With the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto now creeping well beyond the $2,400 mark, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find a budget-friendly place to live in the city that doesn’t come with serious disadvantages.
For most of those who are strapped for cash, roommates remain one of the only options when renting, but one viral Reddit thread reminds us why living with strangers can be a nightmare.
This week, a Reddit user shared a bizarre lease agreement served by a Guelph landlord, who, among other strange demands, asked tenants to pay a $20 fee per night for overnight guests.
“What is not included in the lease agreement is that there are security cameras inside of the property, the landlord wants access to the bedroom to do general maintenance if he sees fit, will come to the property unannounced and stay for a week,” the user wrote in the post.
The landlord also prohibits tenants from throwing parties or using a private washer, dryer, dishwasher, or high-drain appliances, including heaters and air conditioners, without consent.
Strange and illegal things in Guelph lease agreement
byu/Ginger_stranger7 inSlumlordsCanada
“The purpose of these house rules is to ensure that individual rights of each tenant of this house is protected as to their personal entitlement to quiet enjoyment and use of the premises and safety,” the landlord wrote at the top of the lease agreement.
Guests of the tenants are also prevented from using the laundry or kitchen facilities, and tenants are prohibited from changing the house’s temperature without the landlord’s knowledge.
The highly specific and bizarre list of rules evoked lots of mixed responses on Reddit, with many calling on renters to support similar listings and landlords.
“That is basically a jail who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can’t do when renting,” one person wrote in response to the lease agreement.
“If the landlord doesn’t live with you then idk if they can force you into such specific rules,” another user said.
“My landlord wants to collect a $20 cover charge from everyone that spends the night with me? Wtf?” one comment reads.
Another Toronto landlord received an onslaught of criticism earlier this year for also serving a potential tenant with a long list of head-scratching rules.
