Tuesday 29 May 2012
Never Wait On Hold Again??
Wednesday 16 May 2012
Concept Appliances
14 Concept Appliances That Need To Be Made
Yet, here are 14 interesting concept appliances that have made it to the model stage and look so good that we hope they go into development soon.Concept appliances give us a peek into the future. They are often aesthetically pleasing and offer interesting and unique features; however, it is a rare concept appliance that makes it off of the drawing board and into the showroom. Unrealistic designs, high production costs and lack of consumer demand are often the reason for many ideas to be scrapped.
iBasket
The iBasket is a hamper/washer/dryer combo. The transparent iBasket stores your dirty clothes. Once filled, the automatic wash and dry cycle begins. After it has finished drying, the iBasket will send you an email or text message to let you know it’s done.
Why do consumers need the iBasket?
The iBasket saves time and energy as you’ll never have to transfer your clothes from the hamper to the washer to the dryer again. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your lucky shirt being dirty when you need it for a special occasion.
Features:
- Transparent body
- Built-in air refresh system that removes the smell of dirty clothes
- Wi-Fi enabled to help you monitor it from your PC or laptop
The one drawback to the iBasket is that it is very small. It has a capacity of approximately 3-5 kg which works out to be around 3 t-shirts and 2 trousers.
FlatShare
The FlatShare refrigerator is made up of a single base station and up to 4 stackable modules. Each module is a self-contained unit so no one will need to deal with other roommates’ rotting leftovers and failed science projects. The modules are designed with a tall section for bottles, a spot for produce, and a small freezer for frozen items.
Why do consumers need the FlatShare?
Living with roommates can be fun and exciting until it comes time to clean the fridge. The FlatShare avoids potential conflicts by keeping each person’s food and mess separate.
Features:
- Customizable color skins
- Bottle openers
- White board
- A handle on the side of the module for easy transport
Coox
Coox is a mobile cooking table that lets users cook and eat wherever they like. Not only does it cook the food, it can also be an extension of the dinner table or desk since the table legs are adjustable. The Coox uses induction technology so once you are done cooking, the surface cools immediately to prevent burns.
Why do consumers need the Coox?
Everyone is on the go these days, looking for new and improved ways to save time. The Coox is perfect for someone who works through lunch or eats at their desk while trying to finish up last minute projects. They can prepare themselves a hot snack or keep their tea warm without having to go to the kitchen.
Features:
- Adjustable height
- Induction technology
- 3-burner glass ceramic cooking surface
- Cools down immediately after the cooking process has stopped
- Warming area on one corner
- Portable
- Concept Appliance Parts Available
E-Bag
The E-Bag is a portable cooler bag that works by using human energy. The E-Bag’s cooling system is powered by someone swinging it back and forth as they walk. So, the longer the walk, the cooler the E-Bag gets. The E-Bag’s rotating handle charges the battery with the user’s arm motion. The cooling system uses so-called Peltiertechnology, a kind of solid-state heat pump that transfers heat from one side of the device to the other.
Why do consumers need the E-Bag?
This bag is environmentally friendly as it uses no external energy source. It’s perfect for picnics, walks in the park or an outing at the beach. And if you’re tired, don’t worry, kids have energy to burn. Let them carry it for awhile.
Features:
- Capacity is approximately 3 liters
- 3 LED lights indicate beverage coldness
- No batteries required
Pure Washer
Pure Washer is a rotating dual sink that acts as a sink and dishwasher. The two sinks are designed so that only one sink is exposed at a time. After the dishes have been put into it; the exposed sink rotates under the counter to expose another sink that is exactly the same as the first. Pure Washer washes the dishes under the counter with degassed water – no detergent required. There is also a cycle for washing fruits and vegetables.
Why do consumers need the Pure Washer?
Pure Washer is perfect for the single person who lives on their own. Freshly soiled dishes are easy to clean so each wash will only take a few minutes. Plus, it is a space saver since there is no need for a sink and dishwasher.
