Tenants often fall victim to misleading clauses and language in leases and are taken advantage of by landlords. This article provides ten useful tips as well as a summary of beneficial resources to get more information.
Tips include the following:
1) You cannot stop paying your rent even if there are maintenance or repair problems (including rodent or insect infestations) or if your landlord is not respecting your rights as a tenant.
2) "Damage” and “cleaning” deposits are illegal. Landlords cannot use your rent deposit to pay for damages, cleaning, etc.
3) Tenants can be evicted during the winter. There’s an urban myth that a landlord cannot evict you in winter. This is untrue.
The article calls for government action to implement a standardized lease which complies with the law.
To read the rest of the tips, visit Now Magazine at:
https://nowtoronto.com/news/reasonable-doubt-10-important-tips-for-tenants/