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Chapter 4

LANDLORDING ESSENTIAL: MEMBERSHIP IN A LANDLORD ASSOCIATION

In this chapter, you will learn to:

• Join a landlord association in your province even if you only own one rental unit.

• Choose an association that provides services and advice at low or no additional cost outside the annual membership fee.

You will periodically find yourself needing expert tenancy law advice. You could ask your provincial rental authority for guidance, but government institutions are often overwhelmed with inquiries and do not always provide quick answers.

Also, you must keep current with changes to residential tenancy law. Simply put, it’ll cost you if you don’t. In 2004, for instance, British Columbia’s Residential Tenancy Act changed to require landlords to complete a move-in/move-out inspection report with their tenant. Landlords oblivious to the change were subsequently shocked to learn that failing to complete the move-in/move-out inspection report caused them to lose their right to retain any portion of the security deposit even if the property was obviously damaged by the existing tenant.

It is not the provincial government’s responsibility to provide you with a notice of change, and ignorance of the law is never an acceptable excuse. What’s a landlord to do? Even if you own only one rental unit, you should join a landlord association in your province. Not all associations are equal. The best ones offer the following services at low or no additional cost beyond the annual membership fee.

Access to a legal information hot line

Most landlord associations offer members a number to call for prompt tenancy law information. As well, the landlord association might offer insights that the provincial rental authority staff does not. Knowing the written legislation is one thing, but knowing how it works in practice is another. When you ask your landlord association for help, you receive advice from real landlords who can show you how to make the law work to your benefit.

Access to landlord-friendly rental forms relevant to your province

Provincial tenancy laws differ, and forms useful in one province may be ineffective in another. Landlord associations may offer landlord-friendly rental agreements relevant to the provinces they represent: move-in/ move-out inspection checklists, rental application forms, and so on. Access to these forms alone is often worth the membership fee.

Access to credit information

A good landlord association will offer convenient and speedy credit check services and will typically do so for a fee lower than what is charged by most commercial credit check brokers. Obtaining a prospective tenant’s credit history is an essential part of tenant screening.

Access to a “bad tenant” database

In addition to credit information, many landlord associations maintain a growing list of tenants that association members have had to evict for cause or non-payment of rent.

Whenever a landlord association performs a credit check for you, the association’s bad tenant list is cross-checked as well. This information can be invaluable for obvious reasons.

Furthermore, if your tenant knows that you are a member of an association that maintains a bad-tenant list (you’ll make him or her aware with a well-written warning letter should trouble arise), this knowledge will deter your tenant from leaving you with an unpaid rental bill.

Workshops, seminars, and newsletters regarding current events in property management

Most landlord associations offer courses, seminars, and workshops designed to educate its members on being successful landlords. These courses are a great way to network with fellow landlords while learning the latest in property management.

Generally speaking, membership in a landlord association also means access to a newsletter. This newsletter is your early warning system for new changes to tenancy laws in your area. While many landlords were caught off guard by the changes to the BC Residential Tenancy Act in 2004 mentioned earlier, members of landlord associations were prepared well in advance.

Political clout

If you join a landlord association, you become part of a unified voice representing thousands of landlords in your province. Many landlord associations dedicate significant time to lobbying their provincial government and influencing legislative changes to tenancy laws.

I only have one rental property (in my basement). Do I really have to join a landlord association?

While this book will give you a great start, there is no book that can adequately prepare you for every detail of your property management needs. For those situations where the going gets rough, you would do well to turn to a landlord association for help. Whether you’ve been landlording for two years or ten, in my opinion, membership in a landlord association is not optional. It is essential.

Check the downloadable forms kit that came with this book for a landlord association in your province.