Renters Rant: Fucking Rental Properties. Whats a fair increase in rent?

[Kev]

January 20th 2006 the apartment i'm living in was sold to Hollyburn Properties. With i new a rent increase was coming.

Theres a knock on the door and its one of the landlords she hands me an envelope. "I t'ink is uh runt 'crease." she says. I open the letter and begin to read, and this is the letter in part..........

Blah blah blah, ........ The rent for your suite is currently set at $715.00 which is significantley less than the market rent for comparable suites in the area.

Regrettably, due to the significant recent increases in operating costs and other expenditures, we are required to bring all suites in the builiding up to the market rent. To do so, we will be applying for an additional rent increase for your suite, over and above the currrent prescibed rate. We will be seeking a total rent increase in the order of $100.00 for you suite, which will be effective on October 1, 2006, the next annual anniversary date of your last rent increase......blah, blah, blah...........because of hardships for some, blah blah blah..........we are prepared to reduce the proposed rent increase for your unit to $80.00,, if you sign below, and return this agreement to your Resident Manager before April 15, 2006.

FUCK YOU, AND THE HORSE YOU RODE IN!!!!

If we break the letter down.

..we are required to bring suites........up to the market rent. Your are required to bring up to market rent? Is this some law that states you have to rip off those who are unfortunate enough to reside in one of your buildings? Horseshit. What you mean to say is "the greedy selfish fuckwads that we are.(Hollyburn Properties) We are going to bleed anyone and everyone who is stupid enough to live in one of our rental traps. Fuck You!!!

..due to the significant recent increases in operating costs and other expenditures.. ..recent increases in operating cost and expenditures? You asswipes. You've had the building for 2 months. What fucking increases could you've aquired in 2 months? Okay you planted a tree and pruned some shrubs, changed some light bulbs. BIG FUCKING DEAL!! That doesn't or shouldn't allow you to charge an additional $100.00 per suite which translates from all renters an addditional $5400.00 per month into your pocket. Next time you want some trees planted i'll show you were to put them. Fuck You!!!

..over and above the currrent prescibed rate What the hell does this mean prescibed? Are you now doctors? As i see it this means that the going current rate in the area should be $750.00 a month, but because you are bottom feeding parasites and can't suck enough, you are going to charge over and above whats fare. Well how about sucking this? Fuck You!!!

..because of hardships for some.. Oh aren't you the sympathetic ones. The rent goes from $715.00 to $815.00 and now you have morals or is it scruples? 'Sign here' says you right now and we'll reduce the rate to $80.00. Hows this? I'll take my pen and stick it so far up your shitter you'll be constipated for weeks. Fuck You!!!

How the hell a company like Hollyburn can purchase a building and then charge an exorbitant amount for a rent increase is beyond me. Fuck Them!!!

Am i over the top? Is an increase of $100.00 when the currant rental rate is $715.00 fare?

Anyone have any tips for letter that i'm going to send to Hollyburn Properties?

 

[dick slap]

Kev,

The increase sounds very reasonable. Perhaps you should look around and see if their increase is the fair market price for a comparable suite. If it is then pay the increase and get on with life. If not, refuse to pay the increase and take your complaint up with the renter's board.

Hope your day gets better.

DS

 

[HeMadeMeDoIt]

Kev last time I checked landlords were entitled to an annual increase of approximately 10% so an $80 increase is not as far fetched as it seems.

 

[stryker]

Hey Kev,there were recent amendments to the tenants act not too long ago as far as rent increases,check out

http://www.rto.gov.bc.ca/

Hope it helps

 

[necko]

rent increase

I've been a property manager on &off for 20 yr's . It doesn't matter to u if it reasonable or not, is it leagal go the rentalsman today ot tomorrow, don't wait make them prove they have improved your suite by 100 amonth to improve the property only helps them. Fuck em if they can't take a joke, don't for one min. think u have to be reasonable. I raise rents all the time simply because the owners want more money. 5% is reasonable not 20%

 

[bonanzabob]

Last time I checked, the landlord can get 4% and the Residential Tenancy Office won't even entertain an arbitration.

Given that your increase is over ten percent, I would file the arbitration, and then contact the landlord, and offer to setttle at 4%.

If you need any further info, let me know.

 

[mustangjoe]

Pay up.

If you don't want to, go buy your own place.

 

[LonelyGhost]

this is why i bought my own place ... had the worst string of shithead landlords ever put on this earth and its the only way to escape this shit.

but do file for arbitration -- take pictures of the apartment, the building, the grounds, the 'amenities' and any appliances, carpet, paint and fixtures in your place. write out why you disagree with the increase, stating how long you lived there, how much rent you have already paid to the previous 'owners' and how much the current rent, the increase and the new rent represent of your income.

and don't forget to mention that their improvements are at your inconvenience, and if you don't think that they are necessary then they should not be done, hence your rent shouldn't go up.

