The tenancies fail for a number of reasons: debt and inability to budget correctly and pay rent, ignorance of benefits to which they may be entitled, lack of knowledge in dealing with even the basic of household management tasks, and no understanding of behaviour expected when living away from home for the first time and coming to realise that inviting all their friends around to drink and play music all night does not make them popular with their new neighbours.

A young person may delight on the initial throes of independence when they collect the keys for their new home, however, these emotions can quickly turn in to doubt and uncertainty when the realisation of the responsibilities involved in maintaining a tenancy are brought to the forefront.

Landlords are expectant that their tenants will behave responsibly, look after their property with care and pay their rent on time but equally have no or very little understanding that this young person moving into their property has only just severed the apron strings and has not yet learned how to cope with anything other than coming to the table when dinner is served.

These are just a few reasons why the reliance on tenancy support services is becoming greater in the social and rented housing sectors. We would not ask someone to dig a large hole but not give them the tools to do so, so why would we think it’s a good idea give someone a property to manage and a tenancy to sustain without giving them the tools and the knowledge to do so?

Tenancy Support takes many forms, be it casual floating support, or more intensive depending on the young persons needs and capabilities but offering such support could be the most valuable service to landlords and their young tenants.

There are some landlord tenant rights that can easily help both the parties to evade or resolve the housing contract. The first and foremost important right is the signing of the charter. It is the written rental agreement between the landlord and a tenant. This bond protects both of them from any future misfortune.

The lease can be set for a time period of 6 months, 1 year and so on. Such an agreement includes security deposit, number of residing members, due date of rent, late charges, property repair responsibility, electricity and other bills, etc. If in any case some amendments are required in charter, joint contract between landlord and tenant is must. After signing the lease, both the parties are equally and fully responsible for each other written statements.

Some certain amount of money as a collateral should be deposited by the tenants to the landlords that covers the damage or cleaning of the rental area before entering into the house. When the lessee leaves the rental place, the landlord is either required to give back the deposited security or needed to show the list of damages that has been made by the tenants. The renter should carry all such important documents that are related to the rental house.

All such credentials may include lease, receipts of deposits, rent receipts and many others. It is very essential from both the sides to scrutinize the condition of the rental house for avoiding the unnecessary wiles. Before moving out from the rental unit, it is necessary for both the parties to look over the place again and carefully and then sign a written contract regarding the conditions of the leasing place. So, simply by following the landlord tenant rights, future unwanted issues can be stooped.

Evicting someone out of their residence, even if they were residing as tenants is quite a rigid decision and it may transform into a cause of confrontations, if proper procedure haven’t been followed by the landlords. On another note, you must do some research into the background of tenants before letting your property, because the eviction can become a challenging task in case they’ve got some affiliations with criminal elements or powerful individuals.

The most important requisite for an eviction notice is of course the reason for the notice, which can be nonpayment of rent or other violations of the terms on part of tenants. In case the tenant fails to pay the house rent, landlord can issue an eviction notice, giving tenants some grace period to arrange and pay the rent. Tenant can survive this notice by paying the rent in given time; otherwise they’ll have to leave the property. Nonpayment is not the only issue that you can use as the reason; in simple words any action that has violated the terms specified in the agreement can be quoted as the reason. In most cases the tenant can take corrective measures to escape the eviction, but there is one type (known as unconditional notice) that leaves no room for tenants to stay in the house. You can use unconditional notice when the tenants have done some serious breach of agreement or have been involved in some unlawful activities.

If the tenant has not been involved in some breach of agreement, you can still send an eviction notice but you must give them at least 30 – 90 days to arrange another residence. The eviction notices must be clear and precise; the best idea is to obtain some standard notice, which is easily available in the market (or you can get these notices on internet). You can also hire an attorney if you are expecting stiff resistance from tenants before they are forced to leave the home. Remember, that eviction notice is a kind of a legal document and a legal procedure, so you must follow the basic legal guidelines in preparing and issuing these notices.

As a tenant, you have the right to privacy. This means that your landlord has to give you at least 24 hours notice before they enter your property. If they do not give you notice you have the right to refuse them entry. A landlord must also not lock you out of the property, interfere with your utility supplies, interfere with any of your possessions, take out windows or doors, refuse access to the property for your friends and family or use threatening behaviour against you.

By law your landlord must ensure that the property is in a decent liveable condition and is in a good state of repair. Landlords are responsible for ensuring that the basic structure of the property is safe, that any sanitary fittings such as toilets are in good working order, the heating and hot water systems are working and are safe and that any damage that is caused carrying out repairs is repaired. If your landlord carries out repairs which are not up to standard, you have the right to take them to court to seek proper repairs. Your landlord should also provide you with a gas safety certificate at the start of your tenancy which should confirm that the appliances in your home are safe. Your landlord should get a new certificate every year. They must also carry out checks on any electrical equipment in the property.

You also have the right to have your deposit returned to you at the end of the tenancy, minus any costs for repairs that have been made during your tenancy. If your tenancy was an assured shorthold tenancy agreement then your landlord would have had to put your deposit in a government approved deposit protection scheme.

