I’m new to the renting scene and have my mother to thank for a lot of what I know about renting. When you’re off-campus, the quality of rental units varies a lot—and it’s nice to know what you are entitled to ask for, both before and after you move in. Some of these are based in my experience, some in my friends… but these are all true stories, and I hope that in sharing them, you can make sure that none of these things happens to you.

I probably also have to state that this isn’t official legal advice and you should really look at The Residential Tenancies Act for set-in-stone facts and to make 100% sure that you are asking for something that you are entitled to. The Act may have changed since I last read it in full, and although I’ve done my best to make sure the information is accurate, I can’t promise! This is just supposed to be my take on my living situation thus far and some helpful tips that people might find useful.

The State of the Unit

How clean is not clean enough?

You are entitled to clean carpets (shampooed between tenants!) My carpets weren’t clean and it’s been a lot of work trying to get them to a liveable state.

You must be provided with doors that lock. If the locks haven’t been changed since the last tenants moved out, you can ask your landlord to change them, which he/she must do.

Your landlord needs to keep your unit in a state that is “reasonably comfortable to live in” (hot water, etc should be provided, windows should open and close…) You are responsible for keeping the unit clean.

Your landlord also needs to make sure that there is a working, functional smoke detector and carbon monoxide alarm in the unit. We weren’t sure if ours worked at first, and after living there a week we were finally able to get ahold of our landlord, who informed us that no, the smoke detector didn’t work. Great. He reimbursed me for one that I purchased (sometimes it’s easiest to just go out and get things done yourself, but make sure you are reimbursed when the situation warrants it). I went to install the new smoke detector, taking the old one down in the process. As I took the old one down, I uncovered the battery that was still in it. The battery from 1997. A 17-year-old smoke detector isn’t going to do much good. Yay for checking.

Seeing Your Landlord

No you may not come in it’s late at night and I want to watch Netflix in my jammies and procrastinate and not do homework.

When is it okay for your landlord to be in your unit? I had a friend whose landlord would come and go as he pleased, sometimes appearing in their kitchen as someone was getting out of the shower! Unfortunately, they didn’t know their rights in this situation. The landlord owns the building, right? So they can come and go as they please? Wrong.

A landlord is required to give 24 hours notice, in writing, of the date, time, and reason for the entry. The landlord may, however, enter any common spaces whenever he/she wants. Of course, in an emergency, your landlord can come in to your unit to save people or property.

Party Time?

When it’s quiet time…

You’re allowed to have people over. Our landlord tried to charge us $10/overnight guest, with a maximum of three overnights allowed per month. We told him that he couldn’t do that and were able to come to an agreement. But things didn’t look so good for a while there. You do have to remember though that the Residential Tenancies Act only specifies that you can use the place for your “quiet enjoyment.” Your new rental unit may not be the best place to party, especially if your landlord lives in the same building and will be disturbed by the noise.

Basically, a rental can work out great if you weren’t able to get into on-campus housing or just want a little more independence. But it can be a nightmare if you don’t know what you are entitled to or don’t ask the right questions. Like “is the internet reliable?” Because right now I am sitting in the library on a Sunday afternoon, trying to prepare for three midterms, because my internet doesn’t work at home. Don’t let this be you—it’s really hard to read Blog Squad posts that way!