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In November 2009, the Ontario Court of Appeals decided that landlords cannot require tenants to complete snow removal tasks as a condition of their leases.

The situation began when a tenant commenced a legal action against a respondent landlord for damages after she slipped and fell on the premises. The tenant claims that she slipped on ice on the walkway leading to her basement apartment. But in his defence, the landlord argues that the tenant is “responsible for keeping their walkway and stairway clean (including snow removal)” based on the Condition of Lease.

Well, Ontario Court of Appeals made a decision on the case, Montgomery v. Van. The Court found that landlords cannot require tenants to complete snow removal tasks as a condition of their leases as it violates the Tenant Protection Act. The Residential Tenancies Act Regulation 517/06 seems to impose similar maintenance obligations on landlords. If landlords want them to clear their own walkways, driveways, etc., they must enter into a separate contract with the tenants for snow removal.

Feel free to leave a question or comment below regarding this court decision.

It’s a good time to remind ourselves of some important winter maintenance tips now that the holidays are over.  Here are some basic tips you can use that will help you keep your property safe for your tenants and visitors:

1. Trim trees and remove dead branches to prevent injuries to residents and visitors and/or damage to surrounding properties from falling branches.
2. Check gutters regularly; clear them of debris so melting snow & ice can flow freely.
3. Maintain steps and handrails.  Repair broken stairs and railings as soon as you become aware of them.
4. Check pipes and wrap them with heating tape.  Check for cracks and leaks; repair minor pipe damage immediately to prevent more severe damage from occurring from neglect.
5. Inspect sidewalks, driveways and entryways regularly and keep them free from snow and ice.  Have a supply of salt and/or sand readily available and apply whenever conditions require it.  This is important even if you have hired a winter maintenance contractor to do this for you.  Maintain a written record of your inspections and applications of surface treatment material.

For more information, you can check out Safety and the Holiday Season.

The statistics of stovetop fires are staggering and paints a grim picture.  Ontario averages more than 6,000 preventable home fires annually and the majority of these fires start in the kitchen.  68% of all home cooking fires involve stove-tops, and unattended cooking accounts for 69% of these fires.  Multi-unit residences are at the highest risk, where over 43% of all stove-top fires occur.

AM800 Radio Interview with Rusty Thompson
During the holidays I became a local celebrity in the Windsor/Sarnia area when I was interviewed on AM800 about stovetop fires and stovetop safety. Rusty Thompson of AM800 radio reached me in my hotel room as I was travelling to visit my in-laws – so I was in a festive mood! Rusty was well-prepared and introduced the subject well. He referred our work with the Electrical Safety Authority, how our goals in terms of fire safety aligned with them and also with the Ontario Fire Marshal to educate social housing tenants about safe practices, and recommended stove-top fire prevention products such as the Safe-T-Element, which has been endorsed by fire marshals across North America.

I echoed the words of Social Housing Services Corporation CEO, Lindsey Reed, who pointed out that “Something as simple as turning away from the stove to answer the phone or offer your guest a drink can distract you long enough for a fire to start. By following the basic rules of fire prevention and installing fire prevention products, everyone can go a long way to avoiding stove-top fires and protecting themselves and their loved ones.”

I provided a personal story about how I had (accidentally) put a tea towel onto the stovetop, which was still hot – we can all learn some simple rules, I told Rusty.  I ended my interview by giving some simple tips to help prevent fires including:
•    Making sure stove tops and nearby counters are kept clear and uncluttered
•    Keeping curtains, utensils, paper towels and other things that can burn away from the stove
•    Ensuring pot handles are turned inward so they can’t be bumped

If you are interested in stovetop Safe-T-Elements, they are available through the SHSC’s Appliance Bulk Buy Program.

To the uninitiated, SHRRP (commonly pronounced shurp) and MEER sound like characters from Star Trek. In fact, they are acronyms for programs that might just save your non-profit or co-op a lot of money.

Most social housing providers are already familiar with The Social Housing Renovation and Retrofit Program (SHRRP), and many have accessed funds through the program to upgrade their buildings. What is less commonly known is that the Ontario Power Authority is offering the Multi-Family Energy Efficiency Rebates (MEER) program, which provides financial incentives to offset some of the capital costs associated with energy-efficiency upgrades.

“So how does my housing corporation access these MEER funds?”
I thought you’d never ask!

Without going into all of the details here, there are 2 options for MEER funding: Custom and Prescriptive.

1. Custom incentives are calculated based on the actual energy savings, in kilowatt-hours (kWh) that will result from installing a particular measure.
2. For prescribed upgrades, on the other hand, a set dollar figure will be paid for each measure installed. For example, $60 will be paid for every old refrigerator that is replaced with an ENERGY STAR® rated model.

“Our new appliances are already being paid for with SHRRP funding. How can the MEER program help?”

SHRRP funds are stackable, meaning that additional funding sources can be added, as long as the total funding does not exceed 100% of the purchase price. However, most providers had items on their SHRRP “wish-list” that simply could not be accommodated. So the simplest answer is to find out how much MEER money your energy-saving upgrades are worth, and talk to your service manager about re-allocating an equal amount of existing SHRRP money to another approved expenditure. It’s a win-win for all concerned!

I know this all sounds complicated, but SHSC and GLOBE have resources to help. Contact SHSC Customer Care if you want more information on MEER.

Make it so!