If you are having problems with your landlord, then you may be able to get help from your local housing officer. You should get in touch with your local authority if you think this might help. Housing officers will be able to assist you when your landlord seriously neglects their responsibilities. This includes if you are being harassed or illegally evicted from your property, eviction law is taken very seriously and if your landlord does not follow the correct procedure, you have the right to take legal action against them. The housing officer will also be able to help if your landlord fails to supply you with rent books or fail to give you information regarding fees and insurance for long term tenants. They will also be able to help you if the utilities get cut off and you are living with an elderly person or a child.

When you have someone rent want to your room from, you are giving them access to your home, this means they will be sharing a kitchen, bathroom and other areas of your home, unless of course you have a downstairs that is complete and separated from the rest of your home. Because you are giving a person access to your home it is important to have several ground rules that a regular lease form will not include.

First,  you will want to let your renter know what they will have access to and what they will not. In addition to this the same part of the form should spell out for the renter just exactly what their rent pays for and if there are any other expenses for which they will be responsible. Landlords normally will split this up in two different ways, they will charge their renter a flat fee that covers all of their utilities as well as their rent, and in other circumstances the landlord may assess these fees separately. You should put into writing not only how they will pay but what their percentage of the bills will be every month.

Many landlords renting a room to someone will include food, while others will not, it is very important to clarify this issue as well as whether the renter has access to the kitchen appliances for cooking their own food or whether they need to make their own arrangements. You will also want to include whether the tenant has access to things such as the yard, garage or other areas of your home. If you do not want a tenant in any of the areas it is important to include this in the agreement.

A room rental agreement will protect you from being taken advantage of by your renter and ensure that they clearly understand what you expect from them. By making sure that you have this contract you can be sure that you are protecting the interests of your home and family.

You first have the option to pick the tenant you want. If you think that person is inappropriate or do not reach your standard, you can reject his application.

But do not be too strict on picking or you will never find the person to rent from you. When you choose to let a tenant into your place, you can enter a contract that protects both you and the tenant. Then the tenant will also review your contract agreements and see if it is to his liking before signing it.

Then by collecting rental money from the tenant, you would get extra income from him. The amount of rental money you get also varies depending on the area you are renting out for your flatshare. The more popular the district is, and then you can charge higher rental fees.

Then if there are extra utilities located around your place like a bus station or mini mart, that will further increase your rental value and able to charge higher rental fees. If you include extra service like parking spots or meals included, then you can charge for that as well. The utility bills like electricity and water might increase but it will be split between you and the tenant.

If you want to rent out your empty house, you can do so. You do not have to worry about buying furniture as the tenant can purchase his own to make his living more comfortable.  Then when the contract ends, the tenant may choose to either move out with all the furniture he bought or you can purchase the furniture as second hand. Then when you rent out your house again, you can now advertise it as fully or partially furnished house. That will increase your rental value for flatshare even more.

A tenant should ensure that he fulfills their responsibilities and duties while being fully aware of their rights. The most critical responsibility of the tenant is to comply to the rental agreement that he has entered into with the landlord.

The one thing that the landlords are particularly fussy about is receiving the rent in full and on time. Make sure as a tenant you do not give a chance to your landlord to crib about late receipts of rentals.

Once the landlord gets an assurance and comfort based on your track record of timely payments he would do everything possible to keep you in good humor by fulfilling his duties and responsibilities.

The second responsibility that the tenant has is to keep their rented premises clean and in good shape. The tenant must respect and adhere to the HOA rules applicable for their residence. The tenant must not abuse the various fixtures and equipment that has been provided for by the landlord. The tenant should be careful in exercising his right to usage of essential equipments like Air conditioning, smoke detectors, heating equipments etc.

In case when any of any high value equipment requires repair and maintenance work, the tenant and the landlord must give adequate attention to the aspect of a malfunctioning of equipment related to misuse or normal wear and tear. The best way to handle this in making suitable mention of the items for which both the parties would be responsible in the rental agreement.

The other responsibility that the tenant has towards the landlord is to ensure that he keeps him informed in case he is going to be absent from his rented premises for a prolonged period. This would just make matters easy for the landlord and he would not wrongly assume the tenant’s long absence as a case of tenant abandonment. It would be wise for the tenant to purchase the renters insurance.

The landlord is not responsible for the safety of the personal belongings of the tenant inside his premises. The tenant must allow the landlord to visit their premises in case an advance notice has been given by the landlord. The tenant reserves the right to use the premises for his personal use only and should not invite additional people without the consent of the landlord.

Before you accept a rental policy that costs your family, disrupts your life and harms your pet, there are a few steps you should take.

Know your rights

Did you know that, as a tenant, you have certain rights? Each area will have its own set of rules and bylaws for tenants and landlords, but don’t just assume that your landlord is following these rules. Make sure you know what your rights are regarding your tenancy and pets before you are forced into doing anything.

