Minimum Lease Terms for Apartments?
- Thread starter simonvee
- Start date
Newtone is correct.simonvee said:
If you need less than a year then you should look at extended stay hotels, or try and negotiate with the landlord.
The time period also varies depending on location, in Ottawa you can get apartments with a six month term.
There are hidden rules to the renting game, not everyone is a model property owner, take care.
For example, if I leased an apartment for one year, I will have to initially pay 2 months (1st + final month). Subsequently, there is 10 months remaining. What if I bail out (ie. decide to live in another apartment), what do I have to pay to break from that contract? e.g. 40% of the rental fees for the 10 months, $500 (single fee), 100% of the rental fees for months, or no fees since I've already paid for the 1st and final month?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Make no mistake!Once you signed a contract,you will have to abide to it!If you are willing to depart you may subcontract but still you will be responsible unless you came to an agreement with your landlord and you will pay for the cleaning or any repairs etc.
This is my experience..
In Calgary, it was month to month lease with one month security deposit. Nice clean big (over 1000 sq ft) apartment( my opinion in the beginning was not so favourable, since I was comparing to Dallas apts. But changed after I saw Toronto apartments). Even if you had signed a 1 year lease, if you can show that you are moving be'coz of job, then there was no lease break fee penalty. I rented the apartment without seeing. I never had any complaints as such about any aspects. If you are moving to Calgary, check Morguard residential apts in Calgary. They are maintaining it well. Vacuums the corridor, cleans the glass doors, freshens the corridor with room freshers every 7-10 days. When you move out, they will give you a checklist instructing you how to clean, if you dont they deduct money. We cleaned well. We got the security deposit back in full.
But my experience In Toronto was not so good.
I found an apartment (capreit). Checked the apt in person. Saw that the carpets were mouldy.... One lady in the lease office said that they will change the carpets before I moved in. Believing her, I signed the one year lease. Paid 1650(security deposit(1250) + pro rated rent for the rest of month rent). I went to occupy the apartment after two days, then I met the manager, She said that there are dead roaches in the carpet, dont move in as they have to call pest control and clean it. Also that they have not changed the carpets. Then maintenance guy took the keys and started fixing the front door lock of the apartment. Even though I paid the rent, from that day onwards I again spent the night in the hotel. I decided to walk out of the lease as if you cannot trust them in the beginning, you cannot trust them to keep their word and do the needful, you cannot stay in that apt and hope they will maintain the apartments. I told them, I am walking out of the lease. The manager told me, if you want good clean apartments, you should take condos. Also, always recheck the apartment before signing. I told her that I signed the lease of Calgary apartment without even seeing it. She told me, that can never happen in Toronto as clean places are difficult to come by. Anyway I walked out of the lease, and lost about 700 bucks. They rented the apt the next day (thats the reason why I didnt lose the whole amount). I think since the immigration to Toronto is at a high and rents are higher, people dont care whether the apartments are neat and clean. Also, management also dont care much as demand is also high.
Then found an agent.. got a condo for 1650 all inclusive...small place but neat and clean. Here I had to give post dated checks for the full years rent.
Since I have two young kids, the agent told me not to mention that in the condo application as I might not get it. I told her, I am not going to lie, if they reject the application we will continue the search. Anyway, the owners didnt mind.
In Calgary, it was month to month lease with one month security deposit. Nice clean big (over 1000 sq ft) apartment( my opinion in the beginning was not so favourable, since I was comparing to Dallas apts. But changed after I saw Toronto apartments). Even if you had signed a 1 year lease, if you can show that you are moving be'coz of job, then there was no lease break fee penalty. I rented the apartment without seeing. I never had any complaints as such about any aspects. If you are moving to Calgary, check Morguard residential apts in Calgary. They are maintaining it well. Vacuums the corridor, cleans the glass doors, freshens the corridor with room freshers every 7-10 days. When you move out, they will give you a checklist instructing you how to clean, if you dont they deduct money. We cleaned well. We got the security deposit back in full.
But my experience In Toronto was not so good.
I found an apartment (capreit). Checked the apt in person. Saw that the carpets were mouldy.... One lady in the lease office said that they will change the carpets before I moved in. Believing her, I signed the one year lease. Paid 1650(security deposit(1250) + pro rated rent for the rest of month rent). I went to occupy the apartment after two days, then I met the manager, She said that there are dead roaches in the carpet, dont move in as they have to call pest control and clean it. Also that they have not changed the carpets. Then maintenance guy took the keys and started fixing the front door lock of the apartment. Even though I paid the rent, from that day onwards I again spent the night in the hotel. I decided to walk out of the lease as if you cannot trust them in the beginning, you cannot trust them to keep their word and do the needful, you cannot stay in that apt and hope they will maintain the apartments. I told them, I am walking out of the lease. The manager told me, if you want good clean apartments, you should take condos. Also, always recheck the apartment before signing. I told her that I signed the lease of Calgary apartment without even seeing it. She told me, that can never happen in Toronto as clean places are difficult to come by. Anyway I walked out of the lease, and lost about 700 bucks. They rented the apt the next day (thats the reason why I didnt lose the whole amount). I think since the immigration to Toronto is at a high and rents are higher, people dont care whether the apartments are neat and clean. Also, management also dont care much as demand is also high.
