# Questions for landloards?



## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

So i sold my home about a mth ago,and decided to get into a rental for a short term lease,i live in winnipeg(can be rough in some parts,high aboriginals,gangs ect).Im single and although i have equity built up i decided to rent cheap(cheaper),than i normally would,i run a construction business so im barley home as it is,the place i rented is a dive,but it didnt concern me at the time.

Anyhow,im in a stage where im trying to cut as many expenses i can,so.......On paper it seems so easy,here is my reality,i dont really know what the hell im going to do.

2nd night in my rental(friday @ 11pm)i get a full arm banging on the back door,the kind that is used with a forearm,bang bang bang,i thought it might have been a buddy being a ***,go to open up the door and as i open it,im confronted with car lights in the back and a young aggressive aborignal asking me where the f tommy is,he has a beer in his hand and i got my 47 inch flat screen behind me plus my wallet on the counter ect,i can handle myself but i really dont want to go there if i dont have to,immediatly it dawms on me things are not good(this aint a great neighbor im use to either)


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

We have a bit of a stare down and he puts out his hand and i put out mine and we do a "test" with each other,you know with pressure,he says f something and leaves,next day i ask my landloard what the past tennats were like and what there situation was,and if there was some tommy guy living there(side note,the mailbox has about 10 different people,with creditor bills ect(aborignal names ect nearly everyday ie vagabonds)

I pass it off and go about my business,fast forward to last night,3am in the mourning im asleep in my bedroom and i hear a bang bang on the bedroom window above my head,im half asleep and i hear it again,it becomes clear to me that i got a situation,now all my lights are off in the house and im abit frozen with what to do,all of a sudden i hear a crowbar tearing into the window casing,and realize im about to be in a home envasion,i dont turn on any of the lights and slide into the kitchen area,i can hear a couple of guys and they are reefing on the window,i call 911,once on the phone i turn on the kitchen light and slowly open up the back door,i hear a name called out and they dashed,at this point they smashed the 1st pain of window glass in the bedroom,I phoned my landloard today and asked him what the hell is with this neighborhood,and are there things i need to know.

Now im in a contract and im really edgey about my dwelling,if i was your tennet,would you let me get out of the lease?i always get my self in hot water!!Do landloards feel good when there rental are unsafe....this is the "other side" Im renting to save a extra 14k this yr....i guess welcome to life.plans are always easier on paper!


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## Mensa (Oct 19, 2010)

Donald: Not entirely sure what question you are asking here, but I'm assuming it has to do with breaking your lease because of the bad neighbourhood? If this is what you're wondering...it's always possible to break a lease, but it can be a real pain and time sucker to do in such a way as to not cost you. 

Was the guy at your door also a tenant in your building? If so, perhaps you could try speaking to your landlord about the disturbance - he's likely used to noise complaints if the 'hood is that bad. Possibly the best first approach to the problem.

Hmmm, I was replying while you were posting the second part. In the case you've outlined, DEFINITELY speak to your landlord about a release from your lease. S/he might be more willing to go along with it if you can propose a new tenant to take the lease over. Is there anyone you know who would be willing to take it over, or at least go through the application process? You could always contact the housing tribunal (or whatever it's called in Manitoba) to see what they suggest. Good luck!

BTW, a little less "aboriginal bashing" would be appreciated. Thanks


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

You said you lived in Winnipeg - can you please tell us in what part of the city (street names etc) this is happening?


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

I'm not too familiar with the Manitoba tenant situation but you may want to look over the Manitoba Residential Tenancies Branch as a starting point:

http://www.gov.mb.ca/fs/cca/rtb/

Speak to them about your options to end a tenancy. It may depend on the type of lease you signed and the terms involved.


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## donald (Apr 18, 2011)

Im not sure what im going to do,i was just wondering what a reasonable landloard would think:i had no idea,im just comming after prob a string of bad tennats,i dont know what was going on with the last tennats,and now im inheriting the the after effects.was it a party house?what was tommy into?people still think tommy lives here?As a first time renter i had no idea i had to be concerned about who the last guy that lived here would or could affect me.

What am i suppose to say to my landlord?i nearly was in a home envasion and your master bedroom window is broken,can you fix it?can i ask for a alarm to be installed?Im just tossing out a senerio of the realities of what its like from the renter side. (im not bashing aborignals,although if you lived in winnipeg you would understand)


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

I would definitely get out of there no matter what i had to pay to get out of the lease.Next time may be a bullet coming through your window.


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## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

I agree with marina. If safety is an issue, you need to get out soon. Speak to the landlord and tell them about everything and how you're no longer comfortable living there. Speak with the Tenancies Branch as well to see how you can go about terminating the tenancy due to unsafe living conditions.

I'm guessing the landlord probably knew about all this and has dealt with it before. There are just some really scummy landlords who only care about getting some sucker in the door and collecting their first and security deposit.


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## Dana (Nov 17, 2009)

I am unfamiliar with the landlord tenant laws in Manitoba, but this is what I would do if I were you. 



I would not spend another night in the unit as it is reasonable to fear for my safety


I would take photos of the damage done by the hooligans and forward copeis of these photos to the landlord with a letter of intention to break the lease


I would call the police and file a police report for the attempted B&E. I would forward the officers badge nubmers and incident report # to the landlord as well. Keep copies in case the landlord tries to make your life difficult and you have to go to the landlord/tenant governing body of your province

Tell the landlord that you want out with 30 days notice. Warn him/her that you may become a very demanding/difficult tenant if you are forced to stay.


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

Now, the area where you rented is that a known crime prone area?
Does it have a history of such incidents, etc?
I'm just musing whether the landlord can come back and say that you as a tenant should have known about this, done your research, etc. and that you walked into this lease with your eyes open and have no reason to complain?


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

I don't have a landlord's perspective - but my advice would be to move out pronto, politely offer your landlord July's rent for his troubles, and be on your way. Sure you have a contract, but you only have to worry about it if the landlord trys to enforce it. That's going to cost him money to try and fight you anyways, and from the sounds of it you probably have a legitimate safety claim that a housing tribunal might listen to. No reasonable landlord would refuse that offer I would hope - and if he does refuse deal with it then.


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## grimace (Feb 20, 2010)

Hello

I am a landlord....Pay him next months rent and bugger off. Unless he is very vengeful it is not worth his time and money to sue you...


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

it sounds as if the former tenants may have dealt drugs & the thugs are contacts returning to the scene. They - the thugs - may be trying to collect $$. Who knows how long such a story will go on, or how violent it could become.

dana's advice sounds perfect - as it usually is. You should leave immediately. You probably have grounds to leave immediately if you build your case as dana suggests. But please move out first & debate afterwards.

if you can offer to forego both june & july rent, any reasonable landlord should be willing to accept this. No doubt he knows all about the former tenants. It may take a while for things to quiet down on his property - before word gets out on the street that tommy doesn't live there any more - but eventually his rental suite will lose its violent recent history & become decently rentable once again. In the meantime, he should be thankful unto heaven that he has received 2 months rent from a brief tenant who caused no grief.

if i were in his place, i would feel so guilty about the risk to yourself that i would give you all your money back plus pay your moving expenses as well. OK, that's the reason i'll never ever be a landlord.


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