What Newcomers Need to Know

Transcription

1 Retig Your First Home i Caada What Newcomers Need to Kow

2 A Home of Your Ow If you are ew to Caada, oe of the first thigs you will probably eed to do is fid a place you ad your family ca call home. For most ewcomers, your first home will likely be a reted house or apartmet. Retig a home should provide you a safe place where you ca begi to adjust to your ew life i Caada. It ca also give you the time to look for a home to buy without feelig pressured ito makig a quick decisio. This Guide was developed by Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio (CMHC) to help make it easier for you to fid ad ret a home or apartmet i Caada. As Caada s atioal housig agecy, CMHC has bee helpig Caadias, icludig ew Caadias, gai access to a wide choice of quality, affordable homes for more tha 60 years. Types of ReTal Housig There are several differet types of retal housig available i Caada. These iclude: apartmets a apartmet is a self-cotaied, sigle-family uit i a buildig or house. Most apartmets have oe, two or three bedrooms; bachelor uits have a combied livig area that also serves as a bedroom. sigle-family detached a home cotaiig oe dwellig uit, that stads aloe ad sits o its ow lot thereby offerig a greater degree of privacy. duplexes or triplexes a house that is divided ito two uits is a duplex. Divided ito three, it s a triplex. Ofte, the ower of the house will live i oe uit ad ret out the others. Row House or Towhouse three or more uits are built side-by-side ad share adjoiig walls. Towhouses may also be stacked, which meas that the top two floors will cosist of a separate uit from the bottom two floors Rooms large homes are sometimes divided ito several private bedrooms that are reted to idividuals, with a commo, shared kitche ad bathroom. TeaTs ad ladlords Oe of the first questios may ewcomers have is: What are my rights ad resposibilities as a teat, ad what is my ladlord resposible for? Your ladlord is the perso who ows the house or buildig you live i. For larger buildigs, the ladlord may also hire a property maager or superitedet to collect ret ad maage the buildig. Ladlord ad teat resposibilities ca be differet i differet provices/territories. Fact sheets are available at cmhc.ca that describe aspects of the retal process ad legislatio i each provice/territory. Cotact iformatio for the local retal authorities ad related liks are also icluded. You ca fid your provicial/territorial fact sheet i Your Guide to Retig a Home at I geeral, your ladlord is resposible for: Collectig the ret; Keepig your buildig safe ad i a good state of repair; Providig everythig that comes with the apartmet ad that is icluded i your ret (such as the refrigerator, stove, heatig system); ad Hadlig ad payig for repairs whe somethig i your home breaks. Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio 1

3 For your part, as a teat, you are resposible for: ladlords caot refuse to provide you with utilities, such as electricity or hot or cold water. The cost of those services may or may ot be icluded i your ret. ofte, teats must obtai ad pay for cable TV ad iteret services o their ow. ladlords caot threate you or prevet you from ejoyig your home i a reasoable way, or take ay of your property without a legal order allowig them to do so. Payig your ret i full ad o time; Keepig your home clea ad well maitaied; Cotactig the ladlord wheever aythig eeds to be serviced or repaired; ad Allowig the ladlord or maager to eter your home to carry out repairs, or to show the apartmet to other teats if you are movig out. Your ladlord must provide you with proper otice before eterig your apartmet. Fidig A Place To Ret Before you start lookig for a place to ret, you eed to decide where you wat to live, how may rooms you will eed ad how much you ca afford to pay. Try to be as flexible as possible, especially whe choosig your first home. Also, be prepared to adapt to Caadia stadards. For example, retal properties with more tha 3 bedrooms are hard to fid, so fidig a home with three or more bedrooms ca be difficult. You may have to accept a smaller place or a less cetral locatio util you ca fid what you really wat. You may hear the term "subsidized" housig. It meas that the govermet or a o-profit orgaizatio pays a part of the ret for a house or apartmet based o certai rules, icludig the level of icome of a perso or family. The demad for subsidized housig is very high ad the waitig period ca be up to five years. Where ad how to look After cost, locatio is ofte the most importat thig to thik about whe lookig for a place to live. Neighbourhoods that are close to work, schools, public trasit ad other services might cost more, but they ca also save you time ad moey i commutig to work or school. Oce you have chose the areas where you would like to live, there are may places you ca look to fid houses or apartmets that are available to ret. These iclude: The classifieds sectio of your local ewspaper (also kow as wat ads ); free commuity or ethic ewspapers; Bulleti boards i grocery stores, libraries, laudromats, health cliics, thrift stores, commuity cetres, service clubs or real estate offices; lists of houses or apartmets for ret at the public library or at uiversity or college campus housig offices; Websites of local ewspapers or special websites that list houses or apartmets for ret; frieds, relatives or coworkers who are familiar with the area to give you their recommedatios. You ca also simply visit eighbourhoods where you d like to live ad look for For Ret sigs o houses or buildigs. If you really like a particular buildig, ask the superitedet if there are ay apartmets available to ret ow or i the ear future. 2 Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio

