Landlording in Canada. Michael Drouillard

the Home? Is This an Emergency?

      What If the Tenant Is Unreasonable about Repairs?

      Want a Good Tenant to Stay for Many Years?

       Chapter 16: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VACATING TENANTS

      Insist on a Legal Notice to Vacate

      Move-Out Procedures You Need to Know

      The Move-Out Inspection Report and Returning the Security Deposit

      Abandoned Property

       PART 4: HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

       Chapter 17: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SERVING DOCUMENTS

      Are You Using the Correct Legal Document?

      Did You Fill Out the Form Correctly?

      How Should You Serve the Document?

      How Will You Prove the Document Was Served?

       Chapter 18: HOW TO ENFORCE TIMELY RENT PAYMENTS EACH AND EVERY MONTH

      Common Misconceptions about Rent

      Accepting a Partial Rent Payment

      Your Tenant Didn’t Pay the Rent by the Deadline Specified in the Eviction Notice. Now He or She Is Offering to Pay the Rent in Full. Should You Accept?

      When In Doubt about a Rent Cheque, Get It Certified!

      Repeated Late Rent Payments: A Cause for Eviction

       Chapter 19: MAKE YOUR TENANT PLAY BY THE RULES (OF YOUR RENTAL AGREEMENT)

      Anatomy of a Warning Letter

      Unauthorized Pets

      Unauthorized Occupants

      SAMPLE 2: APPLICATION FOR OCCUPANCY

      Assignments and Subletting

      Noisy and Disruptive Tenants

      If the Tenant Seriously Damages the Property

      Expedited Eviction for Causing Substantial Damage

      Illegal Activity

      Marijuana Grow Operations

       Chapter 20: I SERVED AN EVICTION NOTICE AND NOTHING HAPPENED. WHAT NOW?

      Should You Retain a Lawyer?

      Strategies That Could Compel a Tenant to Leave While You Continue to Pursue Eviction through the Legal System

      Common Mistakes Landlords Make in Court and How to Avoid Them

       Chapter 21: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS: BRINGING IN THE BAILIFF

      “Soft” Evictions

      Executing the Writ

       PART 5: MORE ESSENTIALS FOR LANDLORDS

       Chapter 22: GOOD PROPERTY MANAGER, BAD PROPERTY MANAGER …

      What to Look for

       Chapter 23: THE NECESSITY OF RENT INCREASES

       Chapter 24: SELLING TENANT-OCCUPIED PROPERTY

      Choose Your Real Estate Agent Wisely

      Avoid Having to Serve Legal Notice for Each and Every Showing

      Getting the Ball Rolling with the Sale of Your Rental

      What if the Tenant Starts to Become Uncooperative?

      What if the Tenant Makes False and Misleading Statements about the Property to Turn Off Prospective Buyers?

      What Happens When You Receive Your First Offer?

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       ABOUT THE AUTHOR

       NOTICE TO READERS

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      INTRODUCTION

      A key premise of Landlording in Canada is that correct tenant screening means almost everything to the small landlord. Much of this book is dedicated to successful tenant selection and teaching you how to assess a tenancy application. For instance, many of us have heard that “credit checks are a must.” But how do we access credit information? How do we interpret it? Can you simply rely on the credit score? These questions, and many others, will be answered here.

      It is one thing to learn the theory behind successful tenant screening and another to put it into practice. To make your learning curve a little less steep, included are sample case study tenant applications based on actual applications I have received as a property manager. You’ll be challenged to find as many problems with the applications as you can, and to make a decision to reject or accept the prospective tenant. Ultimately, you will learn how to make an informed decision without even meeting the applicant face-to-face.

      Some inexperienced landlords pick good tenants on their first or second try without any real screening. These landlords may claim their gut feelings led them to make the right decision. In fact, they got lucky. This book shows you how to take luck out of the equation, by systematically evaluating a prospective tenant’s financial qualifications. No tenant screening system is risk-free, but the right system can lower your risk of selecting a bad tenant.

      You won’t find chapters and chapters of discussion about subjects such as insurance and bookkeeping here. Maintaining adequate insurance on your rental and keeping good financial records is important, but what is far more important right now is that you learn how to objectively analyze a tenant application in order to minimize your risk. After all, what good is an efficient accounting system when there is zero income coming in because you have a poorly screened tenant not paying rent?

      Tenancy laws change constantly, and they can vary quite significantly province-by-province, but this book is applicable to readers across Canada. While it is beyond the scope of the book to outline legal processes specific to every province, you will learn where to find current legal resources relevant to your home province.

      This book is further distinguished by its emphasis on ethical landlording. You’ll find advice about applying your landlording knowledge in a way that both protects your interests and remains fair to the tenant.

      Ethical landlording is not about granting favours or letting your tenant pay rent late. It’s about building a spirit of trust and cooperation with your tenant by acting in good faith.

      Unethical landlords take advantage of their tenants, and their tenants don’t trust them. These landlords frequently struggle with uncooperative tenants, and uncooperative tenants can be costly indeed. Ethical landlording is great for business.

      PART