Landlord/tenant rights, dealing with problems, where to get help...
Can I have an In-Unit Portable Washing Machine?
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Rto Posts: 3
Posted On: 1/19/2021
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My partner and I have a daughter and a second baby on the way. We use cloth diapers. Before we moved in, we read our tenancy agreement carefully and nowhere does it mention additional appliances being prohibited.
Because we wanted to cloth diaper, we purchased an in-unit, portable washing machine for three reasons:
1) it’s easier for us to do our laundry in the kitchen than to drag it down two flights of stairs;
2) the portable machine is both eco- and financially-more friendly than the industrial machines downstairs (a difference of about 25 gallons of water per use); and
3) because while we are more than willing to wash the “waste” out of our own machine, that is not something we will be doing in an industrial washing machine used by the whole building (our building has 2 machines for approximately 25 tenants).
Today we were told that it was Ontario law that these machines not be permitted in apartment complexes but I can’t seem to verify that anywhere. In the morning I will call the LTB but thought I’d post here in the meantime.
Thanks,
Ryan
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Moderator Moderator Posts: 4069
Posted On: 2/3/2021
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Hi there Ryan,
I apologize for the belated response. We understand why you would be concerned about this situation.
We hope the Landlord and Tenant Board were able to help you navigate this problem.
In case it is helpful, the Landlord Self-Help Centre has addressed a similar question, Can a landlord obligate his tenant to NOT have a washer/dryer in the rental unit? If the tenants signed an agreement (in the lease) to not posses a washer/dryer, is that agreement enforceable?
Here is an excerpt of their response:
This is one of those issues that is difficult to enforce even if it is stated in the lease agreement. If they do bring in a washer/dryer, there isn’t much that can be done unless it’s actually causing damage to the property or causing a plumbing or electrical problem, in which case the N5 Form could be served
If this is an issue that persists between you and your landlord, we suggest you find legal help at a community legal clinic. Steps to Justice has a resource page on getting legal help in housing law. This referral list includes many free to low-cost options for legal services.
We hope this information is helpful. Please follow-up with us if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Your Settlement.Org team
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Rto Posts: 3
Posted On: 3/3/2021
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Moderator wrote:
Hi there Ryan,
I apologize for the belated response. We understand why you would be concerned about this situation.
We hope the Landlord and Tenant Board were able to help you navigate this problem.
In case it is helpful, the Landlord Self-Help Centre has addressed a similar question, Can a landlord obligate his tenant to NOT have a washer/dryer in the rental unit? If the tenants signed an agreement (in the lease) to not posses a washer/dryer, is that agreement enforceable?
Here is an excerpt of their response:
This is one of those issues that is difficult to enforce even if it is stated in the lease agreement. If they do bring in a washer/dryer, there isn’t much that can be done unless it’s actually causing damage to the property or causing a plumbing or electrical problem, in which case the N5 Form could be served
If this is an issue that persists between you and your landlord, we suggest you find legal help at a community legal clinic. Steps to Justice has a resource page on getting legal help in housing law. This referral list includes many free to low-cost options for legal services.
We hope this information is helpful. Please follow-up with us if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Your Settlement.Org team
Sorry for MY belated response to your response. Thank you so much - we had figured this info out after a few weeks of back and forth with some folks in the LTB. I still appreciate your answer!
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