Sustainable Housing

There are a number of ways to make your house more environmentally friendly.  Your best resource for this information is the AMS Sustainability Office, which encourages environmental consciousness and advocates for sustainable improvements within the AMS and at Queen’s.  According to the SO, some of the easiest ways to incorporate sustainable techniques into your house include:

• Replacing your light bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs (which will also cut down on your utilities bill)
• Replacing your shower head with a water-saving shower head (again, this will lower your utilities bill)
• Refraining from using one-time-use cleaning products in favor of reusable ones

For more information, the AMS Sustainability Office has an extensive PDF file called “Green Guide to Kingston,” which details ways to be more environmentally friendly in your everyday routine.  The guide also includes further suggestions for making your house more sustainable.  Check out the Sustainability Office website (http://www.myams.org/sustainability), see the Sustainable Housing section of the site, or read the “Green Guide to Kingston” PDF for more information.

If you want, you can also contact Greenovations, a team run out of the Sustainability Office, which will send students to your house to help you make it “greener.”  In addition to personally retrofitting Queen’s student houses, Greenovations also provides free retrofit workshops and retrofit kits for students.  Retrofitting your house will allow you to use less energy, and therefore save money; it’s also, of course, better for the environment.

The “Resources” section of this page has website and contact information for the Sustainability Office and Greenovations.

Kingston Property Standards

The Kingston Property Standards Bylaw is pretty self-explanatory.  It describes the requirements all houses in Kingston must meet.  The document is short and easy to read and navigate, so if you have any concerns, it won’t hurt you to look them up.  It’s also not a bad document to at least skim through just to ensure your house is up to standard.

Here are some important property standards to keep in mind:

• Yards must be free of rubbish, furniture, long grass, and debris
• Exterior windows and doors intended to open must be able to be opened and locked from inside
• Steps and guard rails must be in good repair
• Windows must be screened, and cannot have missing glass
• Each floor must have smoke alarms
• Doors and windows must be draught-free
• Walls surrounding showers must be well maintained
• All plumbing, electrical, and heating systems must be impervious to water
• Walls, ceilings, and floors must be free of holes and cracks
• Bathrooms must have windows or exhaust fans for ventilation

For a full list of property standards, look up the Kingston Property Standards Bylaw.

Also, the Student Property Assessment Team (or SPAT) is run out of the MAC.  SPAT trains its student volunteers fully in Kingston Property Standards, and then provides free house inspections to Queen’s students.  If you are concerned something might be wrong and you aren’t ready to call in the city inspectors, send SPAT an email and two students will take a look at your house at a mutually agreeable time.  See the “Resources” section of the Housing Guide for SPAT contact information.

Residential Tenancies Act

The RTA outlines Landlord and Tenant rights and responsibilities.  You can find a copy online here. If you have other questions, see the Landlord and Tenant Board website, which has information and frequently asked questions for tenants and landlords.

Listed below are some important landlord and tenant responsibilities to keep in mind.

As a tenant you must:

• Keep the property reasonably clean
• Repair anything you break
• Report problems promptly (Always have hard copies of your complaints to your landlord.  If you do end up reporting problems to the Landlord and Tenant Board, you’ll need evidence that you tried to contact your landlord multiple times.)
• Pay rent on time
• Obey Kingston bylaws

Your landlord must:

• Provide a clean premise at the start of the lease
• Provide his/her phone number and mailing address
• Respect your privacy
• Respond promptly to requests for repairs
• Allow you to have a pet
• Obey Kingston property standard bylaws
• Pay interest on any rent deposit
• Allow you at least 60 days before the end of your lease to decide if you’re going to move
• Allow you to continue to rent on a monthly basis after one year of tenancy on a year long lease (unless the landlord has been granted an exemption by Queen’s)

The information on your landlord’s responsibilities is true no matter what your lease says. For more information call the Municipal Affairs Commission at 613.533.6000 ext. 75178.

Some common exemptions:

It is very, very important to know that if you are sharing a kitchen or bathroom with the landlord or someone from the landlord’s immediate family (at Queen’s, often the landlord’s son or daughter), or if you are living with the landlord or someone from the landlord’s immediate family, you are not considered a tenant, and therefore are not entitled to the rights outlined in the Residential Tenancies Act.

The Act also doesn’t apply to anyone living in Queen’s Residence.

Negligent Landlords

Here are the steps you should take if you believe your landlord is not meeting the responsibilities outlined above. The contact information for all of these resources is listed at the end of the guide.

1. Call Your Landlord - Report the problem and request action. Get his/her mailing address

2. Follow up with a Letter - Confirm details and the outcome of the phone call. Take pictures if necessary

3. Wait... - Wait a reasonable period of time for the problem to be resolved

4. Call Queen’s Town-Gown Relations - Call for general advice on how to proceed. In the meantime...

5. Call Kingston Property Standards - Call for a FREE inspection if the problem is related to maintenance or repairs OR call the Student Property Assessment Team (SPAT) to have a trained fellow student inspect your house and give you advice on property standards (see the Resources page for more information)

6. Call Queen’s Legal Aid - Arrange for FREE legal advice if the problem is urgent or substantial (ex. notice of eviction)