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About Our Lease Agreement

*** LEASE AMENDMENTS ARE CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED FOR 2021 ***

Please contact us for updated lease terms.

Our lease agreement is a standard Nova Scotia one-year Residential Lease contract, with many amendments which you should carefully note, among them:

1. Each housemate is required to fully clean up after themselves (and their guests) after each and every use of the common areas, such as the kitchen and bathrooms. All dishes, for example, should be cleaned and stowed and all surfaces should be cleaned for the next person. Toilets and sinks, for example, should be left clean for the next person to use. If we all pitch in a little bit, our home will be nice for everyone to share, friends included. If one or more housemates begins to leave little messes about, it tends to spiral downwards. With nine people living in our home, if each person accidentally leaves one or two things out on the counter, it creates a mess in short time.

In short, it is imperative that each housemate clean up after oneself, each and every time one uses the common areas. We do not want you to lease a room in our house if you disagree with this policy or cannot fully satisfy this request. If you do not feel comfortable with the expressed degree of concern we have over this issue, or have a history of being even a little bit messy, please do not apply. There are many other places to rent in Halifax that are much more relaxed in this regard.

2. Each housemate is required to fully close their windows upon leaving the house (even if just stepping out for a moment) and at night, as well as closing the windows or doors of the common areas in foul weather.

3. Each housemate is required to always lock the exterior house doors, to turn the lights off, and to check that the gas stovetop is in the FULL OFF position, after each use.

4. A cleaning service is provided to clean the common areas, once every week or two. Each housemate is required to also keep their personal rooms reasonably clean and free of debris. In the event of an emergency, emergency personnel may need egress through your room. For safety reasons, nothing can be kept in the hallways, stairs or cave lounge as well.

5. Snow removal is done on a 'first-to-leave, first-to-shovel' basis. There's barely any exterior areas for the snow to accumulate--just the front steps and a small patch outside the rear door. If you're the first to leave in the morning, please clear a path for the rest of us. We will return the favour.

6. The deck and adjoining stairway are mainly for emergency egress. The deck may be used to enjoy and relax on, but its structural value is limited to only (4) four occupants at a time. Unfortunately, it was not built to accommodate more than (4) four people standing on it at a time. Anymore than that is a safety issue and not allowed.

We try to have the cleaning duties divided as evenly as possible. Still, it’s impossible to have each of them take exactly the same time. Most housemates claim they can be done in about 45 minutes, but it also depends on the person. Before selecting your room, please check out the cleaning responsibilities for that room. You may, for example, want to choose a room that has what you find an easier cleaning duty, or one that allows you to not have to do a certain task, such trash removal or cleaning the toilets.

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If you've reached this point, you're almost done. The next step is to drop by for a visit and complete the paperwork. This means signing the above forms, which you should be familiar with now, and making payment. If you think that you may be forgetful in cleaning up after yourself, or are concerned that you may not be able to abide by the other terms of the lease, this is the last opportunity to change your mind. We collect your deposit and all (12) cheques for the following lease-year in advance. You may post-date each cheque for the first day of each appropriate month.

Please email us in advance to schedule your appointment.

What to bring:

1. A Photo ID

A driver's license, passport or student ID card

2. Your Security Deposit Cheque

A deposit is held until your lease term is up. It is not transferable as payment for part of the lease. It will be returned to you within (10) days after the term of lease expires. It is equal to one-half of one month's lease payment. It is deposited immediately and any accrued interest is later credited to your account.

Please note that if your room or furniture is damaged, you are still responsible for the total cost of fixing it, even if it goes beyond the security deposit amount.

3. Thirteen Lease Payment Cheques & Deposit

At the time of signing, we require all (12) lease cheques to be paid in advance. You may post-date your cheques to the appropriate day for each month, and each cheque will only be deposited once the due date has come. Your lease term will begin on September first, unless otherwise agreed to. The amount you owe depends on the room you select. Please check the room links at right (and up) to find your monthly amount.

