Top Five Tenant Gripes about Condo Landlords
Tenants face unique challenges when they rent condo units. In this article, which appeared recently in the Canadian Real Estate Wealth Magazine, The FMTA discusses top five ways in which landlords fail condo tenants:
The Problem: Raising Rent
Condos built after 1991 are exempt from rent guidelines which means landlords can raise rent whatever they want. Sometimes, condo rents can be as much as 40% higher than in other buildings.
The Problem: Repairs
While tenants are supposed to go to their landlords with maintenance problems, who in turn have to go to the condo board: Landlords often try and skirt around the issue by sending tenants directly to the condo board which can lead to complications .
The Problem: Communications with the condo board
While each condo corporation has its unique “rules and regs,” landlords often keep quiet about deposits or other fees or misinform tenants about the condo regulations which leads to trouble.
The Problem: Pets in Units
Landlords fail their tenants by omitting to put down a deposit or make other provisions (where allowed by the condo corporation) which might allow condo tenants to keep pets in their units. Instead many landlords issue a blanket “no pets” provision and deny tenants their rights.
The problem: Emergencies
Many condo tenants find themselves living in dank and moldy units when condo landlords fail to respond to emergencies (such as floods or fires) quickly.