Features:
- Dish cycle
- Fruit and vegetable cycle
- Reduces water consumption
- Reduces energy used
- No detergent required
Nevale Food Carrier
The Nevale Food Carrier is designed to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold, all in the same container. It is built with 4 independent layers that have their own independent heating and cooling system. The digital display provides information on the conditions of each layer and can be programmed to reheat a certain layer at specific times.
Why do consumers need the Nevale?
Today’s busy lifestyle makes it hard to eat healthy, home-cooked meals. The Nevale lets you carry a wholesome hot or cold lunch with you wherever you go. It can even be programmed to re-heat your main course for you while still keeping your dessert chilly.
Features:
- Can hold up to 4 different types of hot and/or cold food
- Programmable digital control screen
- Each layer operates independently of the others
- Uses a plug or rechargeable battery
- Vacuum storage system keeps food safe from bacteria
Organic Cook
The Organic Cook is a compact, table-top appliance that can grill, boil or fry. It uses high-efficiency radiant energy that sends high frequency electromagnetic waves to cook while the vacuum system ensures that the food retains its flavor. This technology means that your food is ready in a fraction of the time required for traditional cooking.
Why do consumers need the Organic Cook?
The Organic Cook offers healthy oil-free frying, grilling and boiling, all in one portable appliance. The food is cooked in a fraction of the time and retains all of its natural flavors, plus it’s easy to use.
Features:
- Internal cooking pad offers flexible cooking options – grill, boil or fry
- Infrared technology and vacuum cooking
- Intuitive touch sensitive cooking selector
- Prepares food in a fraction of the time
- Portable
VESSTO
The VESSTO portable stove is an environmentally friendly appliance that uses an advanced version of theStirling Engine to power itself. Once the small battery gets the VESSTO at a high enough temperature, the Stirling engine can run by itself by using heat from the stove to expand and contract small quantities of gas inside. The aluminum base plate protects any surface it is placed on and it is also a key component of the Stirling engine as it helps to disperse the heat and reuse it.
Why do consumers need the VESSTO?
The VESSTO stove is the perfect way to reduce energy consumption in your home. The simple control panel makes it easy to use and it even has a sleep function that automatically switches off the stove after a specific amount of time. It is compact and lightweight enough to take anywhere, including outdoors.
Features:
- Renewable energy power source
- Extremely quiet
- Easy to read control panel can display recipes, notes or other downloadable cooking information
- Sleep function
- Ceramic coating for easy cleaning
- Portable
- Aluminum base plate
- Offered in red, yellow, blue and black
Go Fresh Fridge
The Go Fresh Fridge is made up of a main frame that houses 12 removable, temperature-controlled compartments. The food is identified by scanning a picture of it and then the compartment automatically sets the optimal temperature for that type of food. Once the compartment reaches the correct temperature, the cold air inlet closes to save on energy consumption.
Why do consumers need the Go Fresh Fridge?
The Go Fresh Fridge saves energy and increases the lifespan of your food (which in turn should reduce food waste) and this is good for the environment. In addition, it is so cool looking that you will be the envy of all your friends (if not, then at least it is a great conversation piece).
Features:
- Energy efficient
- Removable, insulated compartments
- Increases the lifespan of your food since it is stored at optimal temperatures
- Food odors cannot seep into other compartments
Rockpool Waterless Dishwasher
The Rockpool Waterless Dishwasher uses no water or chemicals; instead it uses super critical carbon dioxide in a closed loop system. The carbon dioxide is pressurized into a liquid with excellent grease and oil fighting properties. The carbon dioxide then combines with a small amount of environmentally friendly detergent to get the dishes clean. Once the washing cycle is finished, the carbon dioxide and dirt are separated so that the carbon dioxide can be used again.
Why do consumers need the Rockpool Dishwasher?
