Relocating or Moving up?
Mountain Town Properties manages many rental properties in the Rossland and Red Mountain areas. We are a licensed rental property management company, regulated by the Real Estate Council of BC. Our rental portfolio consists of luxury furnished condominiums at Red Resort, small apartments and family-friendly homes in Rossland, Warfield and Trail.
There are no fees for you as a tenant for using our services. We are compensated by the landlord.
The agreements we use for all of our tenancies are provided by the BC Residential Tenancy Act. And with our knowledge of the Act, your rights are guaranteed protected and exercised.
The Rossland rental market is very competitive. Be sure to
get in touch with us as possible. We will add you to our Tenant Roster. Please let us know your specific criteria:
– How many bedrooms do you require?
– How many people in your family or party (adults/kids)?
– Do you have any pets?
– Do you require furnished or unfurnished home?
– What is your monthly budget?
– Do you have any special needs or requirements?
– Special requests or wishes?
Making An Application ~ Make a good impression
When making an application to rent, provide us with as much information as you can.
We will be looking for good previous landlord references and a strong employment history.
Please make sure that you have spoken to all your references before adding their name and contact to your application.
Make sure that your current landlord is aware that you are making an application to rent else where. They might not give such a great reference if they are caught off guard by our reference call.
If there are obvious gaps in your previous rental / employment history tell us why.
Credit Scores
As well as checking previous landlord references and employment references we may ask you to provide your credit score or with your permission we might carry out a credit check ourselves.
A credit score can be very useful information to a landlord in assessing a candidates stability. If you know that you don’t have a great credit score, don’t worry, but be upfront about it. We know life happens, but be prepared to show other types of financial statements.
Co-Signer
If you are a younger person, under the age of 25 or have a poor credit history we may ask you to provide a co-signer. A co-signer will be legally responsible for paying any unpaid rent, utilities or for any damage to the property, if you fail to do so. Only some one who pays taxes within Canada will be accepted as a co-signer.
Signing A Tenancy Agreement
A tenancy agreement is a legally binding document so make sure you understand all the terms and conditions before you sign it.
The Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) of British Columbia is in place to protect your rights as a tenant and the rights of the landlord too. We will explain each term and condition to make sure that you fully understand the agreement before you sign it.
Tenancy Agreement
Additional Rules and Regulations
In addition to your Tenancy Agreement there might, in some circumstances be additional rules and regulations imposed at the property that you live. For example a condominium complex. Before you commit to signing your tenancy agreement we will provide you with the rules and regulations. You will be asked to sign a “Form K” which confirms that you have read, understood and will abide by these rules.
If you are unsure about any of the terms of your lease ask your property manager, or if you would prefer to seek independent advice you can speak to TRAC Tenants Resource and Advisory Centre.
Moving In
One of the most important elements of moving into a rented property is the completion of a condition inspection report.
Your property manager will arrange a mutually agreeable time for the condition inspection report which will usually be before or on the day of move in.
A condition inspection report is like a check list, where you as the tenant and your property manager asses the condition of the property and highlight any previous damage to the property (and the furniture if furnished) which has taken place prior to your tenancy commencing. A condition inspection report usually takes no less than 1 hour but could take longer for larger properties. Take your time and be very thorough with it; after all this document protects you. Although you can not be responsible for regular wear and tear to the property if you and your property manager miss something during this move in inspection you may be held liable for it when you move out.
Security & Pet Deposit
Once you have agreed to rent a property you will be asked to provide a security deposit to cover the cost of any damage to the property, unpaid rent and or unpaid utilities. In addition to the security deposit a Landlord can also ask you to pay a pet damage deposit or other deposits for things like garage door openers or keys.
In British Columbia a security deposit can be no more than half of one months rent. In addition to the security deposit you will be asked to pay a pet damage deposit ether when you move in with a pet or at the time you get a pet. The pet damage deposit can be no more than half a months rent.
A landlord may keep all or part of a tenants security deposit with the tenants written consent or by the order of a dispute resolution officer.
Your deposit(s) plus any additional interest (if applicable) will be returned to you within 15 days of the end of the tenancy or when you provide a forwarding address which ever is the later.
Ending A Tenancy
To end a month to month tenancy agreement you have to provide one clear months notice. This means that you have to provide notice before your rent for that month is due. For example if your rent is due on the 1st of May you have to provide written notice before the 30th of April if you wish to move out on the 31st of May. We will require you to complete the Notice To End Tenancy form available on our web site and we ask you to hand it in to our office or to your property manager.
If you are in a fixed term tenancy agreement you must wait until the end of the term before leaving. We will still require you to provide one clear months notice and sign a notice to end tenancy form.
Try to make sure that you do not provide short notice as it could be really expensive. If you leave without providing the proper notice, the landlord may keep your deposit(s) and try to make you pay the next month’s rent. If you are breaking a fixed term lease, you (and your co-signer) will be responsible for the rent until the property can be re-rented or your lease ends which ever is the soonest. If we have to find another tenant to replace you you will be charged for any costs associated with doing so including all advertising and administrative costs (Liquidated Damages).
Moving Out
Prior to vacating the property, to enable the property to be returned in the condition it was at the beginning of the tenancy, the tenant will be given guidance in the form of a move-out check list.
Security deposits will be returned to the tenant along with any applicable interest earned, as long as the property is handed over in a satisfactory condition as per the terms of the tenancy agreement, regular wear and tear excepted.
Your Property Manager will walk through the property with the tenant, referring to the Move-In condition inspection report as necessary. If any maintenance or cleaning is required, this will be advised at that time; the tenant will be responsible for any damage or additional cleaning, the cost of which will be paid for from the security deposit.
Tenant’s Insurance
Tenant insurance is something for all tenants to strongly consider. It might seem like you don’t own a lot, but when you add up the value of all of your clothes, furniture, electronics, etc., it can be thousands of dollars.
If there is a disaster, such as a fire or flood, your landlord is usually not required to pay for any damage to your belongings, even if they have insurance for the building. An even bigger risk is that you may be responsible for damage that you or your guests cause to the building. Imagine, for example, that you start a serious fire because you forgot to turn off your stove. If your landlord has evidence that you caused the fire, you might have to pay for the repairs to the entire building, not just your unit.
Many insurance companies and banks offer tenant insurance in BC. Not all provide the same coverage,so you will want to do your research and pick the policy that is best for you. Some policies only cover certain types of disasters – for example, fire but not earthquakes. Some will pay for you to stay somewhere else if you are displaced from your property. And some will pay to replace your belongings with new items, not just the current value of what they are worth. In addition, the amount of liability coverage (coverage for damage that you or your guests cause) varies, but typically starts at $1,000,000.
You may ultimately decide that you cannot afford the additional monthly cost of tenant insurance, but be aware that you are taking a risk that could result in serious financial consequences.