How to Terminate a Lease

Terminating a lease and ending a tenancy early in Canada can be complicated, but there are certain situations when you can do it. Whether you have a fixed or non-fixed term tenancy, you can end it and move out if you give the written notice to your landlord. You may also come to an agreement with them to end your tenancy.

However, if you want to move out early, it won’t always be possible. Let’s have a closer look at some of these situations:

Giving Proper Notice

Every notice must include the termination date, which is the last day you plan to livein the apartment. Unless you provide notice that you’re moving out, your tenancy will continue — and with it, your responsibilities for the apartment. With a fixed-term tenancy, your notice must come at least 60 days before the end of the lease, and your termination date can’t be before the end of the fixed term.

For a non-fixed-term tenancy the notice is also at least 60 days if you have a monthly rent payment, and 28 days if it’s weekly. The termination date has to be the last day of the rental month or week.

Making an Agreement with the Landlord

If the landlord agrees, it’s possible to end your tenancy early regardless of your previously agreed-upon term. However, it’s best to get this agreement in writing. The landlord might accept this because they’d be allowed to increase the rent for the new tenant after you leave.

You can use the Agreement to Terminate a Tenancy (Form N11). Just make sure you do leave on your termination date because otherwise, the landlord can evict you.

Assigning or Subletting Your Tenancy

You can also agree with your landlord to assign or sublet your tenancy to someone else. If you assign your tenancy, you will have to leave the apartment permanently, but if you sublet it, you can return before the end of the tenancy, after a predetermined amount of time.

Both the assignee and the subtenant will pay the same rent you do. While the assignee will pay it to the landlord and the subtenant will pay it to you, and you will then pay it to the landlord. The landlord can refuse to let you assign or sublet, but it can’t be for arbitraryreasons.

Issues with the Landlord

If you have any of the following issues with your landlord, you can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to issue an order to end your tenancy early:

●       Landlord doesn’t maintain the rental property;

●       Landlord alters the locking system without giving you replacement keys;

●       Landlord harasses you;

●       Landlord withholds a vital service or deliberately interferes with it or your enjoyment of the rental property;

●       Landlord unlawfully enters the rental property;

●       Landlord refuses to let you assign or sublet the rental unit for arbitrary reasons.

Special Situations

You can leave the tenancy early if you’ve experienced domestic or sexual abuse and violence. You’ll need LTB Form N15, a notice of 28 days, and the copy of a peace bond or restraining order against the abuser.

Also, if your landlord didn’t use the standard lease form, which is the required one since April 30, 2018, you can give them notice to end your tenancy early if they don’t give you a copy of the standard lease form within 21 days of your request.

To learn more about apartment living, follow our blog.

What You Should Be Looking for in a Roommate

Is it possible to find a perfect roommate?

The good news is that it is, the not so good news is that it can be quite tricky. The important thing to remember is that it’s not about finding a perfect person, because that doesn’t exist. It’s about finding a perfect roommate for you and your lifestyle — someone who fits and agrees with you where it matters.

A lot of that will depend on your personal preferences, but there are some universally good traits that are desirable in a roommate that you should pay attention to. If you’ve been unlucky in this quest so far, or if you’re just starting it, here’s what to keep in mind:

Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is an important trait, especially if you’re moving in with someone you don’t know that well. Sharing your living space with someone without being able to trust them certainly won’t be pleasant. Before you move in, look for the signs of untrustworthiness or questionable behavior. If it’s a person you’ve recently met, consider whether someone you know can vouch for them. And if you really wantto be careful, do a background check.

Reliability

Having a reliable roommate can make the difference between a stressful and a blissfulliving situation. If they’re unreliable, you can’t function as a team, and that means difficulties. You can easily spot an unreliable person by asking the following questions: Are they there for their friends? Do they show up where and when they’ve said they would show up? Do they pay their rent on time?

You don’t want to live with someone who constantly leaves you hanging when you need them, so make sure your future roommate is a dependable person.

Cleanliness

Incompatible cleaning habits are one of the main problems people have with their roommates. Of course, nobody wants to live with a slob, but that usually isn’t what ends up happening. More often than not, it’s the little differences in cleaning habits that cause arguments and stress.

For example, your roommate might otherwise be very neat but have the unfortunate habit of piling up used coffee mugs on their desk, or outside of their own space.

They might prefer to wash the dishes right after a meal, while you tend to load them in the sink for later. Or one of you might be obsessive about cleanliness, while the other is a little more laid back. These differences are enough to create frustration in everyday life, so it’s important to be on the same page.

Respectfulness

Finally, whatever your differences or disagreements, your roommate should be respectful and communicative enough to discuss them rather than argue. No matter how well you get along, it’s inevitable to have disagreements, and you want someone who can handle them in a mature way. If they tend to sulk, give you the silent treatment or lose their temper in confrontational situations, they might not be the best choice.

Choosing a roommate is an important decision, and you want to be sure you’re not making a mistake. With a roommate that possesses these traits, living together will be a good experience.

