| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 6:23:10 PM |
You are not hearing just ONE side of this dispute.....I have also posted several times on the situation.
Lots of people have posted several times. . . All with comments on one side of this dispute. If you have a dispute and there are several people on YOUR side. . . NONE of them can be said to be showing the opposing view.
But if you want to tell this young lady that everything in life is fair and can be fixed, go ahead. The comment on her youth is meant to imply that she must learn to 'cover her ass' as time goes by.
To Tacitta, please do not assume that I am doubting your honesty. I sense that you are indeed honest and trustworthy. If all you want is 'mothering' then there are some fine people here who will give you support. On the other hand, I am suggesting that you (1) try to look at the landlady's viewpoint (2) turn the other cheek and get over it (3) learn to cover your ass for the next time.
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 7:07:17 PM | Umm... Daring2Care...
Implications don't come across well in a forum atmosphere. Just as maybe you feel she should learn to cover her ass, I feel that you in turn could use a lesson in internet etiquette.
Calling someone a hypocrite doesn't sound much like "teaching her how to cover her ass" now does it? I think it more makes you sound like a very rude dude who thinks he knows it all.
Name calling isn't much cared for around here. If you don't have anything nice to say, please don't say anything.
OT... I echo pretty much everything people have said on here. I hope that this doesn't get deleted for the pettiness that some folks have shown as this thread has a lot of very valuable information that I know I will likely reference in the future.
Good luck! | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 8:27:33 PM | Daring, perhaps you need to pay more attention.
I am not just someone reading a post from a stranger and forming an opinion from that information.
I live here. I have been in that basement suite. I opened my home for Tacitta when she could not stay at her place because it was soaking wet.
There are no two sides here buddy.
The land lady ignored phone calls about the insect infestation. FACT.
First rain of the spring.....kitchen floods, walls are soaking wet. FACT.
Land lady doesnt' respond. FACT.
May Long Weekend...the entire suite floods. Carpets are soaked, furniture and belongings wet. Musty stench. FACT.
Land Lady finally returns a phone call...says she will just drop off a shop Vac. FACT
Shop Vac is never dropped off. FACT.
Tenant is left to deal with it herself. FACT.
I have NEVER said everything in life is fair....and neither ahs anyone else in this thread. We are here to offer advice...not to cut people down or patronize posters.
Tacitta did NOT come here for MOTHERING. FACT.
Cover her ass????????? Exactly how has this got anything to do with her covering her ass???????? She rented a suite on good faith, just like everyone else who rents......assuming that the suite was up to code and suitable for human habitation.
she, like the rest of us, assume that when we sign a contract, the other party will fulfill their duties.
The land lady has no valid excuse...none. She is trying to make a buck by renting out substandard suites without keeping them up to code or doing any maintenance on them. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 9:05:17 PM | The land lady has no valid excuse...none. She is trying to make a buck by renting out substandard suites without keeping them up to code or doing any maintenance on them.
^^Fact?!
 Wages in this province are high enough to charge a pretty good chunk for rent, but rent shortages and housing crisis, is allowing landlords to do better than ok, obviously alot take advantage, its like everything in life, but i guess hope your good at fixing stuff or they are handy! i know sometimes on the flipside, there is nobody to do the work, cause all the people that do that trade or w/e, are filled up and don't have the time to do it, but if that where the case, i agree, theres no excuse with at the least, knowing what the score is and being in the loop of information! | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 9:30:58 PM | This woman is doing more than just OK....it is an old house, she rents out both the main floor and the basement...so all in all, she'd be bringing in probably around $1,300 a month, minimum.
From what I've seen, there hasnt' been much in the way of maintenance put into that place for years.
Problem is, it's close to the college, so landlords can get away with charging high rent for crappy places and don't care at all because there is a shortage of student housing in town. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 9:42:28 PM | Just because I'm young does not mean I'm dumb, thank you. I've had enough expeirence in my life to know that not everything is fair. I posted on this forum to get input from people who may have had a similar situation. The topic title even says 'advice please'. I wasn't asking for criticism.
I also like to consider myself fair. I will usually give someone the benefit of my trust until they decide to screw me over. My landlord has not been very trustworthy. She has yet to give me my rental agreement, she has not replied to my phone calls regaurding the excessive amount of insects in my suite and failed to tell me that the suite has been flooded before. Not only that, she has failed in her obligations to me to help rememdy the situation. She did not ensure that the eavestroughing on the house was in proper condition. There was no talk of checking for mold or mildew, she was content to clean the carpets and the damage to walls, cupboards and bathroom be damned. She wasn't even willing to vacuum up the excess water, she wanted me to do it. Now that I have looked over some of the information I have been given, I know that this is wrong.
