Too cold, here’s a blanket? The city of Toronto wants $27,000 in development charges for a third unit in a house. Since basement apartments tend to be partially or mostly underground, moisture can seep in from any cracks in the foundation, and mold could grow behind or on walls, ceilings and floors, he says. I was reading through the comments and just had to reply. He’s not inexperienced at being a landlord so im going to say he’s just a DOUCHE and if someone ever injures themselves due yo his negligence he will get sued. However the real pain is parking. In these cases, the front door usually functions as the entrance from the street and the back door opens up into a yard. Which is a little high. I babysat for free whenever I could, and this is how I was treated. I lived in a basement apt for 3 years before I bought my first house. Creditors don’t care about the reasons why a single person can’t handle duel-income debt which is why I HAVE to rent now for the next 5 years until my credit is fixed. Here are some of the pros and cons of loft-style apartments. Not sure what the tapping is…, © 2021 Property Rental Agency & Property Management Services - Landlord Rescue, Basement Apartment and Bylaws - Reader Question | Property Rental Agency & Property Management Services - Landlord Rescue, Confused About Basement Apartments? If it seems like you’ve had a string of bad tenants or aren’t impressed with the people you’ve had, maybe it’s time to look at renting out the duplex as a single family dwelling and gaining some peace and quiet. | Property Rental Agency & Property Management Services - Landlord Rescue, Recommended Real Estate | Property Rental Agency & Property Management Services - Landlord Rescue. Basement apartments are cheaper. Mind you, I go the extra mile and screen the hell out of them before saying yes. Things I won’t miss about my basement apartment experience: 10-Uneven floors requiring spacers on all tables to level them out. Painting company). It was written at the height of the real estate boom but much of the article still applies. Second questions is it right for the landlord to come down to the basement at any time without seeking permission from me. Send. I rent the upper floor of a house in Calgary that includes the garage. Vancouver is a very different market than the Greater Toronto Area it may be different there. Young children will make noise running across the floor above you, as will dogs. Share. You are correct. It’s not nice to look down on the demographic who rents basement apartments when homeowners who need to rent out their own homes for the extra income aren’t so well to do themselves. Here are some of the disadvantages of adding a basement to your house or buying a house with a basement: Additional Construction Costs Damp and Moisture Concerns Resd up on your rights. I bought a house in a different city and put a basement apartment in that one as well and so far it has also been a good experience coming up to a year. It made for a very uncomfortable and stressful environment. Give me a break. You are a horrible landlord to say, “are you cold, here is a blanket!”. More seasoned investors often opt to rent out the house as a whole. Basement apartments aren’t all bad, but they’re not a goldmine either. I know, if my mortgage is more then 1700 then I cant afford them with out renting a basement. Little offended by this as up until January 2009, I had good credit, and my wife and I where saving for a down payment to buy a home. (photo by phodge100 on flickr)While a bit dated, we still related to this New York Times article from 2004. That was until a drunk driver took her life. And I have a lot of body fat. Also, way to be classist, super professional and not alienating or disgusting at all. People don’t have a choice to live there – for example in a big city people new out of school near somewhere affordable to live, and that’s the only place – or someone stuck in minimum wage. That’s a lot of easy money for almost no work on my part, except the initial renovations. No matter how good my landlording skills are I cannot affect physics. Basements do seem very humid which does not help with the heating issue. Do month to month, because there will always be some sort of issue. I’m in a basement, my landlord turns the heat off, which id illegal, hours to work leanness me freezing until I go to work in the afternoon when they get home and turn the heat back on. May 9, 2012. No landlord or property manager is going to rebuild the house to deal with these building issues. apart from that, i am disgusted from your comment about “low profile tenants”. Share. You cannot even climb the stairs after a downfall. I had to install special windows that met the fire code as well. Filling the suite has never been a problem for the right price (discounts were offered to perceived good tenants) but given the number of applicants we rejected I have to wonder where the rejects eventually ended up! That is just wrong…I am a tenant in a basement apt and we are human beings just like you are….”tenant” is not my name….I have arthritis, living even with a sweater on does not help the cold from the landlord controlling my heat makes it worse…..Listening to you proves one thing you are one of those landlords that as long as he or she gets the money from teh apt and