For example, did you know that in Ontario your landlord cannot evict you or force you to get rid of your pet unless they are dangerous, causing excess noise, damage to the unit or allergy problems? Even if you signed a lease with a no-pets agreement, they cannot evict you. No-pets clauses are considered invalid under the law and the only way you can be evicted for having a pet is if the Landloard and Tenant Board of Ontario determines that the pet meets one of the above criteria. This means that, while a landlord can choose not to rent to someone who has pets, once you have started your rental and are moved in, they cannot evict you for having pets.

Laws will vary depending on where you are, but don’t let yourself be bullied into disrupting your life or your cat’s life when the law may actually be on your side! Be informed.

Don’t capitulate, negotiate

If local laws will not protect you and your pets, then the next step is not to give up and give in, but to negotiate and educate your landlords.

Most landlords that do not allow pets or that require cats to be declawed have these policies because they are worried about property damage. Noise, allergies and messes in communal areas such as the lobby or front law may also be a factor.

As a responsible pet owner it is worth your while to try to educate your landlord about why these policies are misguided and unnecessary. If you can provide reasonable alternatives so that your landlord can feel that their interests are sufficiently covered you may be able to convince them to change their rental policies.

Most people especially in the urban areas are renting homes and dwelling places and thus are covered with the tenant’s rights regulated by the government. It is vitally important to know and further understand the different legislative components of these rights in order to know what you are entitled of and what necessary measures to come up with if ever certain abuses or infringement of contract would inevitably come your way.

What are the different tenant’s rights?

The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and the Landlords and Tenants Act from 1967-1994 are two of the main legislative promulgation regulated by the government that ensures tenants and renters their respective duties and rights in their dwelling conditions. The said rights are also coupled with the appropriate responsibilities that the renters must comply with in order to maintain a harmonious and hassle-free relationship with their landlords. This issuance started in the middle of the late 1980′s and has undergone evolution and changes to cater to the current needs and demands seen in this specific area of the real estate industry.

Here are some of the tenant’s rights covered by the said legislation.

o Tenants have the right to a serene and quiet accommodation situated in an appropriate environment. Thus it is necessary that the rental unit must be away from any violent incidents and unwanted intrusions, burglary and other forms of crimes or circumstances.

o Tenants have the right to access and use facilities and other functionalities necessary for their daily and basic needs. This would include the primary areas or parts of the dwelling like roofs, ceilings, walls, heating or air conditioning system, laundry area and the like. It is the landlord’s responsibility to make sure that all these facilities are available, functional and in good condition.

o Tenants have the right to reimbursement especially for the repair or fixture expenses incurred which falls under the obligatory field of the landlords. Renters must provide the official receipt and must basically inform the landlord of the damage in the house as well as the repairs done to remedy such damages.

o Tenants have the right to be protected from any intrusion and unwanted entry from anyone including or even their landlords. It is necessary that home inspection and visits must be done by the latter as long as they set prior appointment with the renters and that there is an apparent purpose for the visit like making repairs or fixing damages in the house. Without the renter’s permission, they could not enter the premise unless there is an urgent emergency or call.

Tenant’s rights are definitely the most important components that renters ought to know to exercise their rights and know the boundaries of their renting arrangements. This must likewise be done with compliance to the agreement they have set with their respective landlords.

The majority of tenants are law-abiding, will treat a property with care and respect, and will pay their rent and leave on time. Unfortunately, not all will do so and as the economy continues to have problems, then more tenants could find themselves in the position of not being able to pay for the rent, or utilities. In which case, all those that rent properties, should have the support of good landlords insurance.

In the case of the domestic market, it’s a good idea to both understand the basics of the landlords house insurance policies on offer, but also understand basic tenant rights.

You should also familiarise yourself with a number of the basic statues which apply to renting a property. These are the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, The Housing Act 1988, The Protection From Eviction Act 1977; and, The Family Law Act 1996.

These laws give a tenant basic rights and when taking out a landlords property insurance policy, it’s important that you acquaint yourself with the fundamental provisions.

As a landlord, you must not neglect the property which you rent. It must be ‘fit-for-purpose’ at all times. You cannot turn up uninvited at the property (a reasonable notice period is needed), nor can you threaten your tenants into leaving, or get others to threaten them. You cannot shut down utilities, nor take any aggressive action that is outside of accepted practices.

A tenant who feels that their landlord is not abiding by any of these fundamental principles, can prosecute under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

Another key issue is eviction, a delicate issue at the best of times for both tenants and landlords. There are two types of eviction, mandatory and discretionary. Mandatory eviction is when the landlord desires to take the property back for their own use (to live in), or if the owner has gone bankrupt, or the house is being repossessed. Furthermore, it can happen if a tenant is more than two months behind with the rent, or they refuse to allow vital maintenance.

Discretionary eviction comes after a court has been asked to intervene, mainly because the landlord believes that the tenant has either broken the tenancy agreement (the contract), or lied in the first place to get the contract established.

This is just the merest glimpse into the complications of the landlord/tenant relationship, and one of the main reasons for taking out proper landlords insurance which can help protect against the main problems.