Since I have never had to deal with a landlord that was not a friend or a family friend, I've never had a situation come up where I needed to know about the Landlords Tenant Act or that I should contact the Health Board. I did not know that I could legally withhold rent until I recieved my rental agreement. There are a lot of things I did not know until this situation arose and I asked for advice from others. I have every intention of using the information that I have garnered in the future.
I have come to terms with the fact that I probably won't get my deposit back, and though I'm not happy with it, I will know how to better deal with landlord issues in the future. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 10:37:35 PM | Tacitta
By the descriptions given by Janalta, it sounds like the water issue is due to poorly graded landscaping... EASY FIX! All she needs to do is get topsoil, and grade AWAY from the house.
Could be an eavestrough issue as well. Another easy fix.
Could be as simple as caulking the exterior windows.
It depends on how long she's left the problem though. If she hasn't been following through with maintenance over several years, she will likely have to gut the basement in order to make it livable. CHA-CHING.
For the record... water is as devastating in damage as a fire.
Our complex has undergone extensive repairs for water damage that's occurred over the years from a leaking window. When the drywall came down, it was utterly amazing to see the mold growth and deterioration of the interior wall. The tenant never noticed the water entering the suite, because her boy's bed was beside the window, and covered the evidence. (yep... her son's had been sleeping in a mold ridden room for God knows how long)
The bill in the end will well exceed $5,000.
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE FOLKS. Landscaping, caulking and eavestroughing. Should be part of everyone's yearly spring to-do. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 10:49:58 PM | Hang on two secs...
I don't know who suggested that the landlord rip stuff out to check for mold...
unless it was suggested it was the landlords responsability to have a professional check...
Don't let her do it herself....
or if she does, make sure you have a place to stay before she starts ripping holes in walls.
You don't need health complications on top of this garbage you have been put through.
and remember, you can legally withold rent till she serves you with your rental agreement, so you're not stooping to her level, your forcing her to stand up to yours..
all the best
Peter | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/24/2007 10:57:27 PM |
I don't know who suggested that the landlord rip stuff out to check for mold...unless it was suggested it was the landlords responsability to have a professional check...Don't let her do it herself.... or if she does, make sure you have a place to stay before she starts ripping holes in walls.
ABSOLUTELY!!! Good catch on that!
She shouldn't do it herself whether someone is living there or not! The guys working in our complex wear masks, gloves, the whole nine yards. Our handyman turned the job down, and strongly encouraged us to hire disaster restoration specialists.
My point was, if she'd taken care of the place, she wouldn't be in the disasterous circumstance she will be in now. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/25/2007 2:11:26 AM | hey girl
Your landlord/landlady is up the creek without a paddle. Under the terms of the Residential Tenancy Act, the landlord is required to supply a clean, safe, reasonable place to live in exchange for you paying rent. Their failure to provide such a place leaves you the right to withhold your rent payment.
The Residential Tenancy Act also stipulates that the Landlord is to ensure that the rental property is maintained so that it complies with code, and so that everything is in normal, working order and there are no health risks.
The "Act" also explicitly states that the Landlord is to provide you with a copy of your move-in inspection report bearing your signature, within 21 days of move in. If they fail to provide the inspection report the landlord MAY NOT withhold any part of your damage deposit. The landlord can't prove that you inflicted the damages ( even though we know you didn't) -- without the Inspection report he has nothing to back up any claims that you did.
All of this will protect your damage deposit and force the landlord to repair the damages before anyone else can live there, but it won't cover any damages or loss to your personal property. This is where the Tenant's insurance package comes into play.
I realize that you're both a student and a waitress ( and believe me I've done both --it sucks to have so little money!!!!) and that your funds are likely very limited, but I strongly recommend that you get yourself an insurance policy.
Think about what it would cost you to REPLACE everything you own, right down to your last pair of socks-- and add 25% to that-- and get a policy for that much. If you own any expensive jewelry, you'll want to get it appraised and have a rider included that will cover your jewelry specifically. The jewelry rider is dirt cheap and might come in handy if someone breaks in and rips you off.
My insurance is a little more than $20 a month, and that includes $100K replacement cost plus a $10K jewelry rider. Definitely worth every dime!!!! $20 a month is less than what you'd spend on an extra large double-double at Timmy's every day. .. or that large supreme pizza at BP's on Friday night... I think you get the drift.