The Rockpool dishwasher takes an existing technology and puts it to good use in one of the most used appliances in the home. The closed loop system means that the carbon dioxide gets used over and over again while the dishwasher never uses a drop of water.
Features:
- Closed loop system means that the carbon dioxide gets used again and again
- Very quiet
- Simple user interface
NFridge
The NFridge has a modular design composed of small, stackable refrigeration cubes. Each piece is self-contained and works independently of the others. It uses magnetic refrigeration that produces a constant cold, faster than conventional refrigerators.
Why do consumers need the NFridge?
Not only does the NFridge use an earth-friendly cooling system, but the cold air is not released from the entire fridge when you remove an item. The modular design is perfect for people with large or small families. You can purchase the number of cubes you need and you don’t need to cool any cubes you aren’t using.
Features:
- Space saving design
- See-though modular compartments
- Soft touch operating digital membrane
- Magnetic refrigeration
- Resistant to dust and water
- Available in a variety of colors
Fog Shower
The Fog Shower is a showerhead that uses approximately 2 liters of water for a 5 minute shower. It does this by creating a fog or vapor flow of microscopic water droplets. The water is heated into water vapor which is then directed onto the person showering. An intelligent sensor sends the water in different directions based on the person’s movements.
Why do consumers need the Fog Shower?
The Fog Shower is a simple and easy way to reduce your water consumption by 18 liters/day which adds up to over 6500 liters/year. And since there is less water to heat up, you will reduce your energy consumption too.
Features:
- Reduces water usage
- Reduces energy consumption
- Intelligent sensor
Agbot
The Agbot is a solar-powered robot that can fertilize your lawn, plant seeds and guard your house at night. Its built-in GPS plots out the lay of the land in order to fulfill these tasks. In fact, its security system is so advanced that it will take a picture of an intruder and send it to you via email all before the intruder even knows he’s been spotted.
Why do consumers need the Agbot?
The security system alone is a great reason to get an Agbot. Its motion detector, night-vision camera and alarm system will make any intruder think twice before breaking into your home. And if you require lawn maintenance, the Agbot can take care of that for you too.
Features:
- Takes 40 seconds per planting
- The fertilizer system is designed to avoid inconsistent dispersal that causes lawn burn
- Solar powered
- Speed as fast as 6 miles/hour
- Night vision camera on a 360 degree swivel
- High-frequency alarm system
- Advanced motion detector
- Artificial intelligence
- Built-in GPS
- Bluetooth
The Agbot still needs some improvements since its battery only lasts for 4 hours. However the programmers are continuing to make improvements and expect the Agbot to run longer in the near future. They also have plans to expand its functionality and make it customizable for the consumer’s individual needs.
Bra Dryer
The Bra Dryer is a unique appliance that has the sole purpose of drying bras. Bras are made of wiring, fabric and padding that can be damaged using conventional dryers. The Bra Dryer’s patent-pending design preserves the bras shape while using a gentle infrared heat source that evaporates moisture from the bra fabric while silent fans inside the appliance remove the moisture.
Why do consumers need the bra dryer?
Bras can be very expensive and need special care. Therefore they need a special dryer to keep them from getting damaged by conventional dryers. Air drying takes far too long and blow drying your bra is inconvenient, time consuming and never does a really great job.
Features:
- Comes in a variety of cup and chest sizes to fit every woman’s needs
- Can be used with all types of bras
- Available in black and white
Plans are in place to start producing the bra dryer in 2010. It will also be available in a modular variation, thus letting you dry multiple bras at the same time.
via mybadpad.com
Tuesday 15 May 2012
Tenant From Hell - Tips For Screening Tenants
The Toronto Star recently published an expose on a tenant - Nina Willis - who is notorious for her track record of eviction attempts and bounced cheques. Willis has found loopholes in the system to help her exploit and cheat landlords. Her current landlord is in a battle to evict her, and is currently out over $7000 in unpaid rent.
