First thing you should know is that co-ops are not governed by the Residential Tenancy Act. So…read moreanything you think you know about tenant/landlord law? Pretty much doesn't apply.
When you are interested in a unit, they will interview you, but you won't get all the information. They'll tell you all you need to know to live IN the co-op, but conveniently leave out all the things you need to know to LEAVE the co-op:
** You need to give TWO months notice to leave.
** You need to paint your ENTIRE unit when leaving.
** If you paint it, and they don't think it looks right? You'll pay for them to hire their painters to do it. Even if you've already painted it (like we did).
** They'll give you a check-list a mile long of what to clean and how to clean it.
** You have to have the carpets professionally cleaned, with a receipt available. Renting a machine or using your own machine won't cut it.
** You probably aren't ever going to get your full $2,000 deposit back. They will find something to take out of it.
These are all the things we were NOT told, before agreeing to rent at Ford Road and forking over a deposit.
When we arrived on moving day at our unit, we were greeted with a binder full of rules that you have to follow. It's basically like living in a Strata complex. In or on this binder are also papers you will have to sign. This includes paperwork that explains all of the above information I just told you for the most part, except they didn't tell you any of this when you agreed to live here, they're only telling you now that it's way too late to turn back. You've already gave up your old place, hired the moving vans, and so on. You're stuck.
They don't do the walk-through of the unit with you, they just give you the papers and have you write anything that's wrong about the apartment down within a few days. My recommendation: Put down everything under the sun, right down to shotty paint jobs, so they can't get you for anything later when you decide to leave. Also, don't fill it out right away, as you may not notice things for a day or two.
Rent increases and Financial Stability: As I mentioned, Co-op housing is not governed by the Rental Tenancy Act. So they are not capped at how much they can raise your rent. I rented my unit at $861 and within 6 months was already paying $890 for the same space. They also voted on a crazy rent increase every year for the next few years in order to stay on their feet with the changes (provincial/federal) coming to the way co-ops are funded and mortgaged. For the price I would be paying in three years, it made more sense for us to move to a larger space.
Dogs: Do you have one? Be prepared for elderly people to complain about the noise, so you'd better not have a barking dog. You won't get a polite knock at your door, you'll get an anonymous passive-aggressive note stuck to your door instead, even though in the interview they stressed that talking to your neighbors is the first step at conflict resolution. Also: Even though it is NO WHERE in the rules (when we lived there), the pet committee will try to tell you that you can't let your dog go to the bathroom in the common yard area. But I stress, this is NOT in the rules.
Annual meetings: There are two per year that are "mandatory" (I use that term loosely). If you enjoy drama, people cursing at each other under their breath and people old enough to be your grandmother bullying/harassing/calling people names? These meetings will be for you. Bring some popcorn. The building is currently populated mostly by older people, and many of them loathe change. Suggest change, you'll hear the under-breath curse-words and name-calling pretty much immediately. Many people also failed to understand even the simplest of concepts and caused meetings to go on for hours asking questions about the same thing over and over again. Good luck with that.
Speaking of change: If you want to do anything, anything at all, you pretty much need permission from the board of directors. Look forward to waiting a week to several weeks for even the most simple request or question. It's not like calling up your landlord and asking them a question, you have to wait for people to vote on things or to converse with the board.
That's all for now but if I think of anything else I feel is important, I'll put it here.
With all the negatives, there were several positive points. The office staff, provided by CoHo Management, are awesome. And my direct neighbors were extremely nice and friendly. But any sense of "community" that was promised to me at the interview, it really didn't exist. Ford Road is more like a clique, with "popular people" and not-so-popular-people. It can be a very alienating experience as much as it could be an inclusive one. So choose carefully.