 

[vancouverman]

Hollyburn Properties.

with office in West Van? what a small world .... shit



I will tell you all about them next time, when I see you.

 

[gravitas]

Hollyburn Properties

Never heard of Hollyburn but they sound a lot like Boardwalk Properties. If you end up looking for new digs because of the rent increases and come across an apartment owned/managed by Boardwalk...RUN don't walk away. I've had friends and GF's who've rented from them and every time its a horror story. Shitty maintenance, arbitrary rent increases....basically a group of dinks.

G

p.s. took a look at Hollyburn's website and of their 15 properties in the west end I've dinked SP's in 5 of them.....god I used to be such a slut

 

[Annalise Lane]

Last time I checked, the landlord can get 4% and the Residential Tenancy Office won't even entertain an arbitration.

Given that your increase is over ten percent, I would file the arbitration, and then contact the landlord, and offer to setttle at 4%.

If you need any further info, let me know.

they might go for that but they can then increase the rent every 6 months .. until they reach the desired rental rate.

Or atleast that is my understanding of rent increases.

 

[Jodie]

Looks like you're hooped...

Doubtful they would have served you with the notice without having dotted their i's and crossed their t's first. It appears they can indeed increase the rent if the unit is renting below "market" value. That said, I don't think your rent is "significantly" below market value, and yes, they are just being greedy corporate bastards. The ethical way to raise rents is to do so for new tenants moving in, but I'm sure Hollyburn Properties is only concerned with their bottom line.

1.3.1 How much can rent be increased for a residential tenancy?Residential tenancy landlords will be able to increase rent annually by a percentage equal to the inflation rate plus two percent without tenants disputing the increase at arbitration. For a residential tenancy rent increase that takes effect in 2005, the allowable increase is 3.8 percent.
If the landlord charges an amount in excess of the inflation rate plus two percent, the tenant does not have to pay the excess rent unless the tenant has been served with an arbitrator's order allowing the rent increase.

1.3.3 Can a landlord request a larger rent increase than the allowable amount?
Residential tenancy landlords can ask an arbitrator to allow a larger increase, using the Application for Additional Rent Increase form, if the landlord has completed significant repairs or renovations that could not reasonably have been foreseen and are not recurring with a reasonable time period, incurred a financial loss from an extraordinary increase in operating expenses, or incurred a financial loss from an increase in financing costs that could not have been reasonably foreseen.
A landlord seeking an additional rent increase under the above grounds must make a single application to increase the rent for all units in the building.
A residential tenancy landlord can also seek an additional rent increase if the rent for a rental unit is significantly lower than that of similar units in the area. A landlord who, as the head tenant of a rental unit, receives an additional rent increase can also apply for arbitration for an additional rent increase on that basis to increase the rent to a subtenant.

 

[Buntoss]

Wake up!

Wake up and face reality. Where is your apartment? how much do comparable units rent for?

I recently renewed my mortgage and I have to pay an extra $150 a month due to the rising interest rates. My property taxes are up, so are all my utility bills.

The owners of your unit are in the same situation as well as anyone else with a mortgage. You have to realize that a large portion of the money that the landlord is collecting isnt all going into their pockets. The fact is most if not all is going straight to the bank.

 

[necko]

they might go for that but they can then increase the rent every 6 months .. until they reach the desired rental rate.

Or atleast that is my understanding of rent increases.

Nope IN BC u can only have 1 rent increase a year and they must give 3 months notice and increases have to be justified on a tenant to tenant bases in other words they can't paint the hallway and expect the tenants to pay for it, the increases must be justified on say painting your apt or replacing yout stove etc.

 

[Randy Whorewald]

Pay up or move. I don't think the $100 increase is unreasonable.

 

[vancouverman]

I haven't seen Kev so pissed off since ......

ok... a long time

 

[Chet]

I'm no expert in this but $100 does sound like a big jump
Looks like there're more owners than renters here...
I feel for you Kev...

 

[necko]

It will cost ya

Thear's a fee for filing for arbitration, but I'd do it, I'm an owner been a landlord, fight it!

 

[Kev]

Well VM i am pissed.

I don't have a problem with a rent increase, its the amount that pisses me off. Whens the last time anyone received a 13 percent increase in pay. Not bloody likely.

One thing i don't get is rental agencies are allowed to raise the rent to match what other agencies are charging in the same area. When i was looking for apartments to rent one and half years ago i found places starting from $550.00 to $1200.00 and higher. Whos to say this building is worth $815.00 a month. What other buildings was Hollyburn looking at? You can't compare one building with one another. Some are very nice others are dumps.

I am going to look into my options but i think Jodie is correct. Hollyburn is not some fly by night operation with properties in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto i feel they legally have done everything in their power to make sure there ass is coverd. But i'm still going to try.

And some of you are right too, why the hell are you still renting?

 

[necko]

sme hafto

fight the rental increase