Annual Deductions – November Rent
If Sage Living signed a new lease agreement for your unit beginning on September 1st, 2021, a cleaning deduction will be made to your November rent.
Inflation rates have affected all aspects of life, and coordinating cleaning for suites is no exception. Our office heard the requests made by multiple Landlords and we worked to secure multiple cleaning contracts at the most competitive rates possible. While additional efforts were made to help keep costs as low as possible for Landlords this past year, inflation as caused by increased cost of cleaning products, staffing, health and safety requirements, etc, resulted in an increased cost to cleaning for nearly all Landlords.
Each year, we receive questions from our clients related to the cleaning deduction and have included frequently asked questions below for your use:
Q: How do we procure cleaners for suites each year, and how many cleaners did we secure this year?
A: Our office receives multiple bids from several local and provincial run cleaning companies. We review each bid to determine the best, most cost effective cleaner. In previous years our office would secure an agreement with a single cleaning company. This typically resulted in this single cleaning company to become overworked, resulting in overtime hours and various other related costs. This year, our office secured multiple cleaners in an effort to reduce increased labour costs typical when contracting a single cleaning company.
Q: What is included in the cleaning service provided during tenant turnover?
A: Turnover cleaning is completed very thoroughly to ensure that the suite has been sufficiently sanitized for the incoming tenant. Cleaning providers will complete a top to bottom clean, including items such as the inside and outside of all of the appliances and cupboards, deep cleaning and sanitization of all surfaces, and even underneath beds.
Q: Can you negotiate lower prices for the coming term?
A: Each year our team will revisit cleaning contracts to negotiate prices and compare quotes from new vendors. It is our goal to achieve the lowest annual costs for our clients, while ensuring the services provided exceed our client’s expectations. While we cannot speak to the prices that will be secured for the coming term, we can assure clients that the cost of cleaning remains one of the most important items within our service offering.
Q: Why is cleaning necessary? Can’t the tenant complete this independently? Can we retain a cleaning deposit?
A: As an investment owner, additional costs are expected but not always easy to digest. Landlords are always looking for ways to increase cash flow, but sacrificing the quality of cleaning would result in greater Tenant complaints and overall cost.
The Landlord and Tenant Board does require that a Landlord provide their suite to the Tenant in clean and safe status. The Landlord could not guarantee that the previous Tenants would adequately clean or prepare the suite for the new Tenant.
Unfortunately the Residential Tenancies Act and Landlord and Tenant Board do not support the collection of any funds as a cleaning or damage deposit. This tactic is not included as a legal practice for active Landlords in Ontario.
Projected Cleaning Costs Per Suite Style:
