Posted in 2011 Rent Increase Guideline, Apartment Issues, Auditing programme, Building Maintenance, HST, Jim Hart, MLS Building Audit, MRAB, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Property standards violations, Repairs and maintenance, Vacancy Decontrol, tagged Auditing programme, Building Maintenance, Jim Hart, MLS Building audit, MRAB, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Property standards violations, Repairs, Vacancy Decontrol on January 28, 2011|
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For the current year and commencing January 2011, the Municipal Licencing and Standards department (MLS) has provided updated information on the resumption of the audit program in multi-residential apartment buildings (MRAB). MLS has included a list of buildings scheduled for auditing as well as specific items to be targeted in their audits. For example, the audits will include ‘common areas, mechanical systems and grounds of the building’ for property standard violations. Refer to this link for details: http://www.toronto.ca/licensing/mrab/audit_activity_by_ward.htm
According to the article “Inspectors to probe city’s 5,000 rental buildings” published in April 2010, Jim Hart (Executive Director of MLS) stated: ” We’re actually going to get our own staff to go out there effectively with a checklist and do every single (rental) building in the city and kind of rate them,” and that “he’s determined to send out about 100 inspectors to give nearly 5,000 buildings a once-over, so his 12-member audit team can better focus its efforts on the buildings most in need of improvements”. Refer to this link for the full article: (more…)
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Posted in Above Guideline increase, Building Maintenance, Capital Expenditures, Conservation, Electricity, Energy Conservation, Environment, Greening, Hydro, Infrastructure, Lease Agreement, Politics, Retrofit, Smart meters, Sub-meters, Utilities, tagged Building Maintenance, Capital Expenditures, Electricity, Energy Conservation, Environment, Politics, Retrofit, Sub-meters, Utilities on September 8, 2009|
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By I. Aagaard, Guest Contributor
A recent article (Smart sub-meters) on the EYTG web site made references to an issue that’s been popping up recently: Smart Sub-Meters in apartment buildings.
I agree fundamentally with the notion of this “Pay Per Use” way of holding each of us responsible for our consumption of non-renewable resources, such as electricity. (more…)
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Posted in Apartment Issues, Building Maintenance, Compensation, Complaints, Complaints letter, Eviction, Landlord and Tenant Board, Last Month Rent (LMR), Legal Assistance, Problem Landlords, Repairs, Repairs and maintenance, T2, T6, Tenants boot camp, Withholding rent, tagged Apartment Issues, Building Maintenance, Compensation, Complaints letter, Eviction, Repairs, Residential Tenancies Act, T6 Application, Tenants boot camp, Withholding rent on February 24, 2009|
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Posted in Above Guideline increase, Activism, Auditing programme, Bed bugs, Capital Expenditures, City Inspectors, CMHC, Compensation, Complaints letter, Elevators, Eviction, Garbage, Garbage disposal, Landlord and Tenant Board, Last Month Rent (LMR), Municipal Licensing and Standards, Noise, Noise Complaints, Problem Landlords, Repairs, Repairs and maintenance, Residential Tenancies Act, Security, Security Camera, Soundproof, T2, T6, Tenant Association, Tenants boot camp, tagged Auditing programme, Bed bugs, Building Maintenance, City Inspectors, CMHC, Complaints letter, Elevators, Eviction, Garbage disposal, Municipal Licensing and Standards, Noise Complaints, Repairs, Sample complaint letter, Soundproof, T2 Application, T6 Application, Tenants Associations, Tenants boot camp on November 30, 2008|
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(NOTE – refer to our post on Balcony Renovations at this link for relevant information on issues related to repairs: https://eastyorktenantsgroup.com/2019/09/12/balcony-renovations-and-above-guideline-increases/ )
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Many tenants in Beaches-East York have relayed frustrating experiences with ‘problem landlords’ and property managers when requesting needed repairs to their apartment or when they complain about poor building maintenance. Unresolved complaints for outstanding repairs and building maintenance issues seem to be the bane of the existence of many tenants in the City of Toronto. Although your rental agreement clearly outlines the rights and responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord, some landlords and property managers do not comply with the regulations set out in the “RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES ACT”
Here is what tenants have been telling us:
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Absence of tenant associations – The most common concern is the challenges faced when attempting to establish a tenants association in order to help tenants resolve complaints and violations. Tenants tell us landlords do not encourage this activity and that landlords remove any notices related to organizing tenants from the communal notice board. The security guards are also instructed to remove any pamphlets and flyers related to this activity. It was suggested that since the security guards remove these while doing their rounds between 4:00 pm and midnight the tenants should deliver the flyers either after midnight or around 6:00 am and that flyers should be inserted carefully so that they are not visible from outside the doors. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 clearly states that: “It is an offence to try to prevent a tenant from forming a tenants’ association or taking part in one.”
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Violations by landlords and property managers – Tenants are confused by the longwinded process in place to resolve offences and/or violations committed by landlords. They feel helpless about the delaying tactics used by landlords when needed repairs are requested. (more…)
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Posted in Affordable housing, Building Maintenance, Canada's Housing Policy, City Hall, City of Toronto, Developers, Economy, Home ownership, Housing waiting list, Rent-geared-to-income, Subsidized housing, Tax breaks, tagged Affordable housing, Building Maintenance, Canada's Housing Policy, Developers, Economy, Home ownership, Tax breaks on November 18, 2008|
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The City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Office has been involved in various housing initiatives to make life easier for renters in the GTA with low or modest incomes . The initiatives include various strategies that would increase the supply of affordable rental housing and also provide opportunities for low-income renters to purchase a home. Here are some examples of the City’s affordable housing initiatives:
1. Rental Housing
The City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Office has a project in place to increase the number of affordable rental units available to renters with modest incomes. This ‘affordable rental housing’ project consists of 35 rental buildings under development and as of September 2008 a total 6 were completed. You can view a list of the ongoing building and (more…)
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East York Tenants Group 