlord issues on a Federal level can be obtained at the following web address. www.cfaa-fcapi.org/newsletter.html
People from out of the area are contacting
Landlords, particularly student housing , arranging to move in, in the near
future and saying they will send a money order, bank draft, etc. for the whole
year. When the draft arrives, it is for more than the requested amount . They
then give a reason for the surplus - to pay for furniture or something
extra , but that is now changed or their plans have changed and are not
coming. They want you to send back the difference and keep some for your
trouble. These drafts are FAKE but look real. Your bank sends them to the
source bank, usually, Africa or England but may even be US or western Canada.
When the bank finds out they are fake they take the money from your account.
NEVER refund any money until you are sure the draft has cleared. This
may take a few weeks.
List your Vacant Units on the Internet for FREECheck out WRAMA's Listing Links for websites where you can list your vacant units for Free.
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