If you found these tips helpful, keep following our blog for more useful information for apartment renters.

What to Do If You Think You Are Being Discriminated Against as a Tenant

Living as a tenant has a lot of benefits, especially when you find a greatflat and a wonderful landlord. However, that can’t happen always, and sometimes you find a landlord who’s not entirely pleasant, or even worse, he’s actually mistreating you.

In such situations, you should always start thinking that he is most likely doing things that can be considered as discrimination against you as their tenant. But how do you recognize these situations, and what can you do if the landlord is discriminating against you?

What Is Discrimination?

Discrimination is, naturally, against the law. However, not everything is considered to be discrimination in the eyes of the law. According to the Ontario Human Rights Code, there are a couple of instances that are considered to be discrimination against the tenant. The specific situations are numerous, but it’s legally defined as discrimination if you’re being mistreated due to your:

●        Religion

●        Race, color, or ethnicity

●        Birthplace or citizenship

●        Age

●        Marital status

●        Disability of any kind

●        Sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation

●        Pregnancy

Additionally, it’s worth noting that the same things apply when they come from other tenants and not the landlord. If that’s the case, know that your landlord is bound by the law to try to do something about it.

Now, the next thing that you should know is that there is direct and indirect discrimination. Direct discrimination is relatively obvious – for example, a landlord refuses to rent you their place because they don’t like your religion. Indirect discrimination, on the other hand, is not so blatant.

We can’t cover all instances of this as they are endless, but we can help you understand it. For example, if your landlord threatens to evict you because other tenants are complaining about noises and the only noise you’re making comes from your children – that’s indirect discrimination against children. Even if the landlord doesn’t intentionally try to discriminate against you, it can still be considered discrimination.

You should also know that some things are not considered to be discriminatory. For example, a landlord can decide to rent all units in a building to people of the same sex. Additionally, if a part of the rental is shared with the landlord or their family, then the landlord has the right to refuse anyone for any reason.

What to Do if You Think There’s Discrimination?

If a situation feels like it can quickly be resolved with the landlord, try to do precisely that. Sometimes it can be a simple misunderstanding.

The first thing that you should do is find out if the situation you’ve been involved in is discriminatory. You can do that here. If you decide that there has been discrimination against your or your family, you may need to obtain legal help.

If you can’t hire someone for legal representation, then you need to try to prove the discrimination took place. Talk to other tenants, ask for information from others, collect all the evidence you can, take notes, etc. Essentially, do as many things as you can to be able to prove that the discrimination took place later on.

We hope the information we’ve shared with you will help you protect yourself in any potentially discriminating situation. If you have any questions, please visit oursite and send us a message.

How to Set Up an Office Space in a Small Apartment

We know that living in a small apartment is often a necessity, but it’s only natural to start wanting more than you can actually fit into that same apartment. If you work from home, it’s absolutely necessary to have an office space as you’ll be able to be more productive than you would otherwise and work in a more comfortable setting.

But how do you fit an entire office space inside a tiny apartment that’s already as crowded as it is? Let us show you because there are several things that you can do.

Methods You Can Use to Create a Small Office Space Effectively

There’s a lot that you can do here, and you can find various suggestions and techniques online. However, we only wanted to give you the best ones, the ones that you can use in whatever type of small apartment you have:

●        Identify which area of your home is underused. Take as long as you need and try to envision your office desk and small office space in a particular corner or another part of your home. The key is to open your mind and be as thorough in your deliberations as you can.

●        When you start looking for a desk, never look for anything that’s not a small desk. You don’t have to fit everything on it; you only need enough space for the things you regularly use in your work. The rest you can fit into desk drawers and shelves, or even on the floor for that matter.

●        If you have a spare closet or at least one that’s not used enough, consider converting it into an office area. You can remove the lower shelves and fit a desk there, and you’re practically set. You can paint it, refurbish it, and improve it to make it look like a proper office space.

●        Small apartments most often have large living rooms or at least a single room that’s substantially larger than all others. If that’s the case with you, consider rearranging the furniture pieces and everything else to create a small area where you can fit a desk. That’s essentially all you’ll need.

●        Opt for a sit-stand workstation. These can easily fit into any corner, and you can start standing while you work. Get a barstool or some other tall chair, and you’ll be able to alternate between sitting and standing.

●        Do you have an end table next to your sofa? If you do, how about removing it and placing a work desk there? That’s more than enough for getting an entire workspace.

●        You can always go for one of those wall-mounted desks which can fit easily anywhere. Add a smaller chair and voila, your office space is ready.

There you have it, at least one of these methods or a combination of a few of them is bound to suit your needs perfectly. All you need to do is spend some time investigating your apartment thoroughly, and finding the best location where your future office space can fit.

Which Vegetables Can You Grow in an Apartment

Many of us want to grow edible plants like vegetables, but we don’t want to live outside of the city. We usually give up on having plants because it’s hard to uproot your life entirely just for the sake of having some home-grown food.

However, what if we told you that there are several vegetables that you can grow in your city apartment?

