Finding Good Tenants

What can you ask potential tenants? What are you not allowed to ask potential tenants? What are questions landlords overlook but shouldn’t? How should you go about advertising your property and where should you avoid posting your rental property?

There are a lot of questions when looking for a good tenant. Canada Mortgage And Housing Corporation has an incredibly helpful page dedicated to some of these thoughts. Below are just a couple highlights, but check out this link for even more.

What am I legally NOT allowed to ask potential tenants?

Anything that infringes on the rights of a tenant under the Human Rights Code is off limits. So, you can’t ask if they plan to have (more) children, or if they are single.

Where should I advertise my property?

Consider who and where your property is located first. If you live by a University, understand that you may have university students applying for the rental property. This can work in your favour if you find good students, though this may be an arena you would prefer to stay away from.

There are also free spaces you can list, like Kijiji Canada. However, these types of listings may not be in your best interest. Again, invest in your property to get the biggest, best return… including your renters.

Also keep in mind that some scammers use these sites, and you will need to use discernment to ensure you aren’t scammed yourself.