The official places to *AVOID RENTING* in WATERLOO thread

[RLP06]

I think that renting places can be a tough chore and having more resources would be better. I don't know if there are other forums out there thats similar to this thread but I thought that this thread would be good for people to post bad experiences they have had with landlords in Waterloo or just got a place with really poor living conditions.

To be cautious, I would leave out specifics to your case, because the landlord does have your personal information.

Anyways, the first one I will add to this list is

130 Columbia Street West, these are apartments, the condition of the units are ok, a little old. The landlord however is totally unwilling to help students who are living there, you have to constantly bug him to get anything done, he has the poorest attitude after he gets you into a contract. Avoid dealing with him at any costs.

[CB4Fan]

I agree.
definitely not a good landlord. but the location is too good to be ignored . :mad: .

[Tomy]

u mean dan?
omg that guy is so bad.

i saw him threaten some guy lol

[konfusion666]

Weber street is teh suck.

[jayslay]

houses owned by tom gosling are horrible, he is the most irresponsible landlord EVER!! i rented a house from him on erb st. and there were soo many problems and he just ignored them (ie. no heating in Jan. so slept with my winter jacket)

he has a girl working for him who gets ppl to lease houses and her name is Tara so avoid at all cost!!

[aquariaguy]

WCRI is the best. Cheapest. Closest. I was an ADM hehe.

[RLP06]

houses owned by tom gosling are horrible, he is the most irresponsible landlord EVER!! i rented a house from him on erb st. and there were soo many problems and he just ignored them (ie. no heating in Jan. so slept with my winter jacket)

he has a girl working for him who gets ppl to lease houses and her name is Tara so avoid at all cost!!

That's pretty bad, I'd say there are quite a few landlords that don't take responsibility after they get you in a contract.

Any specific location you remember this Tom Gosling renting out?

[RLP06]

u mean dan?
omg that guy is so bad.

i saw him threaten some guy lol

I think Dan might be the townhouses next to GTO. Don't remember the address.

But the landlord's name for the ones at 130 Columbia is Ray.

[Tomy]

ya.. dan is really bad..

i lived there and he had been nth but trouble.


after all these years, ur best bet is UW place. costs more, but its well worth it at the end. You get everything you need and its close to campus.

i think the extra $$ justify for the problems we have to deal with sublets, contracts and stupid landlords.

[Bzji]

Avoid the house on 108 University Ave, (on the corner of University and Sunview). The landlord (Sam, brown dude) for the place is an absolute jackass He just became the landlord in July 2006, the previous landlord was very nice and I can't believe he sold the place to a total jackass. This new guy has the incredible urge to yell at tenants, even when he f***s up and ruins all of people's kitchen ware and furniture. He does not care about the student at all, he wanted to prepare the house for September, so he started all his construction in the house while everyone was studying for exams.(Happened to 2 of my friends that was living there) All this guy cares about is collecting your rent checks, and if you even bring up anything with him, he just yells at you and say its your fault and why should he fix anything.

AVOID AT ALL COST.

[munchie]

I think that renting places can be a tough chore and having more resources would be better. I don't know if there are other forums out there thats similar to this thread but I thought that this thread would be good for people to post bad experiences they have had with landlords in Waterloo or just got a place with really poor living conditions.

To be cautious, I would leave out specifics to your case, because the landlord does have your personal information.

Anyways, the first one I will add to this list is

130 Columbia Street West, these are apartments, the condition of the units are ok, a little old. The landlord however is totally unwilling to help students who are living there, you have to constantly bug him to get anything done, he has the poorest attitude after he gets you into a contract. Avoid dealing with him at any costs.



Living in Waterloo has taught me to make sure I know all the rules and regulations to renting.... Guys for those who are living in that area now and are looking for rentals, make sure to take pics of major damages etc when you first move in. Also, remember you are entitled to your4% cheque at the end of your rental term on your first/last payment cheque. At the end of the day, if you've been there a couple of years, it can be close to $100 or so... it's still money that should be in your pocket, not for the profit of your landlord.

There's a guy named Andreas... He's this fat greek guy that owns quite a few houses along university right across the plaza (for example, look for the white house with the porch 133 University??? (I don't remember the #...) )... He's a little odd at times and can be out of the country for months on end, but he's reliable, if you call him about sh*t that needs to be fixed, he'll send his sons ASAP... Overall, good guy to lease from if you don't piss him off from day 1.