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This is the last and final step; just prior to moving in, we will do a walk-through inspection with you of the house in general and your bedroom specifically. We will make note and photograph any existing scratches or imperfections. A report and photos will be incorporated in the "Move-In Inspection Report", which is part of the lease agreement. Lastly, we will make a receipt for you and give you a copy of all of the above forms.

7. Our house is kept clean, comfortable and inviting. Unfortunately, no pets are allowed. No smoking (of any type), nor bicycles are allowed in the house. You are allowed to smoke on the deck, but please close the deck door behind you. Please place the shower curtain inside of the bathtub when showering. And lastly, we take our shoes off at the door and ask that each housemate do the same.

If you can TRUTHFULLY adhere to each of the requirements listed above, (as well as the rest of the lease terms) then we are happy to provide a clean, well-kept and very nice place for you to call home.

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As mentioned, the lease we offer is for a one-year term only, made payable by monthly payments, beginning September 1st. Please only apply if you will be spending the entire year at Barrington House. If you believe that you may be gone for the following summer, there are an abundance of rooms in Halifax that can be rented on a month-to-month basis, as well as several student housing facilities which offer eight-month leases. Our rooms are only suited for those who know for certain that they are staying the following summer in Hali. We collect all monthly payments in advance, and deposit each cheque on the 1st of the month.

A Note About our Cleanliness Fetish

We are truly sincere in our stated goal of having our house kept clean. And this alone, is probably the single-greatest determining factor in choosing who we admit to our home. When the house is clean, everybody gains. And it requires such little energy to just keep it that way once it's been cleaned to start. When one person slacks in their duties, it affects the whole house. This is why we ask that each person interested in leasing a room from us be willing to keep the common areas clean.

Along this note, we've been advised that higher rental rates would be commensurate for the quality and size of the rooms we offer. Although this may be the case, we try to keep the rent reasonable. This is due in part to the fact that in addition to the monetary payments we collect, we require this commitment of care to our home and the adherence to the house rules, as mentioned above. It's really not that much effort, and many people just consider it to be common courtesy, but it is very important to us and our housemates, and simply makes for a nice place for everyone.

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If you agree with the house rules above, then please read the Frequently Asked Questions page of our website to familiarise yourself with our property. At this point, you may want to schedule an interview so you can meet us and see our house in person. Feel free to email us to schedule one, or to ask any questions you may have.

After this, if you would like to submit an application, you are welcome to do so. There is a $28 non-refundable charge to process your credit check. (If you are in a hurry to find a place, you may fill out the application in advance and bring it with you to our first meeting, along with your $28 payment. If you don't like our place, you can simply not submit an application and keep your payment at this point.)

The next step here is our interview process. This consists of two steps. First, we provide a chance for you to come see our place to see if you like it. If you do like it, then secondly, we can spend a little time together, to get to know one another.

Once we've had enough time to process and consider your application, we will get back to you, by email, regarding whether you've been accepted. If you are accepted, it is imperative that you then read the complete terms of the lease and that you feel comfortable and in agreement with them, prior to signing. The lease agreement can be read below.

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For those who are new to leases, a lease agreement is a legally binding instrument. Please be careful to only sign it, if you agree with it and are fully able to meet the terms required. The following eight documents constitute our lease. Please read each of them in full. If your application was accepted by us, then we will provide a printed copy of the lease for you to sign. Please read all the parts, but you only need to print and fill out Part 1 for us, in advance.

Congratulations! It's a long process, but you're all finished. Welcome to your new home! We wish you a great new year and look forward to meeting you!

Part 1: Application for Lease

Part 2: A Brief Reiteration

Part 3: Repair Fees

Part 4: Lease Agreement

Part 5: Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies Act

Part 6: Security Deposit Release and Receipt

Part 7: Move-In Inspection Report (Not available online.)