does not have to put any in..its all good….You are the landlord, its your job to make it insulated enough and provide enough heat for the tenant to be warm……There are words for landlords like you and none I can say on here….Shame on you! In the current rental market, finding anything but a basement suite is really difficult. if you want to talk about garbage, one tennant filled the snd bedroom from floor to ceiling with garbage . We rented our 2 bedroom basement to a “friend” a single mom. That doesn’t mean the apartment isn’t safe. A few months ago I rented a basement apartment for a reader of this blog. And if you are a landlord you should be good at reading people, otherwise don’t do it. Basement apartments are also below ground, concrete is porous, and this leads to higher humidity which make any cold more uncomfortable. Still freezing because there is no moisture in the air for which the heat can adhere to. Nice thing about them is that you can get your money back for damages etc. They’ll often get into trouble, your tenant screening needs to be 110% for these apartments and even I get tricked. cannot afford to rent a condo. Many years ago, I was that new landlord – never again! I am currently renting a basement apartment in Edmonton. You deserve to enjoy your residence Susan. I live in a basement apartment right now…its 20 minutes from the city…in the country. Rented it for a year. Especially in small homes it is impossible to provide the natural light or ventilation in the basement. I don’t think I’ve ever discussed the idea some homeowners have had to over improve […]. Awesome stuff! It’s true they are much cheaper, that’s not necessarily good for the landlord . This bitch dosnt know to write. Anyways….I’m rambling. Some are excellent, but I’ve been there with some not so good ones. Buy the cheaper house. There's also a difference between basement and garden apartments. I am half a block from like 4 churches. “… Over exaggerating this story. My apologies for insulting you I did not mean to do so. It’s so dry down here that my eyes are hurting 24/7, the paint is cracking and I was getting shocked from the light switches 15+ times a day before my husband put tape over the screws. The source of all evil is probably a basement apartment. This content is currently not available in your region. For starters, since a basement is a room that’s wholly or partially underground, water from beneath the ground can seep into the room. It is used mainly in the construction of buildings with repetitive design and elements, such as schools and apartments. Basement apartments are literally located at the bottom of the floor of a building while a garden apartment is located on the ground floor and has a direct path to the garden, hence the name. It’s not surprising that landlords elect to not get ass raped by the city’s fees. Don’t worry many don’t. The other think I found is the tenure is generally short, about a year or so on average. By the time you add in the risk from the utilities problem and minus your split from the rent or add in the time spent chasing the money from the basement, is it really worth it? Smaller living space – one major disadvantage of apartments is that they’re generally smaller than the average house. depends… do they have children? My understanding is that they can break a hole in your ceiling and secure the pipes better. Some apartments also have attached parking spaces, making it more convenient for you to park your vehicle. Bernadette. I LOVE IT the people that own the house are fantasic. Many basement apartments are not […], I have a wonderful spacious basement apartment and its the best apartment in the building. I have been here for three years and have a great relationship with my landlords. It works quite well. For me it’s a combination of awfulness. It is illegal and impractical to want to chain them inside and tape their mouths shut, leaving just access to their wallets open for you to steal your mortgage payment. A basement is more expensive to build than a slab or crawlspace. She won’t park correctly in front of our house which causes the neighbor to complain to me and she is just not very clean. Pin. If I get bed bugs in a basement suite I know exactly where they came from. Most basements have vents in the ceiling and heat rises. Slumlords I call them, because they are trying to make a quick buck off scamming people of lower income that cannot afford to buy their own homes, yet you believe they should be punished by cheaping out, and not providing a decent quality renovation or lack thereof to someone in need of a roof over their head. There’s no way for my tenant to turn up the heat. That’s really important as you know – screening! For many, the benefits of owning a property with a secondary unit far outweigh the disadvantages. For all you landlords with a basement apartment..u can have a good experience too, if u make sure the person is good! They leave me alone…i see them once a month when i Pay my rent. A couple months in he moves in a random middle aged male into our suite, when we were 2 girls in our early 20’s and did not agree to this at all. You need a lot of airborne spores to create the health effects you are talking about. I’m not moving until its time to buy my own house . 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