Montreal, June 10, 2022 --- With about 200,000 moves each year, the Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) would like to give some advice to rental housing owners, because the waltz of the July 1 moves brings its share of unforeseen events, and some could be avoided.
Before D-Day: Rental housing owners - It is recommended that you get involved in planning with your tenants
Every year, many landlords are dealing with tenants waiting outside the door of their new housing because the previous tenant hasn't left yet.
The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) encourages landlords to contact their tenants right now, even if your tenants seem organized and say that everything is alright.
“Take the time to visit your current tenants, ask them how they will move, at what time, if they have confirmed the time with the moving company, how their truck will park...and so on. This way you can also verify the condition of the housing and check if any repair work has to be planned,” recommends Martin Messier, President of the APQ.
D-Day: Good communication is always to be favoured
“Technically, the lease ends on June 30 at midnight, but no landlord will evict a tenant in the middle of the night. It is necessary however that the tenant is aware that he must leave the premises as quickly as possible, because he is no longer the tenant,” adds Martin Messier.
The tenant who leaves must make every effort to liberate the dwelling quickly. It will be necessary to raise awareness and give good advice.
The former tenant’s lack of cooperation could be an irritant. It must be reminded that the purpose of the moving day is to allow the new tenant to move into his new housing! So you will have to stay calm and remember that finding solutions is the priority of this day.
Here are some general tips:
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Retrieve all the keys of the former tenant;
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Change the lock with each new tenant;
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Clearly indicate where the waste and recycling rooms are;
The tenant has left things behind and the dwelling is...
There are usually two problematic situations, on a regular basis:
1) The tenant has left some items behind;
2) The dwelling is dirty and sometimes even unsanitary.
Everyone has seen the pictures of stale food on the kitchen counters or the toilet filled with unidentifiable rubbish.
“But in addition to the general household upkeep, some tenants will leave furniture and other objects in more or less good condition. They just do not want to use them anymore and don't bother to take them out and put them with disposable moving-day waste,” Martin Messier, President of the Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) adds to that.
Be careful however, because if these objects are abandoned property, and not perishable or infested matter, you must store them for 90 days. So you’ll have to make an inventory, take pictures and notify the tenant. Therefore it is better to contact him to obtain the written authorization to throw them out!
As every year, the Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) is available to guide and advise you on this upcoming moving day.