4 蚜 蚜 蚜 蚜 ow 蚜 蚜 蚜 蚜 H much ca you afford? your choice of house or apartmet will probably deped o how much you ca afford to pay each moth i ret. as a geeral rule, your etire mothly housig costs should be less tha 30 per cet of your household icome before taxes. This icludes: Your mothly ret ad; Utilities such as heat, electricity ad water. Remember to look at several differet houses or apartmets before you decide. That way, you ca compare the ret beig charged to make sure the place you choose is right for you ad your family. If you are cosiderig a apartmet, does it come with a storage locker or separate bicycle storage? Is it icluded i the ret? How secure is it? What security systems are i place? What kids of locks are used ad have they bee chaged recetly? While you are there, check to make sure everythig is i good workig order. Make sure the frot door locks properly. Tur o the stove ad ove, ad ope the refrigerator ad freezer to make sure they work properly. Tur o the taps ad flush the toilet(s). Make sure there is eough closet space. Ask whether the heat works, ad if the home will be warm eough i the witer. Movig I You ve foud your ew home ad you re ready to move i! Whe you agree to ret a place, it is highly recommeded that you ad your ladlord sig a lease. Questios to ask Before you go to look at a place you might wat to ret, prepare a checklist of questios ad take them with you to ask the ladlord or superitedet. Writig dow the aswers will help you compare all of the houses or apartmets that you visited ad the advatages or disadvatages of each oe. Some of the questios you should ask are: Are the utilities icluded i the ret? If ot, how much do they cost each moth? Ca you make chages to the home, such as paitig or decoratig? If you have pets or you smoke, are pets ad smokig allowed? Differet provices have differet laws regardig pets. See the provicial/territorial fact sheets olie at ad type i the search box Your guide to retig a home for more iformatio. If you ow a car, is parkig available, ad does it cost extra? What is the eighbourhood like? How safe is the area? What are the other teats like? For example, are there families or sigle people livig i the area? Who maitais the property? Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio 3

5 sigig a lease A lease is a writte retal agreemet that spells out all the terms you ad your ladlord have agreed to. A lease is a legal documet, so make sure you read ad uderstad every word. You may also wat to hire a lawyer or someoe who uderstads the documet, like a relative or fried, to go over it with you. I geeral, most leases iclude: The ames ad cotact iformatio for you ad your ladlord. The address of the house or apartmet you are retig. The mothly ret you have agreed to pay, with or without utilities, parkig, cable televisio or other services. The date whe the ret is due (for example, o the first day of each moth) ad the amout that the ladlord is allowed to icrease the ret i the future. The term of the retal period (for example, oe year or moth-to-moth). The coditios for edig or cacellig your lease, or sublettig the property (fidig someoe else to ret it if you wat to leave before the retal period stated i your lease is over). A list of the repairs or upkeep that will be your resposibility. Ay other restrictios (such as whether or ot you ca smoke or have pets). Details o whe ad how the ladlord ca eter your house or apartmet. Procedures for makig chages to the lease ad resolvig ay disagreemets. i Caada, ladlords ca ask you for letters of referece (letters from past ladlords that recommed you as a good teat). They ca also ask you where you work ad what your icome is, ad coduct a credit check to make sure you ca pay the ret. But ladlords are ot allowed to ask persoal questios such as how log you have bee i Caada, what your ethic backgroud or religio is, whether ay relatives will be visitig you, or whether you pla to have childre (or have more childre). every provice has differet laws, so cotact your provicial/territorial retal authority to fid out the rules. Movig i Depedig o where you live, most ladlords will ask for a retal or security deposit to cover ay damage that might happe to the apartmet while you are livig i it. The security deposit is usually equal to oe moth's ret. The rules regardig these deposits are differet i each provice, so be sure to check with your provicial/territorialretal authority to fid out more. O the day you move i, check the house or apartmet thoroughly ad make ote or take a photograph of ay damage you fid, such as water stais or holes i the carpets or doors. Make sure your ladlord sigs the list of damages, ad keep a copy of it for your records. Ask your ladlord or the superitedet to go over the rules ad istructios for gettig your mail, usig the itercom (apartmet buildig), garbage ad recyclig, laudry, teat ad visitor parkig, ad how the appliaces work.. Now You re A Reter You will usually have to pay ret to your ladlord or property maager o the first day of every moth. I most cases, you ca pay your ret i oe of three ways: payig ret ad utilities 1. Cash. Make sure you get a receipt for the full amout. 2. postdated cheques. These are cheques that have a future date writte o them. For example, may ladlords will wat you to give them 12 cheques, made out for the first day of each moth for the ext 12 moths. Postdated cheques caot be cashed util the date that is writte o them. 3. Certified cheques. These are cheques that have bee guarateed by your bak. May ladlords ask for a certified cheque for your first ad last moth s ret. I some places, your ret may iclude some or all of your utilities, such as the electricity, heat, water, cable TV or telephoe. If they are ot icluded i your ret, you are resposible for payig these utility bills yourself. If you pay for your utilities, always pay your bills by the due date or you will be charged iterest. If you miss several paymets, the utility may cut off your service. 4 Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio

