JonboyE

In BC the rental contract is done on a form supplied by the residential tenancy office. You just fill in the numbers and dates.

The tenant has a clear obligation to pay the agreed rent on time. Chasing tenants who don't pay on time is a major pain in the neck. Even in the world of email and interac transfers they need to be initiated by the tenant the landlord has no assurance that they will be paid on time, if at all.

You just have to accept that post dated cheques are the way things are done. In a tight rental market a landlord is going to be very wary of a tenant who proposes to pay any other way, especially if they try to add terms to the contract that could result in financial penalties to the landlord.

JonboyE

That is one reason you give the landlord post dated cheques: you are never late with your rent.

As the Aviator has said - it is the way it is. The residential tenancy act of your province will list all the rights and remedies available to both the landlord and tenant. You are only going to make your life more difficult if you try to do something different.

el_richo

So nobody uses Direct Debit?

JonboyE

Some companies, like the utility supplies and large corporate landlords do, but individuals cannot initiate a direct debit.

nldfc

I dont see why there is a problem here to be honest - You rent a house for a year give them 12 post dated cheques and its all sorted , its not like they are asking you to pay up front

i dont know what its like in other parts of Canada but i know in 5 different properties in Newfoundland I was interviewed to make sure I was 'suitable' to move into their house - if I started to throw clauses at them I would most certainly be told to take a hike .



Its the same for the kids daycares - we give them 3 months of post dated cheques at a time - may seem a bit archaeic but thats the way it is

el_richo

Aaaah i didn't realise that. Thanks for clarifying.

Shame really as it'd save people lots of time and effort on both sides. Not forgetting the environmental benefits Canadians love so much

What about a Standing Order?

JonboyE

AFAIK they don't exist. You can do something like this with payees the bank has pre-approved. These are businesses like utility providers, credit cards, municipal / provincial / federal government, insurance companies and so on. For example, I can schedule my payments to the medical services plan up to 12 months in advance. However, to transfer money electronically to anyone else the email/interac transfer is the only option.

el_richo

Again, thanks so much for clarifying. I'm surprised these and DD's (in the banking sense ) aren't freely available and used.

Oh well, it is what it is.

Thanks JonboyE

Aviator

The other option is if you have the same bank as the payee, is to set up an electronic transfer to their account from yours. Some banks & credit unions are also doing this between different institutions now, however they don't accept any risk or liability if they screw it up.

sac_de_loup

That's how we pay our rent, and indeed all our utilities and credit card bills. I think there's another name for it here, but can't remember off the top of my head. It does help that our landlord is a property management company with several hundred tenants, I guess.

JonboyE

Pre-authorized debit or PAD. Sometimes also called a Pre-authorized payment or PAP.

jimf

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Aviator

But why complain about it. You have a choice, take it or leave it. The landlord can choose how he runs his business. If you as the renter don't like the way he does it, you have a choice.

Almost Canadian

Aren't you getting ahead of yourself here? The landlord hasn't lost the cheques yet.

Me thinks you are going to love your new life over here

paolosmythe

it was indeed a reference to my current bank. and as you previously cautioned, the cancellation of cheques incurs a fee, which remains as my excuse for not issuing a year's worth of cheques up front.

i do not think it reasonable for my landlady to cause me additional expense through such endeavours, when i am already committed (and legally bound) to pay rent for the minimum term already stated on the agreement of tenancy.

for someone who has been using electronic methods for every single transaction when back in the UK, this cheque writing, change carrying way of life is fekkin weird to me! but it all adds to the charm of my new home. i am happy to comply with how things are done here; tis all part of the experience.