What Is Rent-To-Own?

A rent-to-own agreement that means you are renting a house for an agreed-upon period of time with the option (or in some cases obligation) of buying it before the rental term is finished. While this may sound simple, a rent-to-own agreement is very nuanced. It is important that you have a clear understanding of the terms and the potential risks associated with it before committing.

Why Would Someone Rent-To-Own?

A rent-to-own agreement can be an option well suited to some...

Now that the Cannabis Act has passed many Ottawa landlords and tenants alike are wondering if they are allowed to smoke cannabis or grow cannabis plants in their Ottawa rental units.

Since October 17th Canadians can now legally smoke cannabis in the privacy of their homes. Tenants who live in an Ottawa's multi-family property wich many units may have more rules to follow.

If your rental unit is located in a condominium complex there could be bylaws preventing residents from smoking marijuana...

The City of Ottawa is served by the Ottawa Real Estate board which represents 3,000 real estate agents. The service area of the Ottawa real estate board extends past the City of Ottawa's boundaries. The board outlines MLS® districts and City of Ottawa real estate division. Many, larger neighbourhoods have two MLS® district numbers such as Vanier, Overbrook, Westboro, etc.

As of February 2018 the Ottawa real estate board has a total 379 MLS® districts. This allows your Realtor to better select y...

Want to become a real estate agent in Ottawa? Want to join the Ottawa Real Estate Board as a Realtor but curious to know what real estate agents pay to the board?

Ottawa Real Estate Board Fees / Bills

Board fees are only some of the expenses incurred by Ottawa real estate agents. These fees are billed monthly by the Ottawa real estate board and give their members access to the MLS®, Teranet and a portion donated to the Realtor Care Foundation. 

The Ottawa Real Estate Board has many tasks in...

Landlords and REALTORS® have previously been using various types of residential leases when entering in tenancies with tenants. Real estate agents from the Ottawa Real Estate Board were using the Ottawa Real Estate Boards residential lease below.

Starting April 30th 2018, landlords of most private residential rental units will now be forced to used the standard Ontario residential lease template rather than the Ottawa Real Estate board residential lease. The new Ontario standard residential l...

Canada's per capita energy consumption and greenhouses emission is one of the worst highest in the world. 17% of greenhouse gases come from heating and cooling our buildings.

The International Energy Agency created a report in 2015 which looked targets and current situations in many countries. It said Canada was a long way from meeting the goals set in it's 2020 and 2030 climate targets.

An effective way to reduce our greenhouses emission would be to toughen our building code and transition...

The City of Toronto is looking into Airbnb and how it affects real estate prices, neighbourhoods and rental stock. Will Ottawa be following suit and restrict Airbnb style short term rentals? 

Some ideas being tossed around by some is to limit Airbnb listings to primary dwellings as the current Airbnb model allows owners to rent pretty much any time of properties. The current model allows a neighbor to essentially run their residential condo or house as a hotel.

According to an Ottawa lawyer, t...