Dealing with hoarding in a tenancy situation involves a balancing act between a landlord’s rights and a tenant’s rights under the law. Under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA), a tenant has the right to quiet enjoyment of their property. A landlord has a corresponding duty to make sure this right … [Read more...]
Accommodation in Tenancy: Assistance and Support Animals
Sometimes tenants require the assistance and support of an animal. Are landlords required to accommodate a tenant with an assistance or support animal? Well, part of the answer depends on the type of animal involved: does the situation involve a disabled tenant with a qualified service or guide dog, … [Read more...]
Believe It or Not Tenancy Questions
Here at CPLEA, we receive hundreds of questions about landlord and tenant issues every year. While a majority of them are relatively straightforward, we occasionally receive some questions that leave us scratching our heads or in a state of disbelief (or sometimes a bit of both). In this article, … [Read more...]
Here are Some Things to Consider Before you Host your Holiday Party
With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s that time of year again for hosting guests. If you are currently renting a property and plan to have guests over, there are several things you need to know. The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) is the law that applies to most renting situations in … [Read more...]
Having Problems with another Tenant?
Is another tenant living in your building driving you crazy? Are they making excessive noise? Leaving garbage out in the hallway? Are they dumping dirty water or flicking cigarette butts onto your balcony? For many renters, living alongside people who they may or may not get along with is a fact of … [Read more...]
Tenant Move-Outs: Cleaning and Security Deposit Deductions
The rules for cleaning and security deposit deductions for landlords and tenants in Alberta. Your lease is expiring in one week and you have already given notice to your landlord that you are moving out. You think that everything looks clean but you are just not sure whether you should stay up … [Read more...]
Shared Accommodation Problems: What Can A Tenant Do?
Here at CPLEA, we have been getting more questions lately about shared accommodation problems. There are two living arrangements that typically fall under the term shared accommodation: roommates living together in a rental property and a landlord and tenant(s) sharing living space (for example, a … [Read more...]
Court of Appeal says Police Can’t Climb Through Windows and Spy on You
The Ontario Court of Appeal recently held in its decision in R. v. White [2015] O.J. No. 3563 that police officers do not have unrestricted access to enter common areas in residential buildings to gather evidence against an individual. The police had suspected that Mr. White was dealing drugs … [Read more...]
Getting Your Security Deposit Back
You’ve moved all of your stuff out of the place you were renting, you handed your keys back to the landlord, and you completed the last inspection of the property. A few weeks go by, and you realize that you haven’t received your security deposit back from your landlord. What should you do? As a … [Read more...]
