The elderly tenant that has been living quietly in herBakersfield apartment for over 5 years has been ordered to fix her car or get out. The property manager claims that they are enforcing policies outlined in the tenant’s lease in order to clean up the property & keep the area tidy. 17-KGET.com reports that the resident has been given 3 days to fix the damage on her car or she will be evicted from the apartment.

 The topic of teens that are living on the street or young adults living in shelters punctuates the point that we as parents and a community are doing something very wrong when it comes to our youth. Maggie Riopelle’s report in the Welland Tribune provides excellent details on what professionals have determined are the key factors contributing to the problem of youth homelessness. One of those points is how the emotional and mental health of an individual contribute to isolation they create for themselves. If we as adults, allow a child to grow into a young adult without ensuring that these issues are handled, then we cannot believe that we have adequately done our job.

Are you a landlord with a rental property that needs to be maintained? Perhaps you just need someone to cut the grass or trim the hedges. Maybe you are looking for help to replace a floor or paint a room. Either way, understanding which laws and regulations apply to you can save you thousands.

 

In Ontario, agreeing to let the high school student up the road look after chores around your building may sound simple enough. But the minute you hire a worker, you become an employer. It might mean that you must remit taxes & payroll deductions, set up a Workers Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) account and deal with the Health and Safety requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) as enforced by the Ministry of Labour (MOL). This may all seem like overkill in a situation where you just need the get the grass cut but if an accident occurs, you may find yourself dealing with allot more than complicated paperwork.

It is the last day of the month and the doorbell rings. It is the tenant from 2B. The pleasant mature lady that has lived above you for the last 3 years is handing you her notice. She smiles, thanks you for being such a helpful landlord and informs you that she is moving so that she can be closer to her sister that is coping with some health problems. You wish her & her family all the best, thank her for her tenancy and invite her to call on you if there is anything that you can do to help. As you close the door, you start to dread the next 60 days. The gentle and kind woman that has occupied the apartment until now has been the model tenant. She was clean, quiet & never missed a rent payment. Now you are faced with the daunting task of trying to find someone to replace her. This will no doubt be a challenge at best.

Tenants that struggle to pay the rent each month because they are stuck in either a low paying job or in a part-time position can benefit from the services offered by local self-help employment offices. New funding for programs designed to train workers in skilled trades or for medical positions has been awarded by the Federal Government and partnered with services provided by Provincial initiatives.

 My first reaction to the headline of “North Side foreclosure upends lives” was that of sympathy and shock. The paragraph that outlines the story line led me to believe that the tenants had been victims of an irresponsible landlord. However, after reading the entire story about how tenants we well aware of their need to find other living arrangements, my opinion is somewhat altered.