CASA P.O.W.
PROJECT
Tenancy Services
| Rental Agency Website to match tenants on welfare or
work income with rental spaces provided by owners and managers of apartments,
rooming houses, or townhouses for a small annual listing and
placement fee (based on amount of rent) charged to the property owner, thru online application with guaranteed placement
within 1 year of listing on the website:
a) properties fill our Rental Form to list the allotted vacancies and we provide the tenants from our waiting list; and/or b) tenants fill our Tenant Form, choose any apartment in our website listing or 'Renters News' and we apply on their behalf. |
Contact byEmail: |
| 1. website listing and webpage for a year, of rental spaces made available to tenants on government-subsidized welfare and low-income, for a small listing fee (refundable within 1 year if no placement found); | |
| 2.guaranteed rent payable by either mailed cheques directly from the government welfare office to the property office or by direct deposit from the tenant's account to the owner's account. If the tenant works but has problems paying rent on time, then the employer may be contacted for direct payment for rent. Some clients making the transition from welfare to work are eligible for a training and/or wage subsidy program between the government and the employer; | Visit |
| 3. liase between shelters, housing workers and case workers since we act as the reference for the tenants to get approval for the allotted units, until approvals for rental payment cheques are obtained and mailed directly to property office. Since limited income tenants may be a credit risk to properties, tenants agreeing to direct payment from welfare office to property office ensures prompt and regular rent payment monthly; | |
| 4. guaranteed placement of tenant(s) to listed rental space(s) within 1 year of signing
up and listing on our website, for a non-refundable placement fee based on first month's rent, a
payable deduction from the payment of first and last month's rents. For example, for a 2 bedroom apartment's
rent $800, our agency gets $800 from the Property as placement fee (see Fees guide) for
that space, deducted from the first and last month's rent of $800 x 2 = $1600. After listing with CASA P.O.W. each property gets one webpage, then we bring or send the potential tenants to view the allotted rental units. Tenants fill out the property's rental application form, and the Property Management approves and signs the Rental Information form (Proof of Address), where we note the request for direct payment of rent to property office, which the tenant signs in agreement. This form is either faxed and/or brought in by the tenant to the welfare case worker to issue the rent cheques after a follow-up confirmation call to the property office. The first and last months rent cheques are then issued by the case workers and brought to the property office. In some welfare offices, there is also a form for direct mailing of rent cheques to the property which has to be signed by the tenant as part of the agreement; it is useful to ask for a signed copy to be faxed to the property, as proof (in addition to the noted request signed by the tenant on the Rental Information form). Then prior to the tenants move-in, the property lease is signed as with the agency agreement. At the back of the agency agreement, tenants can write down anything about the unit, noting the existing condition of the unit, then they can move in. If there are subsequent problems with rent cheques, the Agency can contact the Welfare office on behalf of the Property and tenant; |
5.third party agency agreement between our agency, owner or manager and tenant includes: complaint handling, negotiation and mediation of minor disputes regarding the rental space or by referral for co-tenancy problems, for 1 year from the date of tenancy; this will be signed to ensure protection for all parties. If a court case is necessary, the Agency can work with legal advisers in community legal clinics and refer legal representation to both parties, according to our legal associates fees. After the settlement of the dispute, we hope that the tenancy will continue with both parties in agreement; |
| 6. the owner/manager has up to 3 choices: a choice between up to 3 potential tenants per space, choosing the most appropriate tenant(s), whereas the tenants have a choice of co-tenants from our list of potential tenants, since some of them are making the transition from the streets or shelters and need a co-tenant(s) to share the rent and space and for support; | DocumentsNote: Print them with .25 margins. |
| 7. replacement of tenant(s) or space within 1 year of listing before Property evicts at 50% of one month rent as a non-refundable replacement fee or free replacement if tenants leave without dispute within 3 months. This replacement of tenant option can be used instead of an eviction, to save both parties from the hassle of going to tribunal court and for the the leaving tenant to avoid having an eviction on their rental history. The leaving tenant can get another space more suitable for same cost of listing fee (see fees); | |
| 8. subsequent years under residual fee terms, we retain the mediation and legal referral services for each year the same tenants remain in the same units. | |
| 9. additional promotion in presentations to shelters, to associations, thru fax flyers and in annual fundraiser. | Flyers |
| NOTE: Neither the property staff, the tenants, community workers nor other agencies on their own without CASA P.O.W., shall rent, recruit nor refer other potential tenants from the same shelters and community agencies to the listed properties, after being introduced or entering this agreement with our agency. | Annual |