Sounds like you are one lucky girl to have some good friends who care about you.. don't be afraid to ask them for help while you sort this out!!
Also definitely don't let your landlord screw you around.. you've got him/her by the short and curlies, girl!
Peace out
Misha | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/25/2007 12:14:43 PM | ^^^ Damn straight! And thats what i been saying for along time in this province, it is shitty out there for people, and this is not at the OP just a general knowledge, which i thought was common knowledge, if a landlord tells you something it must be the law and exact truth? You don't go and do some research, you just take what they feed you and assume their right  Thats really dumb isn't it?
Well i don't know Rod, but cmon i read it online! I seen it on TV, i heard it on......
it must be the gospel truth then....
Good luck to the OP with this, take that landlord and get em bumped down a peg! | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/25/2007 1:38:52 PM | I laugh at my idiot LL.
he figures
1. Must have his written permission for guests.
2. Must have his written permission for visitors after 10pm.
3. Must have his written permission for a vehicle (use street parking)
4. Must have his written permission to have a baby. He added new clause to state that only myself and 1 child can reside in our suite.
5. Must has his written permission to decorate.
He has other silly ideas tooo....just cant recall them all at the moment.
So the OP isnt the only one who has a landlord who is wrong. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/25/2007 2:28:28 PM | My advice BLUFF your landlord and ....instead of paying your rent , keep it and move out when you have a new place. Use this rent money for a down payment on your new place. The landlord can keep your damage deposit and you can keep your place for an extra month. The landlord will never bother taking you to court as it costs $200 just to file a claim and even then it is impossible to collect from ppl.so back to court she goes again...9 outta 10 times the landlord will not bother....
all is fair in love and war and renting...... heheheh | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/26/2007 9:07:44 AM | You have received some great advice (for the most part)
You can withhold the rent. However you need to place that rent into a separate escrow account. You will also need to send a certified letter to the land lord stating that is what you are doing until the problems are corrected.
Document everything. Make copies of all correspondence even remotely regarding the matter.
Under no cir circumstances spend that money until settlement is reached. It will stand in your favor that you had the money and and that it was in a separate account awaiting resolution of the case when you do go to court. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/28/2007 12:31:28 PM | Just an update. I spent this weekend in Edomonton to attend school and last night at my moms. I went to my rental this morning with the plan of starting to pack up. Now, although it did snow heavily on Thurs, there has been no rain this weekend, so I was not expecting what I found.
Before, the flooding was contained to specific areas of the house and had not damaged any of my furniture. Today when my roommate and I walked in, the entire floor of my basement had been flooded. All of the boxes that I had set in the living room to use for packing had been soaked through. Any of my belongings that I had moved to dry areas of the floor have been damaged or just plain ruined. The wall paneling is wet to about a foot off the floor and it does appear to have mold in places.
So, I called the health inspector again to see if I needed him to come and look again. When I phoned him, he told me about the phone call he had made to my landlord. Any respect I did manage to maintain for the woman is gone. She swore at and called the health inspector names and then had hung up on him. So now, she has not only angered me, she has angered a government worker. He also gave me his report and it states that the conditions noted 'are not compliant with the Alberta Minimum Housing and Health Standards'.
So, tonight, when my mom gets home I will call my landlord ( I need a little moral support, I'm not good at confrontations) and I am going to tell her of the additional damage and the situation. The situation being that the Landlord Tenant Board has advised me to talk to the Alberta Law Line so that I can get legal help.
The woman who is living above me is also shocked at the landlords behaviour. I had her come downstairs to look at my place in case I had need of a witness. So when the health inspector came back today, she had him look at upstairs as well to make sure that her suite was not going to expeirence problems.
The woman upstairs has also told me that the landlord was IN MY APARTMENT WITHOUT NOTICE TO ME!!! I'm incredibly angry these days.
As to where I am moving, an old boss of mine found me on and we started talking. It seems like he will have a 4-plex unit up for rent in the begining of July. He has said that he will be willing to rent to me and since I know him fairly well and have heard of his rental units (very well taken care of) I think I would be more than happy to move there. In the meantime, I hope to get most of my things into storage tonight, especially the furniture and I will be staying in my moms spare room for the next month. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/28/2007 12:43:40 PM | Be careful about keeping stuff that got wet
You risk more mold
Be sure to get tenants insurance in the future if you dont already have it.
Good luck | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/28/2007 2:56:49 PM | She discussed it in person with the woman that obviously took her in, but came here to ask this COMMUNITY for additional advice. Nothing wrong with that.
