Passive income from a rental property can be a rewarding experience. It does not have to be hard work, if you are well prepared. There are many resources, which outline the rights of the landlord as well as those of the tenant.
The rules around entry to the rental unit is the question that I am asked more often about rights. By law, a landlord is permitted to enter the unit if he/she has given written notice to the tenant at least 24 hours in advance between the hours of 8 am and 8 pm.
The reasons a landlord may enter a unit include:
1. to carry out a repair or needed replacement in the unit;
2. to allow a potential mortgagee or insurer to view the unit;
3. to inspect a unit to determine if it is in a good state of repair;
4. to permit a potential purchaser to view the rental unit; or
5. for any other reason that has been specified in the tenancy agreement (as detailed in Section 27 of the Act.)
If writing is not your strong suit, then consider using the following notice when you wish to enter the unit:
NOTICE OF ENTRY FOR INSPECTION OF RENTAL UNIT
Date: (insert date of notice here)
To: (insert name of tenant here)
(Insert your name as landlord) will be entering your rental unit on (insert date here.) I will arrive on or shortly after (insert time here) and will remain for approximately (insert amount of time here) in order to (insert reason for inspection here – e.g., inspect the unit for general maintenance.)
If you are not planning on being there, please make sure that there are no chain locks or other devices installed that may prevent entry, and that any pets are either confined to a cage or removed from the rental unit for the purpose of this visit.
I apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Sincerely,
Name of landlord &/ name of property manager
Thinking about becoming a landlord? Contact Scott or Susan to explore this possibility.