Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
Poor housekeeping by a tenant can cause safety hazards for the tenant and other tenants.
Writing a tenant a letter about poor housekeeping is for documentation purposes for the landlord.
If a landlord has to evict a tenant, it’s good to have all emails and documents handy.
Renting is big business, and it can get ugly for landlords when tenants don’t follow their tenant’s agreement.
Today, I want to talk about a few things that pertain only to the tenant and landlord.
- What is poor housekeeping?
- Reading the rental agreement before signing it
- How can you clean your rental unit to meet the Ontario Tenants Act standards and your signed rental agreement?
The landlord has responsibilities, but the Ontario Tenants’ Act is massive and certainly a topic for another blog post.
Buying A Home With Intentions To Have Tenants
With the housing price, potential buyers are looking for homes with rental units or the possibility to create one.
Mortgage rates are low, and buyers will max out what the bank allows them to borrow if they can find a home with a rental unit.
I believe inexperienced buyers have dreams of the perfect tenant paying off all or part of their mortgage.
I’d never relied on a renter to pay a portion of my mortgage.
It’s not until the homeowner rents a room or legal basement apartment that they realize it might not work out.
There are great renters and those who pretend to be to find a place to live.
An essential lesson for landlords is to make reference calls and thorough rental agreements and have the tenant read them in full and sign them.
Rental Insurance Is A Must
Also, remind the tenant that they need renters insurance if it’s a legal apartment or building.
Before you rent part of your house, make sure that you have a proper lease agreement in place. Ontario has a standard lease agreement that you are required to use.
Make sure to insist, in the lease agreement, that the tenant carry liability insurance for the unit. Your home insurance policy may demand it.
Michelle and Whale Insurance
There should be no reason for poor housekeeping apart from not being physically or mentally unable to do so.
Even then, someone should be assisting a tenant, or perhaps free local services are available for older people or those with disabilities.
For example, with Mrs. CBB’s disability, I have to do many chores around the house because she cannot.
What Is Poor Housekeeping?
That’s a great question because everyone has a way of tidying their living quarters.
Our parents had rentals when we were younger, and recently, my parents sold the last one.
The landlord wants you to keep your investment to good standards as a tenant.
We live in a University city in Ontario, and the curbs are full of furniture come July.
A friend of ours who is a landlord says some of his rentals are disgusting when a tenant moves out.
Poor housekeeping is not about whether you made your bed or have pots soaking in the sink.
Landlords get fussy, especially when other tenants call about what they smell, hear, and see.
You might learn that your tenant is a hoarder with bad smells, and mice and bugs are crawling in the unit.
Perhaps there was a no-smoking clause in the rental agreement, yet all you can smell is smoke, and the walls are yellow.
When a landlord enters a unit, room, or basement they are renting, it’s hard to envision anything but what it originally was.
For example, if you have a dog, allow it in the house instead of walking the pet to do its business. Even worse, leaving it there and not picking it up.
It is sad to say that this is a true story that Mrs. CBB’s parents discovered in their rental home.
The tenant had two large dogs, and he used one of the three bedrooms for the dogs to do their business.
Sadly the room had poo in every corner, which she was aware of from his concerned friend.
Unfortunately, as an inexperienced landlord, Mrs. CBB’s mother wasn’t sure what to do apart from writing the tenant a letter.
She has a heart of gold and never likes to see people on the streets or in a financial pinch.
At the same time, that’s the family investment home, and she has to protect it.
Working Poor Housekeeping Habits Out With Your Tenant
Guess what? The tenant went to see her mother, apologized for the mess, and said he would clean it up.
He took full responsibility and explained that his father had passed away and depression had set in.
As an understanding mother, she asked if he needed any help, and he declined as he was doing it himself.
She also asked him if anything inside needed attention, which she was unaware of.
He said no, as he enjoys cleaning, but taking the dogs for a walk was hard as he couldn’t leave the house apart from going to work.
Mrs. CBB’s mom helped him find local dog walkers who could help and work within his budget.
Luckily, he did, and they would come around twice a day to walk them for 20 minutes.
Jumping the gun and accusing a renter of poor housekeeping could uncover other personal issues.
She only wrote a polite letter about the rental agreement he signed to keep the inside clean.