[RLP06]

:arrowu:

gotta be a few stories now that school has started again

[Alvito]

avoid laurelwood if ur ethnic. my friend was walking to my place once, and two white girls thought he was stalking them, he was just lost i gave him bad directions. anyway, he shows up in a cop car and i was like wtf.

apparently the girls called the cops on him and 2 cops came to the area within minutes because he was still lost in the area.

[Madchester]

WCRI is the best. Cheapest. Closest. I was an ADM hehe.
It is the best.
Cheapest.
Closest.
And I'm currently an ADM for South.

[drucillica]

It is the best.
Cheapest.
Closest.
And I'm currently an ADM for South.

not in the summer when you fry with no A/C

[Madchester]

Air conditioning is overrated. Just take regular showers and you'll be fine.

[Thundercloud]

Avoid anything owned by William Squibb & Daughters Ltd. I've sent out work order in July, and sent them a reminder in August, and still, no one has come to fix my damned problems yet.

[ill_mango]

Ray Schurr is a pretty horrible landlord, he is always forgetting **** and what not, but his son Matt is really good at coming and repairing stuff when its broken.

I kind of liked how forgetful Ray was, because we'd be on the phone and he'd say like $450/month + utils, then when we went to sign the lease I'd say "Ray, we agreed to $400/month including utils, you said you'd write it down!" and then he shuffles through his papers like he is looking for something and says "Ah yes, here it is!"

Haha, burn!

If you don't mind living north of campus, there are these townhouse at 511 Albert (just north of bearinger, near the beer store) that are pretty cheap and are pretty dang good.

[Carnage]

avoid laurelwood if ur ethnic. my friend was walking to my place once, and two white girls thought he was stalking them, he was just lost i gave him bad directions. anyway, he shows up in a cop car and i was like wtf.

apparently the girls called the cops on him and 2 cops came to the area within minutes because he was still lost in the area.

Not many University students are going to be looking for places in the upscale suburbs.

[warren_s12888]

lol, is this the same Ray that rents out the crap townhouses on sunnydale?

If it is, he is quite forgetful. Never came around to collect my rent checks. :lol:

Ray Schurr is a pretty horrible landlord, he is always forgetting **** and what not, but his son Matt is really good at coming and repairing stuff when its broken.

I kind of liked how forgetful Ray was, because we'd be on the phone and he'd say like $450/month + utils, then when we went to sign the lease I'd say "Ray, we agreed to $400/month including utils, you said you'd write it down!" and then he shuffles through his papers like he is looking for something and says "Ah yes, here it is!"

Haha, burn!

If you don't mind living north of campus, there are these townhouse at 511 Albert (just north of bearinger, near the beer store) that are pretty cheap and are pretty dang good.

[dkim]

u mean dan?
omg that guy is so bad.

i saw him threaten some guy lol

DAN BUCHAMIN.. or some crap like that..
avoid 143 Columbia St. unit B3 basement at all cost...
unless you want to sleep with drainage hole right beside your bed :mad:

I called city for helth standard inspection for it cuz that landlord wouldn't
do anything.. unfortunately, city confirmed that the town house is built on
"standard"... I couldn't believe their answers... are they on students' side?
or bad landlords' side?

I learned a lot about how harsh the reality is and how people only
give a damn about money....

[cheukiecfu]

avoid 53 alexandra ave at all cost!!!
that place is a doghouse...

[coolpc]

avoid 53 alexandra ave at all cost!!!
that place is a doghouse...

oh ya that place!! that landlord is NUTs!!! >:(

moved out after one month and lost my deposite!!!:mad:

[Nyte]

It is the best.
Cheapest.
Closest.
And I'm currently an ADM for South.

Cheapest (Not really).
Closest.
Crappiest.

[PQpine413]

Dan the Man, that's his name

I just got yelled at by him yesterday

[Alvito]

Not many University students are going to be looking for places in the upscale suburbs.

upscale? laurelwood isnt beechwood!

[Carnage]

upscale? laurelwood isnt beechwood!

Maybe upscale wasn't the right word.

But Laurelwood is a nice area, and would probably be out of a cheap student's price range.

But you're right, it's no Beachwood. We try and keep the riff raff out of Beachwood. ;)

[cotye89]

Shessh... sounds like some horror stories.

Thankfully, I stayed in the Grad Student Apts (At least that's what they were called when I was there). Great place, no problems. Even got a new fridge when mine busted. Only problem was the stupid St. Jacobs train. Not good when you're trying to nap in the afternoon! Always had the train rining its bell when crossing University Ave.

[Alvito]

We try and keep the riff raff out of Beachwood. ;)

really? how?

