Are you thinking of renting? Who is responsible for what during the term of the tenancy? Here are some key points to keep in mind before signing a Tenancy Agreement.
First of all, what is a tenancy? A tenant is a person who pays rent in return for the right to occupy a rental unit. Rent includes the amount of any consideration paid or given or required to be paid or given by or on behalf of a tenant to a landlord or the landlord’s agent for the right to occupy a rental unit and for any services and facilities and any privilege, accommodation or thing that the landlord provides for the tenant in respect of the occupancy of the rental unit.
If a tenancy agreement is entered into, the landlord shall provide to the tenant information relating to the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants, the role of the Landlord and Tenant Board and how to contact the Landlord and Tenant Board.
A Landlord’s Responsibilities:
A landlord is responsible for providing and maintaining a residential complex, including the rental units in it, in a good state of repair and fit for habitation and for complying with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards.
A landlord shall not at any time during a tenant’s occupancy of a rental unit and before the day on which an order evicting the tenant is executed, withhold the reasonable supply of any vital service that it is the landlord’s obligation to supply under the tenancy agreement or deliberately interfere with the reasonable supply of any vital service.
A landlord shall not at any time during a tenant’s occupancy of a rental unit and before the day on which an order evicting the tenant is executed substantially interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of the rental unit or the residential complex in which it is located for all usual purposes by a tenant or members of his or her household.
A landlord shall not harass, obstruct, coerce, threaten or interfere with a tenant.
Further, a landlord shall not alter the locking system on a door giving entry to a rental unit or residential complex or cause the locking system to be altered during the tenant’s occupancy of the rental unit without giving the tenant replacement keys.
Your landlord may enter your unit in the event of an emergency without notice given to you, otherwise notice must be given and consent of the tenant must be provided.
A Tenant’s Responsibilities:
The tenant is responsible for ordinary cleanliness of the rental unit, except to the extent that the tenancy agreement requires the landlord to clean it.
The tenant is responsible for the repair of undue damage to the rental unit or residential complex caused by the willful or negligent conduct of the tenant, another occupant of the rental unit or a person permitted in the residential complex by the tenant.
A tenant shall not alter the locking system on a door giving entry to a rental unit or residential complex or cause the locking system to be altered during the tenant’s occupancy of the rental unit without the consent of the landlord.
A tenant shall not harass, obstruct, coerce, threaten or interfere with a landlord.
Keep in mind a tenancy may only be terminated in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act.