Property Management in Central Ottawa

Homes we have listed in central Ottawa

• 252 Daly Avenue, a four-bedroom century home in Sandy Hill, steps from the Rideau Centre.
• 3 - 34 Lavergne Street, a two-bedroom unit in a triplex in Beechwood Village.
• 2102 - 180 George Street, a one-bedroom condo in the ByWard Market.
• 646 - 340 McLeod Street, a two-bedroom condo in Centretown.
• 142 Ste Cecile Street, a triplex with three two-bedroom units.

Renting out a condo

Most rentals in the downtown core are condominium units. Each condo corporation has its own declaration, by-laws and rules, covering matters such as pets, smoking, parking, move-in bookings and short-term rentals. Tenants must follow them, whatever the lease says.

Under Ontario's Condominium Act, an owner who leases a unit must notify the condo corporation and give it a copy of the lease within 10 days of signing. As your property manager, we can send this notice for you and give the tenant the building's rules before move-in.

Century homes and small multi-unit buildings

Sandy Hill, Lowertown, Centretown and the Glebe have many older houses, duplexes and triplexes. Older heating, plumbing, roofs and windows need regular attention, and repairs are easier to plan when they are found early. We arrange inspections and keep a record of the work done on each property.

Ottawa's Rental Housing Property Management By-law applies to these properties. Among other things, landlords must:

• give tenants an information document when the lease is signed, with contact details and how to make a service request;
• answer urgent service requests within 24 hours and other requests within 7 days, and keep a record of each request and its outcome;
• keep a pest management plan, and, for buildings of 3 or more storeys or 10 or more units, a capital maintenance plan.

Keeping vacancies short

Every residential owner in Ottawa must declare each year whether the property was occupied, even when it is rented. A home left empty for more than 184 days in a year is subject to the City's Vacant Unit Tax, which starts at 1% of the assessed value and rises for each consecutive vacant year. A rental that is priced well, presented well and shown quickly helps avoid both lost rent and this tax.

What we do for owners

• Review the rent against comparable homes nearby.
• Photograph and advertise the property, and show it to applicants.
• Screen applicants with credit checks, employment and income verification and references from previous landlords, in line with Ontario's Human Rights Code.
• Prepare the lease on Ontario's standard lease form.
• Coordinate maintenance and repairs with licensed and insured contractors.
• Collect rent and send monthly and annual statements.

More detail is on our services page. For the rules that apply to Ontario landlords, read our guide Renting Out Your Home in Ottawa.