It’s more than possible, and you only need to know which vegetables can grow in an urban setting, and how to grow them.

Microgreens

Microgreens are both very healthy and very easy to grow. There’s not much to do here besides keeping them in a shallow container and a spot with plenty of sunlight.

For the seeds to sprout, it’s best you use potting soil instead of regular dirt. You will also need to buy adequate planting seeds which you then need to sprinkle all over the dirt and then weigh them down for a while. That will help the seeds to take hold and sprout.

Salad Greens

If you like eating salads, then you’re most likely spending a lot of money on salad greens all the time. However, it’s easy to grow them, even in an apartment.

All you need is a couple of starter plants which you will keep in warm and moist soil. They will also need plenty of light to flourish.

Avocados

An increasing favourite, the avocado is essentially a plant you can grow in almost any setting.

All that you need is another avocado. Take the seed out and dry it thoroughly, then put toothpicks inside in a way that will enable you to suspend the root above water, with one side within it.

Once you do that, you’ll need to keep it like that for a month or two and maintain the water level. Also, you’ll need a warm location with enough light.

If everything is done right, you’ll most likely get root and stem which you can then plant in a pot where you’ll continue to nurture it with enough water and light.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes, and especially the cherry variety, can thrive in both a garden and regular pots.

All you need is a large enough pot, enough water, and direct sunlight for about 12 hours per day.

In the end, it’s best that you start growing tomatoes midsummer when the conditions are right for them, and there’s enough sunlight.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers, unfortunately, require lots of space, but if you do have the area, then it won’t be much of a problem to grow them in an apartment. A single container of bell peppers should have around two gallons of soil.

When you’re putting seeds in the ground, you should make sure there’s enough space between them. Then you’ll need to keep the soil moist, but avoid saturating it, and you should keep them in a place that gets sunlight throughout the day.

Mushrooms

One would think that mushrooms can thrive in settings like apartments, and they certainly can. However, the easiest way to grow edible mushrooms is with the use of a mushroom growing kit which is usually low cost and available in many stores.

Additional Vegetables You Can Grow

●        Scallions

●        Garlic greens

●        Radishes

●        Carrots

●        Kale

●        Green beans

All in all, as you can see, there are plenty of vegetables you can grow in an apartment. Some are easy to grow, and some a bit more complicated, but in the end, it all depends on the conditions you have and how willing and patient you are to try.

How to Make a Basement Apartment Brighter

It’s not always easy to find ways to live in spacious and gorgeous-looking apartments. Many city-dwellers who want to stay in the city but can’t afford any type of residence, often opt for living in a basement suite – which is usually the cheapest option that can still compare to other apartments.

However, this type of home usually comes with a price – there’s barely enough light. Realizing that this is a big problem for many, we wanted to give you some expert advice on how you can make your basement apartment brighter.

More Light?

Yes, it does seem like an obvious solution which would negate the point of having this article at all. However, adding artificial light can’t always make an apartment feel brighter – at least not in a natural sense. What you can get though is the uncomfortable and claustrophobic feel of a doctor’s office, which is filled with a lot of artificial light.

The best solution here is to mimic natural light in any way you can. You can do that by strategically placing light sources and mixing them up. Make sure they are set both high and low and make sure that you’re using track lighting, up-lighting, and conventional lamps. Also make sure that you’re using stronger light bulbs that emanate white and warm white light, not yellow.

We can’t give you a foolproof system because it all depends on each apartment. Experiment enough, and you’ll find a way that suits your needs.

Paint the Rooms Using Lighter Colors

Besides light from light sources, you can also obtain it from paint. What you can do here is paint the walls using bright colors as they too can make your basement apartment look brighter. It’s best to combine light paint for the walls in combination with bright lighting.

The best colors to use here is regular white, creamy white, navajo white, light grey, and several other similar paint colors.

Appliances and Furniture Which Reflect Light

This method has been used since antiquity. Glass, stainless steel, and many other materials are known to reflect light, and having them in an apartment can undoubtedly brighten up the place.

If changing too many appliances and furniture pieces seem expensive to you, you can find an adequate substitution in mirrors. Simple mirrors with non-fussy frames can do the trick as long as you find a strategic location where they can reflect the most light.

Decluttering

We’ve saved the best for last. Best in the sense that it’s adequate and yet entirely free. All you need to do is declutter the place as much as you can.

The less cluttered your place is, the less claustrophobic and dark it will feel. All the light you have won’t get lost in various objects around if you don’t have them, it’s that simple.

Naturally, you don’t need to go overboard here. Try and store things that you don’t need in your apartment or those that you use only occasionally. Keep countertops clean and tidy. Make sure there is enough of that sleek facade. It tends to give the impression that the place is much brighter than it is.

The Bottom Line

All in all, there are many methods you can use that will help you brighten up your basement apartment. Just make sure you’re experimenting enough and that you’re willing to make changes in your life.

For more information, you can keep following our blog where we regularly post helpful articles for apartment renters.