Rental suite and the "Housing First Program"

Wes_G · #1 03-19-2018, 10:38 PM

First of all a little background information...

About a year ago my girlfriends brother moved out of her basement suite. He left the place a total disaster which brought on a 9 month reno of about 90% of the basement. We now have the place back looking like a nice place to live and have had it posted on Kijiji for about 2 weeks now and today she got an email from someone with the Lethbridge housing first program. http://www.bringinglethbridgehome.ca...-housing-first

Basically this is an organization that is involved with transitioning homeless people from off the street into there own place. Obviously these people may still be dealing with whatever issues caused them to be homeless in the first place. They are checked on frequently and there is supposedly constant contact between the landlord and program liaison that you are involved with.

My initial reaction is we are absolutely not renting to people like this but upon thinking about it further it does seem to have a few positives, mostly being that they are constantly checked up on and the gov't pays us the rent every month.

So my question is, is there anyone on here that is involved with this program with there own rental properties or suites and what have your experiences been? This program is also in Edmonton and Calgary.

MyAlberta · #2 03-19-2018, 11:08 PM

Good friends of mine housed persons with mild mental disabilities. It worked out good for them, but she was a nurse and had specific training. If you have training, go for it, but without, you may be getting into more than you’ve bargained for.

Ken07AOVette · #3 03-19-2018, 11:36 PM

Who pays the tenant insurance? If they do them selves in your insurance will not pay cleanup. Run from this. Way too many things to go bad. Find a working family or whatever that does not do drugs or anything secretly illegal and research them first.

Sneeze · #4 03-19-2018, 11:57 PM

As a landlord my second reaction is run like hell.

My first is if they are willing to rent it, you allow the sublease. I don't think residential tenancy act applies to that contract and you could negotiate a substantially larger damage deposit (tenancy act limits it to 1 month rent), and favourable terms on your lease. Such as a two year lease and they pay all legal costs that may come up.

TBark · #5 03-20-2018, 02:42 AM

First thoughts, ask ur Bro in law to move back in.
But guaranteed rent, hmmm.

TBark

mattthegorby · #6 03-20-2018, 07:36 AM

Housing first encompasses a wide range of programs that house different people of different capacities to live independently - you really need to talk with people working in the agency. Ask them all your "what if" questions and see if you like the answers.

One thing to consider is that if someone trashes your apartment you are now dealing with an established agency to make things right - same thing for noise complaints etc... On the flip side, if my girlfriend is living alone in the house I would want some assurance that steps were in place to ensure that visitors to the rental were limited as sometimes the individual housed can be taken advantage of by friends from the street that are not ready to move forward, but need a place to crash.

R3illy · #7 03-20-2018, 11:17 AM

one of my condo boards im on has 8 condos that are part of edmontons housing initiative. Never seen any issues from these people nor have we had to deal with them as a board problem.

Is your suite easily rentable? Hows your neighborhood?

Some of the best tenants are the hard to house or students. You can pack your place like a sardine can and make a decent return.

One thing to keep in mind is as a landlord you cant treat people differently... you cant restrict visitors or who comes and goes. I would be asking the agency these questions your asking. If finding good renters is hard then this would be something id consider.

Ken07AOVette · #8 03-20-2018, 11:46 AM

You can treat people differently. You as the owner have not only the right but the responsibility to ensure the safety of your other tenants. You can absolutely say no to any renter.

Past 10 years worth of rental references would be a good start.
Employment that is referenced must be contacted to confirm.
Ensure they have not been refused insurance, and verify before move in that insurance is in place with confirmation from the tenant and Insurance company that if for any reason insurance is cancelled you will be notified by the Broker.

I have a list of requirements that would choke a horse, a good tenant agreement is 10 pages long. There are guys on this forum that rent that can give you good advice, and I have heard the horror stories for 30 years in my line of work.

If you are unable to rent and this is a last alternative for you, list it for sale first.

Just my .02c as someone that has dealt with problem renters for 3 decades on a legal and civil point of view professionally.

You will get tons of advice from people that do not own property. They have nothing to lose by giving bad advice.

sprinklerdog · #9 03-20-2018, 03:51 PM

We did this for a number of years and only had one incident. We still had the final yay or nay on the prospective tenant. This appealed to us for two reasons. The first made us feel like we were actually helping somebody and it wasn't a hand out. Secondly, ( and lets be honest ), if the tenant couldn't pay the rent during the first year the agency would pay the difference. I still got my rent.

Our place was fully furnished including all the housewares. Oddly enough it was a young single mom who did the midnight run. She took the dishes, cutlery, and the TV. The cupboard doors had been removed which I couldn't figure why. Not pulled off but removed. Weird. We were fully compensated by the agency with no issues.

The tenants still had to sign a lease and abide by the typical rules such as no smoking (inside) or pets. The agencies are trying to get the tenants back to a responsible routine and autonomy. We had a gal that stayed for almost 3 years even though the agency was only in the picture for the first year. She and her son turned out to be great tenants. Nice people too.

The hardest part was not getting to be best friends or tell them how to live their lives. How they live and what they do can't be your concern. You can only worry about your property. Unlike your own children, you can't tell them what to do. (doesn't work anyway.......)

Would I do it again? Yes, as long as I get to meet the people and make the final decision.

Geo

Twisted Canuck · #10 03-20-2018, 04:22 PM

This is the first thing that came to mind. I remember reading this story and having great sympathy for the landlord. I managed a dozen suites for my dad, and had 3 rental properties myself over the years. I wouldn't touch it myself. You might be helping someone out, or you might be setting yourself up. Having a government agency involved is not a silver bullet, as the story below high lights.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/o...lord-1.4362256

R3illy · #11 03-20-2018, 05:30 PM

i know some people who help place some of these folks. Its not just homeless people. It can be a young new mother or a kid who grew up in child care whos going to university.

There are lots of kids who grow up in the system that the govt supports with rent/money. There are lots of success stories..

Sundancefisher · #12 03-20-2018, 05:36 PM

A rental is an investment. Not a charity unless you have money to burn.

Laws favour tenants big time. I would err on the side of caution and also pick your best tenant. You can't discriminate so check into the laws. Be aware.

Check out any tenant from A to Z. Lots of good people and lots of bad. Maybe they have special help if the tenant is bad.