On topic: I am sure there has to be something you can do legally to get your money back. Now that the suite has been deemed uninhabitable, you have proof from the govnernment as well. They know you live there and no landlord is going to allow someone to inhabit their residence for free. The courts will know rent/damage exchanged hands.
They should have a resource like the Better Business Bureau for landlords, so people can find out if other renters have run into problems or even to make others aware of good outcomes as well. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/28/2007 8:06:24 PM | Pretty ironic that the only immature idiot here is a 52 year old man...telling someone else to grow up.
We went through today and took lots of pictures...this woman is going to fry. Thousands of dollars in repairs before she'll ever be able to rent this 'suite' again. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/28/2007 9:45:33 PM | Yes, as a matter of fact I did discuss this with my friend Janalta.
Yes, I do want to vent my anger.
Yes, I do want moral support.
No, I did not come to the forums for this. I have friends that I can talk to in person for that.
I asked for advice from a GROUP of people so I could recieve more ADVICE than I would from just one person. And that is what I got.
And YOU sir seem to have no advice to give, so please stay out of my thread because your comments are irrelevant and should have been deleted because they did not stay on topic.
OT: I'm taking legal action. The new flooding has damaged a significant amount of my furniture, books, pictures that had not yet been hung and other random items. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 5/30/2007 7:17:52 PM | hey there, glad my advice was helpful. There are only a few reasons a landlord can enter a suite without 24 hours notice.
1) suspicion of abandonment
2) emergency such as a fire or FLOOD
She would have been allowed into your suite to check to see if the suite was flooding if it was raining or the snow was melting. Figure out when (if you can) she entered. If there was no good reason, or if she fails to defend her actions by either of the above two reasons the law calls it Breaking and Entering.
Keep your chin up. You will likely find that once you get a lawyer involved, you'll get your full deposit back, you may even be entitled to further conpensation for damages allowed and perhaps even a little something just for the crap you've been put through... (not as likely but let's all dream shall we?) :)
The great news is you've been put through almost the worst of it, and from now on you'll know how to handle any slumlords you come across in the future.
Simple as knowing your rights, knowing your resources, (like this forum for one) and getting tenant insurance. (Only like 20 bucks a month or something...)
This is such a clear example of a right/wrong case, you shouldn't need to worry about a thing...
keep me posted?
Cheers
-P | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 11/19/2008 9:45:41 PM | Has anyone received compensation from a landlord based on a report from the health region??
I had an inspector come out in August who found 6 items needing repair according to the Housing Standards:
1) The tub surround underlying wallboard is rotten/mouldy. Remove/replace wallboard, scrub mould off wood, dry and rebuild
2) The wall adjacent to the tap end of the tub is rotten/mouldy. Remove damaged wallboard for 30cm from visible mould. Repair.
3) The floor beside the rotten tub/wall area is water damaged. Floor covering lifting. Remove water damaged floor and repair.
4) Excess water is leaking to the basement through plumbing access. Moulding wood. Clean mould after leaks are repaired.
5) The kitchen taps are loose and have leaked into the counter wood & is growing mould. Clean mould, seal and repair taps/leak.
6) The ceiling in the bathroom has peeling paint. Remove peeling paint, dry, clean any mould, sand and repaint.
This condition must be corrected and available for inspection no later than 08:00 am on Friday 31-Oct-2008
Remarks...... You are required to correct the noted deficiencies with the allotted time. Failure to do so will result in further action [Report may be released under Freedom of Information Act and Region's Release of Information Policy].
MULTIPLE PHOTOGRAPHS AND MOISTURE READINGS WERE DOCUMENTED.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As of November 19th no repairs have been done, the landlord came by and propped the tub surround open with a block of wood... it's still there. He came by with a fan, and made my son help him install it... the fan didn't fit so he said he would search some more shops.
Sigh...
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 11/20/2008 5:11:11 AM | Any "repairs" have to be checked by the health inspector again.... and he will deal with the landlord, but you need to KEEP ON it, (the health inspector) as the landlord IS responsible for the repairs outlined in the report.
Good luck. | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 11/20/2008 8:00:09 PM | I am a landlord and a tenant so I know both sides of the issue.
My answer?
If you do not like where you are living? MOVE!
If you are a landlord and don't like tenants complaints? SELL the place!
Let someone else own a rental unit who will be professional and look after it! | |
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| Landlord/Tenant Dispute - advice please.
Posted: 11/21/2008 6:57:12 PM | would someone be so kind to list all the health board numbers in alberta, or at least the major cities for those who may need that in the future...thanks!
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