6 Maiteace ad repairs I most cases, your ladlord is resposible for emergecy repairs as well as for maitaiig or repairig ay appliaces (for example, refrigerator or stove) that were provided by your ladlord with your apartmet. If somethig i your home breaks, call or write your ladlord or superitedet to explai what is wrog ad ask to have it fixed. If the ladlord does ot respod to your request or fails to make the repairs, you ca apply to the retal authority i your provice or territory to require the ladlord to fix the problem. I some provices, you ca fid your provicial/territorial retal authority i the Blue Pages of your telephoe book. It is importat to ote that deductig repair costs from your ret without the approval of your ladlord or a court is agaist the law. If you withhold ret to pay for o-emergecy repairs, your ladlord ca apply to have you evicted (see the sectio o Evictios later i this Guide). I Case of Emergecy if you eed a emergecy repair for example, if water starts leakig through your ceilig or roof, or your furace breaks dow o a cold witer ight cotact your ladlord immediately. if you caot reach your ladlord, leave a message ad record the date ad time of your call. if the repairs must be performed immediately to protect your health ad safety or to prevet damage to the property, you may be able to give permissio for the repair work yourself. i these cases, keep all papers related to the repair ad ask the repair worker to bill your ladlord directly. if repairs must be paid for immediately, keep track of expeses, otify the ladlord ad ask for repaymet. Keepig your home healthy ad safe There are also may thigs you ca do to help keep your home ad your family healthy ad safe. For example: Clear the Air! Mold ca be a serious health risk, especially if ayoe i your family suffers from asthma or allergies. Mold growth usually looks fuzzy or powdery ad is very ofte coloured, from light gree to brow or black. if you thik you have mold i your apartmet, tell your ladlord or buildig superitedet immediately. Be aware of the security ad safety features of your buildig. Make sure your house or apartmet s doors have good locks. Test your widows to be sure they close fully ad have a lock. Always be careful whe it comes to lettig people you do t kow ito your house or buildig. do t attract pests. Never leave ope food or garbage out. Clea your home well ad o a regular basis. Get rid of ay clutter you do t eed. Ad try to cotrol the level of moisture by usig the bathroom ad kitche fas, ad buyig a dehumidifier if ecessary. prevet fires. Do ot use overcrowded or octopus electrical outlets (outlets that have so may appliaces plugged ito them that they look like a may-armed octopus). If you smoke, use a wide, deep ashtray ad ever smoke i bed. Keep curtais ad other flammable materials away from lights ad cadles. Never leave food cookig uatteded. Clea the grease from your pas ad stovetop regularly. Make sure you have at least oe smoke detector i your apartmet ad test it oce a moth usig the alarm test butto. Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio 5

7 Ret icreases Ufortuately, ret icreases are a fact of life. The frequecy ad amout that your ladlord ca icrease your ret is differet i each provice ad territory. I most areas, your ladlord must give you 90 days otice of a ret icrease. I some parts of Caada, your ret ca be icreased oly o the aiversary of the date you first moved i. Usually, ladlords ca icrease your ret oly oce each year, ad oly by a certai maximum amout set by your provicial or territorial govermet. If you have ot bee give proper otice, you may be able to refuse to pay the ret icrease util the ladlord gives you the proper otice. Makig a complait sometimes teats have problems with their ladlords. it is always best to try to solve these problems betwee you ad your ladlord yourself. But if you are usatisfied with the actios of your ladlord, you should uderstad that you have rights. you ca cotact your provicial/territorial retal authority ad follow the proper steps to make a complait. if you have a problem with other teats for example, if they are makig too much oise the first ad easiest step is to get to kow your eighbours better, ad make them aware of how much their activities are affectig you. always remai calm ad reasoable, ad try to work together to solve the problem. if this fails, talk to your ladlord or buildig maager. Reewig your lease Whe you first move ito a house or apartmet, you probably siged a lease for a fixed term, such as for oe year. At the ed of that year, depedig o which provice or territory you live i, the terms of your lease may chage from oe year to moth-to-moth. A moth-to-moth lease meas that, after the first year, your lease is ow reewed o a mothly basis. With a moth-tomoth lease, you are still protected from beig illegally evicted. But it is easier for you or your ladlord to ed your teacy, provided eough writte advace otice is give, ad the proper steps are followed. 6 Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio

8 Movig Out Evetually, you will wat to move out of your retal house or apartmet. Perhaps you will buy a home of your ow, or maybe you just wat to make a chage. Whe you are ready to leave, there are certai thigs you should do before you move out. First, you must give your ladlord writte otice that you will be leavig at least oe moth before the first day of the moth whe you wat to move out. (I some provices or territories, you may eed to give two to three moths otice, or oe at all, so be sure to check with your provicial/territorialretal authority). Before movig out, clea your apartmet thoroughly ad repair ay damage. The, ispect the property with your ladlord. Both you ad your ladlord should sig ad keep a copy of this fial ispectio checklist. If the property passes your ladlord's ispectio, you are etitled to receive a refud of ay damage Evictios a evictio is whe your ladlord demads that you move out. i Caada, a ladlord caot evict you for refusig to reew your lease or for havig visitors. it is also illegal for a ladlord to put your belogigs o the street, or chage the locks ad refuse to let you eter. if you receive a otice of evictio, do ot igore it. a evictio otice is a legal documet ad you must do what it says. if you wat to appeal a evictio, do it as soo as possible ad cotact your provicial/territorial retal authority. Sublettig your Apartmet if you eed to move out before your lease is over, you ca sublet your apartmet. Sublettig is a legal arragemet betwee you ad aother perso who agrees to live i your place, pay ret ad respect your retal agreemet (lease). i most cases, ladlords caot ureasoably refuse a request to sublet, but you eed to get their approval first. Remember: you will be resposible if the perso you sublet to damages the apartmet or fails to pay the ret, so you should sublet oly to someoe you trust. Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio 7

9 Glossary of Retal Words ad Terms deposits you paid whe you moved i (plus iterest). codomiium a buildig with several uits (such as houses, towhouses or apartmets), where each uit is privately owed. credit check a cofirmatio of your icome ad credit ad employmet history, which is ofte carried out by a ladlord to make sure you will be able to pay the ret. deposit (also may be referred to as a damage, security, or ret deposit). Moey give to the ladlord at the start of the retal agreemet ad retured to the teat at the ed, provided of all the coditios of the lease have bee met. A deposit caot be collected i Quebec. evictio a legal order that is authorized by a court of law, which requires a teat to leave the place he or she has bee retig. highrise buildig a apartmet or codomiium buildig that is six or more stories high. ladlord the perso who ows ad leases a apartmet buildig, codomiium, towhouse or house. lease (as a ou) a writte cotract or legal agreemet betwee a ladlord ad a teat. lease (as a verb) to ret a apartmet or house for a specific period of time. legally bidig a agreemet that is eforceable i a court of law. letter of referece a letter from a past ladlord, which states that you are a good teat. moth-to-moth a lease that is reewed o a mothly basis. I most provices, leases become moth-to-moth after you have bee livig i a house or apartmet for more tha oe year. ormal wear ad tear the ormal damage that might reasoably be expected occur to a apartmet or house as a result of livig i it. privately owed housig a home that is owed by a perso or compay. property maager (or superitedet) a perso hired by a ladlord to collect ret ad maage a buildig. ret (as a ou) moey paid for the temporary use of a apartmet or house. ret (as a verb) to pay moey for the temporary use of a apartmet or house. retal (or security) deposit a deposit of moey required by a ladlord before you move i, to cover ay upaid ret or damages that might happe to the apartmet while you are livig i it. retal authority the legal authority resposible for overseeig ladlord-teat affairs ad issues i provices ad territories. I some areas, the court is the retal authority. sublet a legal arragemet where you ret a property that you are retig to aother perso, with the permissio of your ladlord. subsidized housig The govermet or a o-profit orgaizatio pays a part of the ret for a house or apartmet based o certai rules, icludig the level of icome of the occupats. teat a perso who leases or rets a room, apartmet or house. teure the coditio, right or title uder which a property is held. utilities services such as heat, water ad electricity that may or may ot be icluded i the amout of ret paid. For example, cable ad telephoe services are usually ot icluded i the total cost of the ret. 8 Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio

10 Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio (CMHC) is the Govermet of Caada s atioal housig agecy. CMHC is your trusted source of iformatio o housig i Caada. For more housig iformatio, please visit Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio. Website: Note: CMHC is ot resposible for ay errors i this documet or for the cosequeces of ay persos relyig o it. This guide is provided for geeral iformatio purpose oly. Ay reliace or actio take based o the iformatio provided is the sole resposibility of the user. Readers are advised to cosult appropriate professioal resources to determie what is suitable i their particular case. CMHC assumes o resposibility for ay cosequeces arisig from use of the iformatio provided i this guide Caada Mortgage ad Housig Corporatio.

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