Poor Housekeeping and Tenants’ Responsibilities
In the Ontario Tenants Act, tenants have responsibilities that they must adhere to
Poor housekeeping can trigger problems whether you rent a house, a basement apartment, or a rental unit.
Once you sign, you must abide by the Ontario Tenants Act and the rental agreement.
It’s always critical to read any agreement or document you are about to sign so you understand it fully.
Don’t let anyone say it’s just basic stuff you don’t need to read because you always should.
We had previously rented rooms in our home, and only two of the three had poor housekeeping skills.
They both signed a room rental agreement to keep shared spaces clean and their room and bathroom.
Clean up your mess and leave no dishes in the sink if you cook. Simple enough.
For the bathroom, we provided cleaning supplies so they could clean the bathroom they exclusively used.
Room Rental And Poor Housekeeping Safety Hazards
Below is a bit about each of our tenants and what we found.
- Tenant A – He was smoking marijuana in his room, which was illegal at the time in Canada. He then began lighting incense to cover the smell. Since we use incense in our home, he figured we wouldn’t smell the weed. No smoking in the room or house was included in the rental agreement. We were smokers at the time but only ever smoked outside, so we were upset.
- Tenant B – We needed entry into her room for an emergency repair to the furnace as it was winter. She wasn’t home but permitted us to go in. There were clothes EVERYWHERE on the floor around the bed and over the vent. She didn’t last long since cleaning wasn’t her thing.
Both tenants were university students, and we were amazed at how much they didn’t care about our home.
Our family home is our sanctuary that we take pride in, and it didn’t matter.
You know what? Many tenants don’t, and you’re fortunate if you get fantastic tenants.
I had to ask the young man if he was allowed to smoke pot in his parent’s house, and he said no.
Then why are you doing it here?
He just shrugged his shoulders, packed up, and moved out.
The school year had ended, and his father picked him up, packed his bags in the car, and left.
Finding Good Tenants
As you may have read on the blog, we rented a basement room for two years to save money.
While renting, our room was always kept clean, and I made the bed every morning.
We also had the responsibility of keeping our bathroom and refrigerator clean.
Our landlord often told us she was coming into the room to repair something or another.
We were okay with that, as I cleaned the room daily while I wasn’t working.
Landlords also have to deal with other tenants who cannot talk to their neighbors about the state of their homes out of fear.
Below is a quote from Part IV of the Residential Tenancies Act.
Tenant’s Responsibility For Cleanliness
33. The tenant is responsible for the ordinary cleanliness of the rental unit, except to the extent that the tenancy agreement requires the landlord to clean it. 2006, c. 17, s. 33.
The Tenant’s Responsibility For Repair Of Damage
34. The tenant is responsible for repairing undue damage to the rental unit or residential complex caused by the wilful or negligent conduct of the tenant, another occupant of the rental unit, or a person permitted in the residential complex by the tenant. 2006, c. 17, s. 34.
Help For Tenants With Poor Housekeeping
We no longer rent rooms in our house, but most landlords want to help and give tenants options.
No one wants to see someone left homeless, so it’s time to talk once the landlord writes a poor housekeeping letter to the tenant.
Meeting The Tenant About The Poor Housekeeping Letter
Having a set time to meet with the landlord to discuss the rental state should happen next.
During the meeting, you can agree to keep the rental unit clean to control rodents, bugs, and smells.
The landlord should document everything agreed upon, signed, and dated, along with a timeline.
Like my mother-in-law, you may help them return the space to a clean state.
Offer the tenant local housekeeping services with phone numbers so they can call for help.
Call around for organizations that help people struggling financially or unable to care for their homes.
We did this when my mother-in-law was at her worst and before she moved to long-term care.
It wasn’t the inside of the house she needed help with but the gardening and upkeep of the property.
She was not renting as she owned the home.
However, we found a local volunteer service that would help for free.
Some fantastic people volunteer their time and will help people in their community.
Make phone calls or network with friends and family to see if your community has such services.
Also, offer your tenant a cleaning schedule that can be printed and put on a refrigerator door.
Some people, like myself, work better when it comes to seeing what they have to accomplish.
Using a list may be the trick they need, along with motivation, which is the hardest part.