[Carnage]

really? how?

I was joking. :D

It's a bit of an inside joke with my freinds that I'm higher class because I live in Beachwood. (techically I live in Beachwood at least).

Obviously though I'm not higher class. ;)

[Skipper]

Shessh... sounds like some horror stories.

Thankfully, I stayed in the Grad Student Apts (At least that's what they were called when I was there). Great place, no problems. Even got a new fridge when mine busted. Only problem was the stupid St. Jacobs train. Not good when you're trying to nap in the afternoon! Always had the train rining its bell when crossing University Ave.


Do you mean Married Students Appartments (MSA)? Wow, it hasen't been named that way for a long time now - UWPlace it is now (yeah.. i was here through the old name too :p). St. Jacob's train hasn't been running for aorund 6 years, guess not enough demand. Personally, I prefer the West side over the East side, since most of the places seem a little newer.

[BaconMunch]

how long does it take for you to get your deposit mailed back from WCRI. I finished a year contract with them in August and would like to get my money that they hold for me >.<

[Madchester]

Cheapest (Not really).
Closest.
Crappiest.

It's not my problem if you were too stupid to speak up for a management position and ended up with crap COW cuties. If you're the type of person with no self-responsability whatsoever, you don't belong in a co-op style building in the first place. I've been fining people with your attitude on a weekly basis and frankly speaking, I'm happy that people like you are kicked out of the co-op thru membership review.

[Nyte]

It's not my problem if you were too stupid to speak up for a management position and ended up with crap COW cuties. If you're the type of person with no self-responsability whatsoever, you don't belong in a co-op style building in the first place. I've been fining people with your attitude on a weekly basis and frankly speaking, I'm happy that people like you are kicked out of the co-op thru membership review.

Wow, someone's in a bad mood today...
Way too many assumptions there. First of all, I was not "too stupid" and "ended up with crap COW [d]uties" since I have never lived in WCRI, and never plan to. So good luck kicking me out. Also, you're only looking at one aspect of why it sucks - the chores.

Then there's the place, run down, generally quite dirty. The only control you have with that is your own room and a bit more if you're in a suite. The rooms are tiny, even some res rooms are bigger. Another thing, I guess it's just me being picky, but I like to have carpet in my bedroom, not ceramic tile. No A/C, some people care, some don't, but its definitely a plus to have it.

Regarding price, sure if you're comparing to Res. I compared with friends before, last term, they were paying $10/month less than me. But my room is about twice the size, kitchen around 2x, living room 2-3x, two full bathrooms vs one (shared between the same number of people). Theres A/C. No chores besides your own stuff. No mandatory meetings. So I guess I'm the stupid one.

The ONLY thing that place has going for it is distance to campus. Usually the reason people live there is because of distance.

Now I've also seen some pretty horrible places off campus as well, much worse than WCRI and at a higher price (though usually still more space). If you're willing to look around, you'll find good places.

[Madchester]

Wrong again. If you haven't lived here, it's for the better, since you'd be one of the people who give the place a bad reputation in the first place.

There is A LOT of camaraderie between people living in the buildings. It's an experience you can't get out of living at residence or a private home. You get to eat, play, work, study, etc. with ppl of all walks of life. I've made lifelong uni friends here, and relatively few on-campus. This term, I've met some 100+ new people... 100 possible new friends, acquaintances, future co-workers, work references, etc. How many people have you added to your social network in the past month, outside of your personal clique of friends?

Then there's the place, run down, generally quite dirty. The only control you have with that is your own room and a bit more if you're in a suite. The rooms are tiny, even some res rooms are bigger. Another thing, I guess it's just me being picky, but I like to have carpet in my bedroom, not ceramic tile. No A/C, some people care, some don't, but its definitely a plus to have it.

Regarding price, sure if you're comparing to Res. I compared with friends before, last term, they were paying $10/month less than me. But my room is about twice the size, kitchen around 2x, living room 2-3x, two full bathrooms vs one (shared between the same number of people). Theres A/C. No chores besides your own stuff. No mandatory meetings. So I guess I'm the stupid one.


Yes you're quite the picky (and stupid) one. Carpeting is available in 80% of the dorm style rooms. All you have to do is ask for a specific room layout. And hun, if you don't like doing chores or coming to meetings in the first place, then don't expect to be living in a clean environment, period. For the past year, management has been extremely strict about cleanliness. This strictness has resulted in full occupancy for the fall term.

