My cockroach infested rental

Action 📚: In Ontario, the tally is $248M of KNOWN unpaid rent from LTB Orders inside Openroom over the last 4 years. Wild! What would you do with a quarter of a billion dollars? 🤔 

Join me on Wed. Feb 26 7PM EST to learn insider tips on “What to do when / after there’s unpaid rent?” Jordan Nieuwhof is dishing out on behind-the-scenes after servicing thousands of housing provider and renter clients as a paralegal and coach. See Openroom Events to RSVP.

Action 👉: Last call for any stellar property managers in your circle (i.e. they know the rental business like the back of their hand). Introduce me to them! Or, nominate yourself. I’m building a list of property managers in our community to share on our website and in the next newsletter. Just reply back to this email!

👩🏻 Top update from me, Weiting (Co-Founder)

My mom, dad, and I immigrated to Canada in 2000.

No Canadian work experience plus a heavy accent?

My mom didn’t speak English so she didn’t have a job. My dad worked odd jobs.

My dad had secured a 1-bedroom rental for us on the third floor of 210 Oak Street, Toronto for a couple of years. It’s at the intersection of Gerrard Street East and River Street.

I drove by the building last weekend as I was in the area with my 2 toddlers.

I had a flood of nostalgia.

Low income families like my family was only able to afford this at the time.

I remember the cockroaches that came out at night, and often in the day time too. They were everywhere.

They were on the dishes in the kitchen, on my borrowed piano keyboard, and on my tooth brush in the washroom.

Everywhere. 🪳🪳🪳

One of my first friends in Canada, Jessie, lived on the 18th floor. They had rats in their unit. Was I lucky that I didn’t have rats? 🐀🐀🐀

Multiple families going to the building management and asking for help. Nothing changed.

We lived there even when my grandma came to Canada for a visit, and when my mom gave birth to my younger sister.

Yes, 5 of us in the tiny 1 bedroom unit.

I didn’t know that life could be any different so I didn’t question it.

Besides, not paying rent was UNHEARD OF.

-Sigh-

I don’t know what it’s like there now. Perhaps things have changed over the last 25 years, and maybe it’s better now.

Fast forward 25 years, I can’t help but give kudos to my parents who have come a long way to get to where we are now. To be able to own a property where they can rent out their basement. Or, for me to be able to afford to buy a property to call my own.

I’m very thankful for the hand I’ve been dealt.

I know some of you reading this know exactly what it’s like to have built something from ground up like my mom & dad. Some of you may have or are living in even worse conditions than what my I experienced. Some of you might be working 3 jobs to pay the bills or get kids in school.

You can’t lose if you don’t give up - keep going, my friend.

For housing providers - You own a business and you need to treat your customers who are your tenants with care and respect. The upkeep of your rental property is a fundamental basic.

Let’s do better, together.

🤝 Our community contributions

It’s Provincial Elections in Ontario. The Federal one is coming soon because each political party is already accumulating volunteers and conducting training sessions. I know because I’m actively volunteering for various campaigns.

Remember that housing is a Provincial matter. If you can vote in Ontario, there is absolutely no excuse not to get out there and vote on (or prior to) Thursday, February 27, 2025. Get more information about the elections.

Otherwise, don’t be complaining.

If you’re not in Ontario, you can take action one way or another like Maxwell MacLean (Owner of VMH Properties) who shared a write up comparison between the tenancy laws in British Columbia vs. Ontario.

Or, like frequent contributor Lorinda Seward, a small housing provider sharing the frustrations of society always thinking that small landlords are the enemy. We need to change the narrative because small landlords are struggling too.

Want to share your story but want someone else to write for you? You can share it with the SOLO organization and let them ping the media and all of our MPPs within their monthly newsletter. The video below is my face on Instagram explaining the concept.

Wait, “Weiting, I don’t do social media”. I hear you and I got your back. You can watch it in my Google Drive.

openroomhq

View more on Instagram

📊 Community Polling

Openroom conducts research in every newsletter. Results are anonymous.

In the last newsletter, I asked you “What do you think about renting in Canada?”

The slight majority of you state that it is a practical choice but the other side sees renters as less financial stable and ultimately, we’re aiming for home ownership.

To be honest, I saw home ownership as the ultimate goal as well which is why I bought my first home immediately after I graduated university and got a decent job working at Bell Canada.

I’m privileged in that I had support from my family to get an initial investment on top of my own savings. As I grew older, I got more educated around the hardships of renting a place in Canada - especially Ontario or British Columbia.

As I learn, I promise to share more with you. As you learn about the housing world, or when you’ve got knowledge to share, please keep educating me and the wider community too.

Weiting Bollu
Mom, Rental Housing Provider, Rental Housing Advocate, Educator, and Openroom Co-Founder & CEO

p.s. The best gift you can give us is to share this newsletter with a friend.

👉 newsletter.openroom.ca