I specifically have my basement set up so I pay all the utilities. You are some know it all bitch aren’t you? The ones I had problems with they were relatively minor. Generally it’s because of the price or they can’t get approved in a building because of their nasty credit, poor work history or some other problem. Please dont say demolish the house or move out it took a lot of looking to get this apartment. Paying down a mortgage, building a nest egg, or increasing a home’s value are all great reasons to look into properties with secondary units. There’s unfortunately a lot of angry, defensive comments on here, defending being a basement renter or a basement landlord. Basement apartments are also below ground, concrete is porous, and this leads to higher humidity which make any cold more uncomfortable. Not just a reference check either…meet with them a few times! Couples who are first starting out want to pay as little and save as much. My understanding is that they can break a hole in your ceiling and secure the pipes better. Too cold, here’s a blanket? For many landlords what seems like a great benefit just isn’t by the time you calculate all the time required. I have been here for three years and have a great relationship with my landlords. In the current rental market, finding anything but a basement suite is really difficult. However, there are also many cons to consider before making a final decision. As for the other question it’s not clear enough, is there a common area? Basements are generally underground and support the building. I am looking to buy my first house, mostly what I saw, prices are much higher for the houses that have finished basement with a sep – entrance. Coming from the Vancouver area, in the city proper a significant % (probably a majority now) of houses have basement suites, often two of them and occasionally three if one includes a laneway house. I am half a block from like 4 churches. Basement apartments are a goldmine when paying of a mortgage and cheap for tenants so they can put money away. You will find some people that can read a credit report and interpret it. You have to take the good with the bad. The fact is that if your credit is so bad you can no longer get a cell phone, then it’s hard to justify renting you an apartment. Basements suck. Too many people live here to just park on the street. I’m not sure why tenants who rent in a house often argue. Don’t confuse Nimbyism with truth. Ok, I'm 14 years old, and I want to move into my basement. Correct me if I’m wrong but did you not allow the dogs onto the property when initially renting to the tenants? Most people do not end up enjoying basement tenants. When someone is angry and defensive it tells me they unfortunately haven’t developed an intelligence to read an article and remove their emotion from it, understanding that the article was never written to put anyone down personally. Especially the spiders . 6-Homeless people “shopping” in my garbage. If you are in an area like mine where you can get a one bedroom apartment in a building for the same price as a basement…it really is hard to get decent people. They look at the numbers on a duplex and think they’ve hit the jackpot. I’ve seen the RH get as low as 12%. 1. It is fairly sad that people like you who have a single traumatic event that cascades into unfortunate consequences for your credit get lumped into the same category as people who never willingly pay a bill in their life or never seem to manage their finances. When it comes to TCC apartments, bottom-dwelling may not necessarily be a bad thing! That’s only part of my arthritis condition it’s also hereditary and i live with numerous medical conditions. What I wanted to say is that I enjoyed living in this apartment. No landlord or property manager is going to rebuild the house to deal with these building issues. There is garbage and old furniture stacked at the bottom of the stairs that partially blocks access to the laundry room, an old leather chair she left on the deck. I really enjoyed the ones who took over my backyard with their two dogs, classy beer store lawn chairs and played golf in my tomato plants. I don’t know! That’s a lot of easy money for almost no work on my part, except the initial renovations. Others are more of a studio set-up with a kitchenette, bath, and open great room and kitchen. Please read up on your rights. I began with feeling low energy/depressed from lack of sunlight, fresh air, and constant cold/darkness. Usually that being the illegal installation of a ‘paper’ ceiling allowing you to hear the tenant above you and their every move, or perhaps the lack of ventilation in case of temperature changes, or even carbon monoxide poisoning. Oh. The fact are that for people who need affordable housing basement suites can fill this gap. Not All Finished Basements Are Basement Apartments. Single mothers who are not in receipt of child support and can not afford a “real” apartment. You are an attention seeking condescending red neck. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. Rachelle your a self absorbed bitch who knows absolutely nothing about life. She was also a “borrower”. Some people prefer living in an apartment while others would much rather have a house. In one of my other apts. Common sense would dictate that when you knowingly rent to someone with pets, they’re going to make use of the yard property. For all you landlords with a basement apartment..u can have a good experience too, if u make sure the person is good! Log into your account. You need a lot of airborne spores to create the health effects you are talking about. I certainly hope you never end up on the welfare system, cause if you do; its a shelter for you. €5 every 4 weeks or just €50 €20 for the first year, €7 every 4 weeks or just €70 €30 for the first year. I LOVE IT the people that own the house are fantasic. My new “landlord” wasted no time in calling me to ask if I would watch her youngest kids (a three year old and twin babies) while she went to drop her older child off at school. We gave her a great deal to help her out and no lie, within a month, she had moved in her new boyfriend, her brother, brother’s girlfriend, their baby and her 2 nieces. Landlords face pitfalls when they go the DIY route. Then there’s another one I rented just up the street here, nice young couple except they are dirty. The next time you move out of a cold and damp place and the landlord did nothing but collect your money – put in a complaint to both the local bylaw and building departments because guaranteed 90% of these are illegal. When she came downstairs to get it, she also asked for eggs…. She is a fucking moron blogger that knows nothing. There are many different issues to consider when it comes to the choice of a basement, crawl space, or a slab foundation for your new home. So basically basements are too hot and not humid enough and I don’t know anything. 8-Landlords cats playing with the springy door stop(yeh…it’s funny unless it is happening to you at 0300am). I have an apt. One day she called and asked if I happened to have a pound of bacon in the freezer that she could borrow. And I pay 1000 per month. Because, you know poor people are the only terrible tenants. Hi, I live in a basement and i have absolutely no problem with the apartment. I have lived in 2 basement apartments (suburbs of Toronto) within the past year and a half. It gets so cold sometimes that I am in thermal underwear, plus clothes, under a blanket and I cannot get my feet to warm up. Put to good use you could make a fortune with that thing and there is no extra utilities or pot/cigarette smokers to deal with. I have talked to my landlord about it and she told me that the woman is constantly asking for things. I can honestly say that basement apts were cheaper. Also, way to be classist, super professional and not alienating or disgusting at all. The slum Lord here clears the ice and snow from his walkway and stairs but not mine. I lived in a basement apt for 3 years before I bought my first house. It is not a good environment. It is not a good environment. But there are some disadvantages to be aware of as well. People who are new to the country, elderly on a pension, students etc. It works quite well. May I just suggest setting firm boundaries with her, the answer to any request is always no. Basement apartments are also below ground, concrete is porous, and this leads to higher humidity which make any cold more uncomfortable. Mind you, I go the extra mile and screen the hell out of them before saying yes. I have fallen down them more times than I can count. Tenants – you have rights. Landlords seem fine and sane. Rachelle is a liar and won’t allow posts about how other people’s posts already have discredited her entire argument. Why I choose basements over large apartment buildings? I replied, yes, but on mommy’s bed, not mine. . The advantages of using precast concrete is the increased quality of the material, when formed in controlled conditions, and the reduced cost of constructing large forms used with concrete poured on site. Thanks for looking down on basement tenants I’m a recent uni grad, on my first job and I live in a basement suite. It is used mainly in the construction of buildings with repetitive design and elements, such as schools and apartments. Some people have no problem living in a basement. That is just wrong…I am a tenant in a basement apt and we are human beings just like you are….”tenant” is not my name….I have arthritis, living even with a sweater on does not help the cold from the landlord controlling my heat makes it worse…..Listening to you proves one thing you are one of those landlords that as long as he or she gets the money from teh apt and does not have to put any in..its all good….You are the landlord, its your job to make it insulated enough and provide enough heat for the tenant to be warm……There are words for landlords like you and none I can say on here….Shame on you! Some are business owners who have claimed bankruptcy. We rely on readers like you to uphold a free press. Basement apartments are cheaper. It’s the most ridiculous situation and no one should be lessened to live in a basement, let alone pay for it. your username. Since basement apartments tend to be partially or mostly underground, moisture can seep in from any cracks in the foundation, and mold could grow behind or on walls, ceilings and floors, he says. On the other hand this is not a good rental area, it’s far from transit and amenities and also not what one would consider a desirable area where the price delta would justify a person choosing to get cheaper rent but still live at a really nice address. Don’t worry many don’t. Dee, it’s really ok. I’m not really nice so here’s what I have to say about mold. I found this wonderful fully renovated basement apartment. How can people be so ignorant? Pin. Trust Me, I WANT to move there, but I was just wondering about the advantages/disadvantages of moving down there. You hear your neighbors’ noises even if you don’t want to bother listening to such sounds. Go to the Landlord & Tenant and ask around what floor the tenants live on… I’ll admit I’m no Sally Sunshine but saying what I’ve observed after 15 years in this business doesn’t make me burned out. Buy the cheaper house. Welcome! People don’t have a choice to live there – for example in a big city people new out of school near somewhere affordable to live, and that’s the only place – or someone stuck in minimum wage. May 9, 2012. My current landlady has been very nice and reasonable so far, I hope she continues to be. I too rented out my basement apartment and I did have great tenants for long time but, the bad ones were very bad…, So nice of you to be judgmental of people on social assistance. Now Im not much of a joker but I thought the earplugs was funny. But…whenever you do have problems in a duplex 9 times out of ten it comes from the basement. In these cases, the front door usually functions as the entrance from the street and the back door opens up into a yard. 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