Once a tenant signs a lease or rental agreement and moves into the rental unit, there are laws associated with the tenancy.

Proper Notice Before Entering

It is important to give the appropriate notice before entering into a rental unit, which is often 24 hours, along with the reason of doing so and a specific date and time. There are exceptions, such as during an emergency, with the tenant’s permission, etc.

Rent Increase

The rent increase guideline changes per year and varies per location. The rent increase guideline is the maximum amount a landlord can increase rent during the year for most tenants without the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Maintenance and Repairs

A landlord is responsible for maintaining a rental unit or complex in a good state of repair, fit for habitation and for complying with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards.

Eviction

Some regions require approval from the landlord tenant board before serving an eviction notice to a tenant. In order to serve an eviction, there must be an appropriate reason such as for personal or family use, upon sale of the property, reconvictions and more.

Guest restrictions

For most housing types, aside from landlord-occupied and community housing, landlords are unable to restrict tenants from having overnight guests but are able to hold the primary tenant responsible for damage caused by guests. It is important to note that both landlords and tenants need to be aware of occupancy limits. Depending on the dwelling’s size and the capacity of various systems (i.e. sewer and septic tank), guests may cause the living arrangement to fall out of code.

These are just some of the many laws in place throughout the rental process. Every province and state varies, therefore, it is important to review the local legislature and/or consult legal representatives for the most accurate information for your area.

Places4Students.com provides templates for landlords to download and edit. However, these documents are just samples and landlords are advised to seek legal advice when creating any agreements. All rental arrangements and lease documents must be in accordance with the local housing laws for the rental property's city or state/province.

SEE ALSO:  Keep Up-to-date on Rental Legislation - Part 1