Hi Mike;Please re-read the quote:"...the next time this happens, you will not only be collecting the next two months, you will be collecting her next eight months of rent (assuming lease ends in August and you do not re-re-rent her room)."
If a student leaves mid-term, I would suggest 90% of the time, that room is not being re-rented. As landlord, you have to make efforts to re-rent the room (advertising etc.). Failing which, if you have good, parent signed lease, you are claiming damages (advertising costs, lost revenue) against the tenant and parent at end of lease term. This is applicable in Ontario - and probably in other areas as well.
Mike
QUOTE (Smitty @ Dec 22 2008, 03:32 PM) Careful. Not sure what province we`re talking about here, but in Alberta that`s not necessarily true.
Whether its periodic or fixed, generally speaking, as a matter of practicality as viewed by the court or Landlord-Tenancy board, you cannot simply just keep cashing rent cheques in Alberta just because the tenant gave improper notice or did a midnight move.
You have to do a pile of work here, and you have to prove that you have been very diligent in your efforts to re-rent the suite. Most times, what happens is the Landlord can generally keep the security deposit, - as a one month buffer (I do this in my leases - improper notice constitutes the surrender of your security deposit).
Generally, as a Landlord, you get a one month`s buffer to re-rent.
Please understand, that above advice is based not on the strict interpretation of the Landlord Tenancy Law, which would seem to favor the Landlord in this issue - particularly in the instances where fixed leases are used, but in several detailed conversations with the Landlord Tenancy board and the Dispute Resolution Service. I`m just saying its a huge misconception that some Landlords have that a suite can just "sit empty" because a lease was broken and the suite makes money.
Mike `Smitty` Smith
P.S. Totally concur with all the other advice; must get parents to co-sign and give cheques up front!
P.P.S. I have also found that it is extremely useful to have a very frank, up front, straightforward conversation with students before they move in about breaking leases, and should their circumstances change etc etc.