I've rented a place in Westdale for when I attend McMaster in the fall. I've paid the rent for the place from July 1st. The previous tenants of the place left a huge mess and left a bunch of crappy furniture inside the house and in the driveway and backyard and there is even a bylaw warning on the front door. Also the inside of the house is absolutely filthy and the shower doesn't even have a knob to turn it on. It is July 7th now and it is still in this condition. Does anyone know what I can do about this situation other than complain to my landlord? They said they would have someone in to clean it this week but this place is no cheap stay, I'm dishing out $1200 a month to stay here and 1 week has already passed by with the place being inhabitable. That's a solid $300 worth of rent that they have pissed away due to not cleaning the place.

Call the landlord to complain, get something done about this
and seriously, 1200/month?!!?!?!? Is this just you or are you sharing with people?

refuse to pay your rent until these issues have been resolved!

Also talk to Mac Off-Campus and they can refer you to a lawyer if you need legal help. It's free consultation (or paid by the MSU).

Originally Posted by jblake42

refuse to pay your rent until these issues have been resolved!

I would talk to a lawyer about this before taking any such action... or atleast read the Ontario laws concerned refusal to pay rent.

She has already cashed the first and last months rent, $2400. I'm planning on sharing this place with my buddy who will be going to Mohawk to answer the above poster's question.

I've complained but she just gave me lame excuses and pretty much said "yeah I'll do it next week" which means I'll be -$600

I was pretty diplomatic in my complaint to her but I'm pretty close to going off the handle and telling her off. Before I get too angry I'd like to figure out what options I have in the situation to ensure everything goes smoothly but so far my research hasn't turned up any results.

Ask if you can get your money back for those weeks that you're unable to live there. And I agree that $1200/month is an exorbitant price...is there a specific reason it's so high?

Originally Posted by MichaelScarn

Ask if you can get your money back for those weeks that you're unable to live there. And I agree that $1200/month is an exorbitant price...is there a specific reason it's so high?

Not really, I feel I am overpaying to be honest. Only upside to staying here is that it is in Westdale which is supposedly a good area, but what do I know... If I were to ask for my money back though, unless she is a decent person, she isn't obligated to pay me anything as far as I know. I will indeed inquire about it but this lady seems extremely cheap and irresponsible. I was hoping for some sort of rights or laws to protect me but I don't think that is the case (or at least I can't find any). I guess all I can do is complain.

Originally Posted by guerilla

Not really, I feel I am overpaying to be honest. Only upside to staying here is that it is in Westdale which is supposedly a good area, but what do I know... If I were to ask for my money back though, unless she is a decent person, she isn't obligated to pay me anything as far as I know. I will indeed inquire about it but this lady seems extremely cheap and irresponsible. I was hoping for some sort of rights or laws to protect me but I don't think that is the case (or at least I can't find any). I guess all I can do is complain.

Not to make your situation worse, but I honestly think you're being duped. Average housing cost is $300-500 from what I can see. Not even West Village Suites costs that much and I hear that place is really nice. I mean, you're even paying more than what you would in Keyes (the most expensive res). There are a lot of nice areas around campus that will go for way less...is there any way you can find another place?

My roommate had a similar experience with not being able to live in his room. There was a lot of mould growing in his room because the washing machine was leaking so they had to redo the floors and stuff. He wasn't able to live in his room for a few weeks and the landlady did offer him money back, but he refused. It didn't matter either way because at the end of the year, when we were moving out, she charged him $100 for two buckets of paint because there was a "scratch" on the wall. My point is, landlords have an unfair amount of power and not all of them are nice. So the best you can do is find yourself nice accommodations that are reasonably priced so when you do end up in situations like these, at least you aren't losing that much money.

The most expensive should be like maybe 700-800 but those have to be those fancy houses right next to mac......

Originally Posted by guerilla

Not really, I feel I am overpaying to be honest. Only upside to staying here is that it is in Westdale which is supposedly a good area, but what do I know... If I were to ask for my money back though, unless she is a decent person, she isn't obligated to pay me anything as far as I know. I will indeed inquire about it but this lady seems extremely cheap and irresponsible. I was hoping for some sort of rights or laws to protect me but I don't think that is the case (or at least I can't find any). I guess all I can do is complain.

Like I said earlier, Mac Off-Campus is a service for students and they help students all the time. They will definitely be able to tell you all your options and if there is some legal matter then they will refer you to a lawyer where you can get free counselling.

I've been in a similar situation where the landlord promised to renovate but didn't actually renovate everything they said they would. From what the off-campus office lady and the legal consultant told me, best things you can do to prepare is to take pictures of the place and e-mail your landlord (so that you have a paper trail). But definitely visit the off-campus office lady because she is really helpful and will give you more advice for your own situation. Good luck!

Holy crap! I live in westdale, a 30 second walk to subway and the theater, and I pay 400 a month, all utilities included (even internet) with an 8 month lease.

So yeah, you're getting rip off. Please do yourself a favor and find a better place.

I think you're in an apartment meant for...well, more than 1 person (ie, the equivalent of me paying for a 3 bedroom house by myself rather than have 2 roommates to share the lease)