Paying Rent

Philosophy

CRC Self Help is a non-profit organization that believes housing is a basic human right. Many people in today’s society can not afford the cost of market rents. It can be difficult for singles with a low income to gain access to safe, secure and affordable housing. All the units in CRC Self Help houses are for people who qualify for rent-geared-to-income assistance. RGI is based on the philosophy that ideally a person’s rent should not exceed 30% of the person’s income so that other life essentials are not sacrificed and a decent quality of life is experienced.

Policy

Rent must be paid every month on or before the first day of each calendar month.

Procedure

This means that rent must be received on or before the first day of the month every month. Residents can pay their rent one of the following ways:

  • Bring payment to the office in the form of personal cheque, certified cheque, money order or cash. Rent can be paid between the hours of 9:30 am and 4:30 pm. The office is located at: 90 Richmond Street, Suite 201 (just south of Queen St. between Church St. and Jarvis St.
  • Send personal cheque, certified cheque or money order by mail to:
    90 Richmond Street, Suite 201, Toronto, Ontario M5P 1C1
  • Arrange for Direct Rental Payment through a social assistance provider. (E.g. Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Plan)
  • Provide CRC Self Help with a series of post-dated cheques.
  • Arrange for monthly pre-authorized payment through a financial institution. Please call the office to obtain your payee account number. For more information, please download our flyer.
  • Send a deposit via an email money transfer using online banking. For more information, please download our flyer.

Residents will be issued a receipt from CRC Self Help for the amount paid each month. Be sure to keep these receipts, rent can be claimed as a Property Tax Credit when filing your Income Tax and Benefit Return.

Why does a resident have to pay their rent on time?

Prompt and full payment of rent is required to cover the operating expenses of the house. In order for CRC Self Help to meet its financial obligations, residents must meet their financial obligations. Responsibly paying rent on time demonstrates desire to continue living at CRC Self Help and commitment to paying a fair share of the cost of managing the home. Besides the financial reasons, non-payment of rent can become a serious legal matter that can lead to a resident being evicted OR that can lead to a resident loosing their housing.

What happens if...

  • If a resident does not pay their rent on time, they will receive a N4: Notice to Terminate Tenancy for Non-Payment of Rent, or what is commonly called an N4. The N4 is a legal form that notifies the resident that their rent is late and if it is not received within 14 days then the landlord can file for an eviction.
  • If the resident is unable to pay their rent within 14 days, they can meet with their Facilitative Housing Worker to establish a Payment Agreement to repay the amount owing.
  • If the resident does not pay rent within 14 days of receiving the N4 or sign a Payment Agreement, or if the resident does not honour a signed Payment Agreement, CRC Self Help can proceed with filing for an eviction.
  • If a resident has a record of paying their rent late, CRC Self Help may serve the resident a N8: Notice to Terminate Tenancy at the End of the Term, or what is commonly called an N8. The termination date can be no earlier than 60 days after the delivery of the notice and must be on the last day of the rental period.
  • If a resident is in arrears or is persistently late in paying their rent, any request to transfer to another unit within their home or to a unit in another CRC Self Help house will be denied.
  • If a resident is evicted for non-payment of rent and leaves with an outstanding amount owing, they will be required to make arrangements to repay these monies if they apply for housing with another social housing provider or they will lose their rights to rent-geared-to-income assistance.
  • If a resident is ten days late paying rent and has removed personal belongings from their unit, it will be assumed that the resident has permanently left the unit.

If an eviction can not be prevented, the Facilitative Housing Worker involved will work with the resident to coordinate the transition.