First time renting from an individual landlord in Toronto. Is this a normal move in condition?
Hi everyone. This is my first time renting a privately owned condo. Before this, I always lived in purpose built rental buildings, so I’m genuinely trying to understand what is normal.
My husband and I recently moved into an older condo. We actually chose it because the layout is much better than many newer units, the space is more usable, and some of the finishes feel more substantial.
Before moving in, we were told there was a lingering food smell from the previous tenant, but that the apartment had been cleaned and the smell should go away.
When we got the keys, the smell was extremely strong. I’m very sensitive to smells, so I bought an air purifier and started deep cleaning everything myself. The smell is mostly gone now, but I realized part of it seems to have been related to cleanliness. For example, when I wiped some of the walls, the cloth was coming away yellow.
The walls and baseboards are also in pretty rough condition. There are holes, obvious patches, stains, scuffs, hand marks and damaged areas throughout the unit. I’m not asking for luxury painting or a colour change. I would have been fine with the existing colour. I just expected the walls to be repaired and reasonably clean before move in.
There was also a large storage piece inside the closet. I originally asked if it could be removed because I didn’t like it, but the property manager said no, so I accepted that. During the move, we only pulled it forward to clean behind it, and it completely fell apart and almost hit one of the movers. That made me realize it may actually have been a safety issue, not just something I disliked aesthetically.
There are also some bathroom maintenance issues, including deteriorated caulking, damaged trim and staining inside the cabinetry that looks like it may be related to moisture.
To be fair, I’m not dealing with the landlord directly. I’m dealing with the landlord’s property manager/representative. They have told us not to arrange work without approval, which I understand, and I’ve been told the landlord is willing to cover painting but wants to approve the budget first.
I’m not trying to get a free renovation. We are very clean people and want to take care of the apartment like our home. I just feel like there is a difference between normal tenant cleaning and maintenance, and having to deal with pre existing turnover issues right after moving in.
Would you consider this a normal condition to receive a rental unit in? What would you expect the landlord/property manager to take responsibility for?