Generally, the more time you put into the co-op, the better your experience here. And I don't know anyone who is scared of attending meetings. For lazy people, the mandatory ones are only 15 minutes every two to three weeks. If you can't make it to such meetings, I don't know how you can meet regular deadlines on time. Other meetings are longer, but those are for elected reps or managers, namely people who actually have initiative to get things done. Regardless, these meetings allow you to enact change to the co-op. They have a much quicker turnaround in having things done, than waiting for your landlord to do the same thing.

If you're a passive person with a MYOB attitude and like hiding in their room 24/7, you can go live off-campus or in rez. On the other hand, if you like taking initiative, meeting new friends, and contributing to a community setting then come here instead.

[RLP06]

This strictness has resulted in full occupancy for the fall term.

:confused:
I believe its the proximity to the university that results in full occupancy. I've seen many of the suites, some of them are quite rundown, hallways smell bad, most people who "put in effort" don't really put in effort, they just stand around or pretend to do stuff for 30mins-1hr.

Not to bash the co-op, there are nice places there, if you happen to be a lucky one. But there is also a fair share of bad ones.

Also Madchester, with the attitude that you're displaying on this thread, you may drive people away. I have encountered a few DM's and such, and I must say, I would much rather deal with them than most of the landlords out there.

Overall, WCRI is good if you get a good room/suite and its also close to the school, but others should be worn, there are a quite a few bad rooms

[Nyte]

Wrong again. If you haven't lived here, it's for the better, since you'd be one of the people who give the place a bad reputation in the first place.

There is A LOT of camaraderie between people living in the buildings. It's an experience you can't get out of living at residence or a private home. You get to eat, play, work, study, etc. with ppl of all walks of life. I've made lifelong uni friends here, and relatively few on-campus. This term, I've met some 100+ new people... 100 possible new friends, acquaintances, future co-workers, work references, etc. How many people have you added to your social network in the past month, outside of your personal clique of friends?

I don't buy it. If you're a social person, you'll meet new people and make new friends where ever you go. If you're not, living near 100 people won't change anything.


Yes you're quite the picky (and stupid) one. Carpeting is available in 80% of the dorm style rooms. All you have to do is ask for a specific room layout.

I haven't seen any, but I'll take your word on it.


And hun, if you don't like doing chores or coming to meetings in the first place, then don't expect to be living in a clean environment, period. For the past year, management has been extremely strict about cleanliness. This strictness has resulted in full occupancy for the fall term.

I don't see how me not wanting to be forced into a meeting at a specific date and time, outside of my control has anything to do with me living in a clean environment. Nor do I see how me not wanting to cook food for 100 people, shovel all the sidewalks, mop the floors, etc have anything to do with it either. Keep in mind this is for the building, not my own room/suite Im talking about.


Generally, the more time you put into the co-op, the better your experience here. And I don't know anyone who is scared of attending meetings. For lazy people, the mandatory ones are only 15 minutes every two to three weeks. If you can't make it to such meetings, I don't know how you can meet regular deadlines on time. Other meetings are longer, but those are for elected reps or managers, namely people who actually have initiative to get things done. Regardless, these meetings allow you to enact change to the co-op.

Im quite sure no-one is "scared" of attending meetings. In real life, you schedule your meetings, none of this, you come at this date and time or you get hit with a $50 or $75 fine (I forget the exact amount). I don't care if its 15 minutes or 1 hour, I can spare the time, as long as its mutually convenient.


They have a much quicker turnaround in having things done, than waiting for your landlord to do the same thing.

That depends a lot on your landlord. As for turn around time, my friend asked many times to have things fixed like holes in the wall, paint that has been ripped off, etc, nothing was ever done. So don't be tell me the turnaround is great, it all depends.


If you're a passive person with a MYOB attitude and like hiding in their room 24/7, you can go live off-campus or in rez. On the other hand, if you like taking initiative, meeting new friends, and contributing to a community setting then come here instead.
Once again, if you're a "hide in your room 24/7" person, you will be that person where-ever you live, be it off campus, in res, in WCRI, or in a little hut right in the middle of campus.

You also need to cool it with the attitude and making all these assumptions about me; you don't know me at all.

