RESOURCES FOR LANDLORDS

Yes. Rental agreements under the HomeConnect program are still between the landlord and the tenant. While HomeConnect helps facilitate the connections between the landlords and the tenants, the landlord still gets final say over who they rent to (or who they don’t).

Yes. All rental units are required to meet the minimum requirements set by law, such as the Building Code, Fire Code, property standards by-laws, etc., before we can accept them into the HomeConnect program.

This includes things such as making sure there are working smoke detectors, that there is adequate ventilation, and that all bedrooms have a suitable door or window that could allow a person to escape in an emergency.

Filing a claim under the Landlord Protection Fund is easy and is handled for you by HomeConnect staff.

If you feel like you are eligible to submit a claim please contact us to discuss the situation in more detail and find out what documentation will be required to support the claim.

HomeConnect focuses on making successful tenancies as easy as possible right from the start. While laws and regulations exist to protect both tenants and landlords, they are still often not enough to result in successful tenancies. Landlords have spoken, and we have listened. Through consultations, EHSJ has asked landlords to share the biggest pain points – such as viewing no-shows – so that these can be addressed in the design of HomeConnect.

EHSJ recognizes that providing housing to tenants with barriers to housing stability is not easy work. Problems will arise, disagreements will happen, and mistakes will be made. This is to be expected, and it’s ok. HomeConnect is designed to respond when – and ideally before – things go wrong. EHSJ is here to support all stakeholders with the tools and resources required to make tenancies work.

Landlords that partner with HomeConnect commit to practice the following:

• Believe that everyone deserves a home, and that people are better able to move forward with their lives if they are housed first (Housing First philosophy)
• Treat people with respect, and recognize that doing so is the best way to gain respect and trust
• Be patient, accepting that tenants are likely working through issues and challenges
• Be honest and upfront
• Respect the confidentiality of tenants (do not share information you would not want a business owner to share about you)

Landlords participating in the HomeConnect program can reach out to us any time they have questions or if any issues arise during a tenancy. The HomeConnect team will work with the tenant and the Community Agency supporting them to help address any problems that may come up along the way.

We’re also here to support landlords by answering any questions they may have about the Residential Tenancies Act, through various training and educational initiatives, and through our Landlord Protection Fund.

In most cases rent is paid to a landlord by direct deposit. However, if there are rental arrears resulting from a HomeConnect tenancy our Landlord Protection Fund can cover up to $10,000.

Please note that we can only cover tenancies that are under the HomeConnect program and have proper documentation in place.

If there is damage caused to the property during a HomeConnect tenancy our Landlord Protection Fund can cover up to $10,000, as long as proper documentation is provided to support the claim (quotes, invoices, etc.) Damage is only covered if caused by a tenant participating in the HomeConnect program (or their guests) and coverage is subject to our Landlord Protection Fund policies.

Please note that we do not cover the cost of normal wear and tear and can only cover tenancies that are under the HomeConnect program and have proper documentation in place.

We inspect all rental units as part of the HomeConnect program. Inspections are completed prior to a rental unit being included in the program. Inspections are also completed at the end of a tenancy and at other times if necessary.

These inspections are a visual inspection only and are similar to the Rental Premises Condition Report available on the Service NL website.

While there is no set list of unit types that we look for, there are some things to keep in mind:

• Rent rates need to be affordable for the clients we serve,
• The rental unit needs to be in an area we serve, such as St. John’s, Mount Pearl, and parts of Paradise (some exceptions may apply),
• Some types of rental units, such as bachelor and one-bedroom units, are in much higher demand through the HomeConnect program,
• We’re always interested in discussing harder-to-find units, such as pet-friendly units, accessible units, etc.

If you have any questions about the suitability of a rental unit for the HomeConnect program, please feel free to get in touch with us at any time.

Because HomeConnect works with a variety of community agencies the funding for each client would be different on a case-by-case basis.

The primary funding for rent payments made for tenants under HomeConnect would be the provincial Income Support program and Eastern Health, and in some cases tenant may pay a portion of their rent as well though this is rare.

Rent payments made to a landlord by Income Support and Eastern Health are typically made by direct deposit to a landlord’s bank account.