Then found an agent.. got a condo for 1650 all inclusive...small place but neat and clean. Here I had to give post dated checks for the full years rent.
Since I have two young kids, the agent told me not to mention that in the condo application as I might not get it. I told her, I am not going to lie, if they reject the application we will continue the search. Anyway, the owners didnt mind.
Editsniper
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another helpful hint is always read the lease forms before you sign them, because if in the lease they are stating they are renting an apartment to you that is clean and maintained and it is not when you move in then its them that is breaching the contract of lease because there is a law in the tenant-landlord act that the apartment has to be cleaned and everything done before you move in and that the apartment has to be "live-in condition" so if there is cockroaches present then before u move in the landlord has to rectify that before u move in. Plus if you do sign the lease and it isn't up to live-in condition, make sure to get pictures of it so that if u do move and they take you to court about the lease, you have evidence that will help u win the case and not have to pay the remainder
That was the problem.... I saw the carpets were bad. The leasing agent promised that it will be changed. Two days later, I went hoping everything was done. I didnt recheck the apartment. In the lease agreement, it was written everything was in good condition, new flooring etc etc etc. It was a capreit apartment. Also in my six years of stay in all over North America, I never had this problem, hence I had no reason to distrust. Anyway Toronto is different and now I know better.
In Ontario, it is against the law to take security deposit from the tenant so most tenants do not clean when they move out and some even leave old furniture and garbage in the apartments. The landlord may clear out items left behind but they often do not bother to clean. Most tenants expect that they will have to clean their new apartment upon moving in but not clean when they move out.
In Alberta, the law allows the landlord to take up to 1 month rent as security deposit. Even though honest landlords exist, it is very common that tenants are cheated out of this deposit. The landlords do not have to show receipts of having fixed anything in the apartment but can still keep your deposit. Your only resort to get your money back may be to sue them and they know most people will not bother. It is a common trick that damages not mentioned on the move-in report or minimized, for example listed as a small scratch are all listed on the move-out and the small scratch may then be described as a deep gash although it hasn't changed at all since you moved in. Therefore, it is important to be careful. Never sign a move-in report that states the apartment in a better condition than it is. Make sure all damages are listed. Write comments on it by hand if you disagree and make sure you get a copy. Get a witness with you and take pictures or a video of all damages to the apartment at move-in time and keep it until you move out. When you move out, you do a move-out walk through with the landlord and you should not sign for any damages you did not cause. Again, write your remarks if you disagree. They can not force you to sign something if you don't want to. Signing the move-out if you did not cause the damages makes it very hard for you to get your money back, even if you go to court because signing means you accept the blame for it.
In Alberta, the law allows the landlord to take up to 1 month rent as security deposit. Even though honest landlords exist, it is very common that tenants are cheated out of this deposit. The landlords do not have to show receipts of having fixed anything in the apartment but can still keep your deposit. Your only resort to get your money back may be to sue them and they know most people will not bother. It is a common trick that damages not mentioned on the move-in report or minimized, for example listed as a small scratch are all listed on the move-out and the small scratch may then be described as a deep gash although it hasn't changed at all since you moved in. Therefore, it is important to be careful. Never sign a move-in report that states the apartment in a better condition than it is. Make sure all damages are listed. Write comments on it by hand if you disagree and make sure you get a copy. Get a witness with you and take pictures or a video of all damages to the apartment at move-in time and keep it until you move out. When you move out, you do a move-out walk through with the landlord and you should not sign for any damages you did not cause. Again, write your remarks if you disagree. They can not force you to sign something if you don't want to. Signing the move-out if you did not cause the damages makes it very hard for you to get your money back, even if you go to court because signing means you accept the blame for it.
In Calgary, We were given 10 days after moving in, to check and verify everything and to give our move in report.
In my case, it was an instant walk-through at the time I got the keys. I got burned on the deposit when I moved out, blamed for all kind of things that were already there when I moved in as well as a spot on the ceiling caused by a leaking roof. I did get some of the deposit back only because I sent them a letter and threatened to report them to the health authorities because of mould in their building. I didn't think it worth it to lose a day of work to go to court and shifty landlords like that trust that this is the case. They will keep the deposit as a rule no matter how well you have cleaned and then see who bothers to sue them. I have heard that from other people as well. It is very common for them to keep your deposit. I think they need to change the law in AB. I think the landlord should have to prove damages and prove that they had them repaired.Sinbad said: