Fort McMurray Forum

Hi all! Just wondering if anyone has any information on what the bylaws are regarding rental houses, if there are any that is. For the past few years we have had a "trouble house" on our street and it gets worse by the day. We, and our other neighbours, are at our wit's end right now and at a loss of what to do. The house is being rented out by the room and there are currently 8 tenants (with as many vehicles) in a small house. Any tips or helpful info would be appreciated!

Unfortunatly not much you can do unless the landlord want's the tenents out.

Complain to bylaw, complain to the landlord, complain to the city.

I have the same problem, the renters puke and litter outside. Gross.

I was a renter for over a decade and always respected property and neighbours. Not all renters are respectful.

I always wonder if the owner of the house even knows. I can see inside a bit and can tell they are not taking care of the house inside. The home owner thinks they are making money but when the renters are out they'll find they have just as much costly renovation to do as they made in rent money. I dislike the concept of income property here. It drives up the cost for those of us who just want somewhere to live and gives us neighbours like this. I especially dislike it when I find out the home owner lives in Calgary/Edmonton/etc and thinks they'll get rich off property in Fort McMurray. This is our home that we love and shouldn't be someone's "gravy train".

We have a couple of houses like this in our area. What we do is take a zero tolerance attitude with the tenants, particularly when they first move in. Call in every noise complaint you can. Use the bylaws we have to address parking and garbage issues. We find that after paying the municipality a couple of hundred dollars each they behave a little better or they move away.

I would definitely call and complain to the city. As a landlord I hate idiots like this. I'm sure if these slum lords lived in the house they rented out as I do, things would be much different. I was very clear with my tenants that I wanted a quiet house because of my work schedule and they all told me without exception they wanted to rent off me because their previous places were too loud for them so I know I've lucked out on this. I agree with MacDaddy on calling the noise complaints. Since a lot of these yahoos are here for money, perhaps being relieved of a few hundred bucks due to their own stupidity will wisen them up some.

Yes there is a bylaw ..
Bylaw cracking down on illegal basement suites, boarding houses


It's illegal to rent more than two rooms in your house -- or to create an apartment unit in your home -- without getting the necessary permit first, says the Fort McMurray RCMP.

The reminder comes in the wake of nine new investigations into so-called illegal suites since Jan. 1.

"When you build a regular house, a suite in the basement -- often with its own kitchen and bathroom -- requires a building inspection," said Const. Tiffany Miller this morning.

"The same applies if you put a suite in yourself: A building inspector needs to look at the electrical, plumbing and heating systems to ensure the unit is safe and doesn't pose a fire hazard," Miller said.

A permit is then issued by the municipality's planning and development department.

But if a unit or boarding house does not meet the standards, the homeowner can be fined $1,000 a day while the apartment remains rented out.

"We're not the only city with housing issues," Miller said, referring to the shortage of affordable housing in the Oilsands City.

"But these laws aren't only for Fort McMurray; they're for the safety of the renter and also the homeowner and people in adjacent homes," she said.

Multiple renters also create road hazards and parking violations, Miller said, adding she could not provide statistics on the number of illegal suites investigated by bylaw officers last year.

For its population, Fort McMurray is short 3,900 housing units, municipal officials said in January.

Permit applications for construction of a suite are available on the fourth floor of the Jubilee Centre on Franklin Avenue.

If someone has an investment that is really none of your business, nor should you make it your problem. Your problem lies with sh!tty neighbors. So use the city bylaws to force these people to change their lifestyle habits. As it was said, phone in every every time they violate a municipal bylaw and eventually something will get done about it.