[Pyro]

hmm does anyone know any GOOD places to live then? I'm looking for a sublet for winter 2k7
looking out for myself first, but if theres extra rooms i could hook it up

[jayslay]

hmm does anyone know any GOOD places to live then? I'm looking for a sublet for winter 2k7
looking out for myself first, but if theres extra rooms i could hook it up

actually 2 of my roomates are subletting in the winter, its 337 lester in the basement, its "ok" but it'll probably be 350 + only hydro everything else is included

let me know

[Pyro]

trying to avoid places with +utilities cuz i bet its gonna be alot in teh winter
but yo pm me your msn our phone number.
im going to be there this weekend probably so i can check things out

[Nyte]

trying to avoid places with +utilities cuz i bet its gonna be alot in teh winter
but yo pm me your msn our phone number.
im going to be there this weekend probably so i can check things out

You're right. I was in the house once where the insulation was really really bad, and air leaked (a lot) in from around the doors too. Really shot up the heating costs.

[basketball]

looking for a place for this winter...prefer 2 more roommates or less...(3 all together)...Know anyone?

[Madchester]

I don't buy it. If you're a social person, you'll meet new people and make new friends where ever you go. If you're not, living near 100 people won't change anything.

Not really. A lot of people I know found that their social networks had shrunk after leaving a dorm or apartment style residence. My sister moved into a smaller 3 person apartment this yr and she found that she was more disconnected with her other friends and just campus life/going-ons in general.



I don't see how me not wanting to be forced into a meeting at a specific date and time, outside of my control has anything to do with me living in a clean environment. Nor do I see how me not wanting to cook food for 100 people, shovel all the sidewalks, mop the floors, etc have anything to do with it either. Keep in mind this is for the building, not my own room/suite Im talking about.


Even when WCRI had a meal plan, residents never cooked meals for the rest of the building. That's the responsibility of the kitchen staff, who are hired by the co-op. I think you've been grossly misinformed here. A little common sense would suggest that it'd be a huge liability issue if students were responsible for cooking for that many people. A resident could injure themselves with various cooking apparatus and there's always hygienic reasons that prevent untrained staff from cooking in a kitchen. You don't want a salmonella outbreak b/c someone undercooked meat for 50 ppl. :lol:

As for cleans, less than 2 hrs a week is not a big deal. 95% of residents manage to do them on time. The other 5% simply don't belong in a co-op, and don't come back or get kicked out via membership review.

As for shoveling sidewalks, there's a grounds crew with tractors and snowplows that take care of that. Again, I think you've been given false information about life here. Residents are only responsible for clearing snow by the doorway. That's usually a voluntary position that a resident can choose instead of doing regular COW shifts.



Im quite sure no-one is "scared" of attending meetings. In real life, you schedule your meetings, none of this, you come at this date and time or you get hit with a $50 or $75 fine (I forget the exact amount). I don't care if its 15 minutes or 1 hour, I can spare the time, as long as its mutually convenient.


All the mandatory meetings are scheduled at times that are not in conflict with classes. The only big one you have to attend, the general meeting, takes place the 1st Sunday of the term, when there's no work or assignments due anyway With the slightest hint of a fine, most people end up doing their required work or attending the necessary meetings.

And about the "In real life, you schedule your meetings" that's actually true for most exec and rep positions at WCRI. Your whole team decides when to convene on a regular basis. Being a co-op, it's all about residents making the decisions. For example, certain reps on a team felt they weren't getting enough credit for their administrative work and passed a motion giving them full exemption from all duties.



That depends a lot on your landlord. As for turn around time, my friend asked many times to have things fixed like holes in the wall, paint that has been ripped off, etc, nothing was ever done. So don't be tell me the turnaround is great, it all depends.


That's interesting, because someone's heater was leaking water the other day. When he contacted maintenance, someone came up within the hour to fix the problem. Again, I think your friend grossly exaggerated the inefficiency of the co-op.



You also need to cool it with the attitude and making all these assumptions about me; you don't know me at all.

You're the one making unfounded criticisms based on half-truths and broken-telephone information. You need to be careful about making prejudiced opinions without the full facts, let alone a first-hand experience. It's like reviewing a film, without actually seeing it.

[Nyte]

You're the one making unfounded criticisms based on half-truths and broken-telephone information. You need to be careful about making prejudiced opinions without the full facts, let alone a first-hand experience. It's like reviewing a film, without actually seeing it.

Ok, Im not gonna start this all over again. You have your opinions, I'll have mine, lets keep it at that. Also, regarding that quote, I'm talking about WCRI, you're saying stuff about ME, you haven't even met me.

[Defiant]

If you have to pay last months rent as a deposit, then the landlord must pay you interest yearly, hence the 4%. You are allowed to deduct it from your rent cheque if the landlord doesnt pay it.

I lived at a place for 4 years and banked it. That 4% took off more than a couple hundred from my last months rent...yay.