How To Write A Poor Housekeeping Letter To A Tenant
Writing a letter to a tenant about poor housekeeping should not be stressful as you are the owner.
Most tenants want to work something out, and perhaps you’ll learn about the problem.
If the tenant is not returning calls or wants to work things out, including a rental inspection, the landlord will move to the next step.
Eviction is never something a landlord enjoys or wants to do.
Remember that a clean rental doesn’t mean messy; it means safety issues, hazards, and potential for rodents, bugs, and damage.
Below is a screenshot of the free sample letter you can download as a PDF or Word document.
When Tenants Ignore A Poor Housekeeping Letter
You can get evicted in the winter, so it is essential to know if you’ve received an eviction notice.
It worsens if the tenant does not want to reply to the landlord, who writes a poor housekeeping letter.
Damage to a rental can be costly, whether unclean, safety hazards, ants, and bugs from food on the floors and counters to disgusting bathrooms and animal feces and urine.
Ontario Tenants Act Says…
A landlord who wants a tenant out can do many things to get an eviction notice, especially when safety is an issue.
- Section 62 on damage says you can be evicted if you, other residents of your unit, or your guests wilfully or negligently cause undue damage to your apartment, the building, or property. The notice of termination of your lease must state how you can remedy the situation and thereby prevent the eviction; Section 63 may also apply;
- If you, other residents of your unit, or your guest “substantially interferes” with the reasonable enjoyment of the building for other tenants as per Section 64 or in the case of a building with 3 units or less where the landlord also resides under Section 65;
- Animals can be a reason for eviction if the Landlord and Tenant Board are convinced that the tenant is keeping an animal and that the animal(s) substantially interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of the premises, causes allergic reactions, or is inherently dangerous to safety.
Source: https://www.ontario.ca/laws. The new website will be updated in 2024. Please copy and paste the URL until I get the update.
There are other grounds for eviction, such as if the landlord personally needs the apartment to live in, demolishing the building, converting the building (such as to a condominium), or doing such significant repairs or renovations that they need your unit vacated.
Unscrupulous landlords could falsely use these other situations as an excuse for eviction.
As a tenant, it’s probably best to read the letter and work with your landlord to solve the issues.
Discussion: Have you ever dealt with a tenant who had poor housekeeping?
Please leave me your comments or experiences below.
Mr.CBB
I’m no longer a landlord but over the years I had two tenants in the basement suite of a house I used to own. Both the women were slobs. They lived there at different times, not together. The last tenant was a nice lady who paid her rent and was quiet and caused no problems. She was a borderline hoarder and her mother would help her clean every 2 or 3 months and fill up the garbage bin. She had two cats and 3 litter boxes and the place smelled really ripe whenever I was in there so she didn’t empty those as frequently as she should. But here’s the thing. I’m not the clean police. My idea of clean and someone else’s might be miles apart. No one’s wrong. Just different ideas on what’s clean. My kitchen is clean before I go to bed, dishes washed or in the dishwasher and I vacuum every night. And someone else could come in after I’ve done cleaning and say my house is dirty because it’s not clean enough to their high standards. Although my clothes are not thrown on the floor, it wouldn’t bother me to walk in someone’s house and see that. Some people are messy and have different ways than I do of organizing their stuff. I hardly see how clothes strewn on the floor can cause damage. It sounds like Ontario has some pretty strict housekeeping laws for tenants, but not all jurisdictions have those laws. Whether or not a tenant is a good housekeeper might not be covered under housing laws in other provinces or states. Who gives the landlord the right to judge what is considered clean? I would recommend landlords check with their housing authority that protects tenant and landlord rights before sending a letter complaining about the tenant’s housekeeping. Why is it any of the landlord’s business to force the tenant to adhere to their high standards of cleanliness? That might be a violation of the tenant’s rights that could end up with legal repercussions for the landlord. Tenants have a lot of rights, so landlords just can’t make up their own rules. Washing their dishes and scrubbing the toilet – or not – might irritate the landlord but they might not have any legal remedies to force the tenant to clean up to their high standards. It’s not like the tenant is doing anything illegal in there. Even though I own the house, there’s not much I can do about it except be glad I don’t live in that mess. If you have a great tenant, sometimes you have to look the other way and ignore the mess and tell yourself it’s none of your business if the tenant wants to live like a pig.