Go Ahead Raise the Rent!

Landlord and Tenant Issues

Did you know that if a building in Ontario was built after November 1, 1991, then rent review does not apply. What this means is that if you own a condominium, home or apartment building that was built after this date, then once the first year of the lease is over, you can raise the rent as much as you want, as long as you find a tenant willing to pay it. This is just one of the issues that I will cover in my new course on residential tenancies.

I am attaching recent columns about landlord and tenant issues that I have written in the Toronto Star and which all will be covered in more detail in my new course. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions, please send them along.

• Why rent increase rules may be an election issue

March 11, 2011

Parkdale-High MPP Cheri DiNovo wants to make changes to the way residential rents can be increased.

• Should tenants pay for utilities separately?

February 25, 2011

One of the big choices when it comes to looking for an apartment is whether to rent with utilities included or to pay separately.

• Is it the tenant's job to shovel snow?

February 18, 2011

A tenant who agreed to shovel her own snow, slipped and fell and sued the landlord. Does she have a case?

• The ins and outs of subletting

February 12, 2011

The rules around subletting your apartment are fairly clear. It pays to know them.

• Why you can't ask tenants if they plan to have kids

February 7, 2011

Most landlords get along with their tenants, but there is always the tenant from hell. What can you do? to protect yourself?

• Why no-smoking rental clauses are a problem

January 29, 2011

Even if a tenant signs a no-smoking lease, and they later smoke, you cannot evict them just because they broke their promise.

• Why a no-pet rental clause is unenforceable

January 21, 2011

Many landlords put no-pets clauses in their leases. In the first of a Moneyville series for landlords and tenants we look at this contentious issue.

About Mark Weislander Mark is a lawyer, author, course developer, instructor and keynote speaker for the real estate industry. Please contact me personally if you have any questions or issues that you would like to discuss. My weekly articles are now published on the Toronto Star Moneyville website at www.moneyville.ca. I am very pleased to advise that 2 of the stories that I wrote in 2010 were voted as the number 1 and number 5 stories of the year. I am pleased to attach the article as well as the 2 stories. You can see all of my articles by just clicking Star Columns on my website www.markweisleder.com. Remember, if you would like to use any of my articles in your own email newsletters, just send me an email request.

David Pylyp Accredited Senior Agent. There you have it Definitive answers on a number of pressing tenancy issues; Most useful to me is the residential limits imposed by the Landlord Tenant Act, that are providing 1% increases while hydro and insurance are taking 20%. Justify your increases and raise the rents! HST has been added and that alone impacts the rents.