Willis will move in to the new home, and after a month or so, will stop her rent payments. When a landlord tries to evict her, she alleges poor maintenance, health and safety breaches, discrimination or even harassment to the Landlord and Tenant Board. Though she has lost every case she's filed, she's previously appealed the board's decision, delaying the eviction process and buying her more time, and leaving the landlords helpless and powerless.
Unfortunately, previous rental history reported to the Landlord and Tenant Board cannot be released as this is considered a breach of privacy. Making these records public can protect both landlords and tenants from repeat offenders like Willis. Landlords don't report to any credit bureaus, so past history is difficult to obtain. When she applied, Willis seemed like a landlord's dream. She had great references, a stable job, was well spoken. Her references ended up being as fake as her employment. She was recently charged with fraud and forgery for these allegations.
What can landlords do to prevent being a victim of tenants like this? Work with your Realtor on the screening process, and do the due diligence. Ask for the references, and double check them. For a previous landlord, don't just call, make sure it's the right person at the right place. You should have the address, so check it on 411 and make sure the names jive. Google the work reference, make sure the company exists. Always get a credit report and look at the previous addresses and places of employment. If you're doubtful of the work they hold or the income they make, you can always ask for various tax forms to prove income.
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Willis will move in to the new home, and after a month or so, will stop her rent payments. When a landlord tries to evict her, she alleges poor maintenance, health and safety breaches, discrimination or even harassment to the Landlord and Tenant Board. Though she has lost every case she's filed, she's previously appealed the board's decision, delaying the eviction process and buying her more time, and leaving the landlords helpless and powerless.
Unfortunately, previous rental history reported to the Landlord and Tenant Board cannot be released as this is considered a breach of privacy. Making these records public can protect both landlords and tenants from repeat offenders like Willis. Landlords don't report to any credit bureaus, so past history is difficult to obtain. When she applied, Willis seemed like a landlord's dream. She had great references, a stable job, was well spoken. Her references ended up being as fake as her employment. She was recently charged with fraud and forgery for these allegations.
What can landlords do to prevent being a victim of tenants like this? Work with your Realtor on the screening process, and do the due diligence. Ask for the references, and double check them. For a previous landlord, don't just call, make sure it's the right person at the right place. You should have the address, so check it on 411 and make sure the names jive. Google the work reference, make sure the company exists. Always get a credit report and look at the previous addresses and places of employment. If you're doubtful of the work they hold or the income they make, you can always ask for various tax forms to prove income.
Back to Tenant from hell leaves string of landlord victims
Emily Mathieu
Nina Willis seemed like the ideal tenant.
She was well-spoken and tidy, posing as an employee for a cellphone company with offices in Toronto and Montreal. She came with glowing references.
What landlord Darius Vakili, 63, didn’t know was that the 48-year-old Willis was a tenant from hell, with a track record of bounced cheques and eviction notices.
A Star investigation reveals that the rules governing the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board have allowed people like Willis to flourish. Privacy legislation means her dodgy past as a tenant is kept secret from prospective landlords.
Willis denies any wrongdoing. “There is a lot more to it than what you have been told,” she said, but did not provide details. “I don’t have anything to hide. I have done nothing wrong.”
Landlord Vakili, who owns a small rental home in Don Mills is one in a long series of at least six landlords who have had trouble with Willis. Vakili is locked in a battle to evict Willis and recover more than $7,000 in unpaid rent.
Like landlords who have sought information on Willis, the Star was told by the Landlord and Tenant Board individuals cannot request a tenant’s history. We had to use court records and interviews with past landlords to piece together Willis’s rental history. In the six cases we were able to find, the Star found that Willis rents a house, falls behind, issues cheques that bounce or only pays portions of what she owes.
When a landlord tries to evict her she complains of shoddy maintenance and appeals to the Landlord and Tenant Board. She has lost every case, but sometimes appeals to court, which further delays her eviction. Along the way, Willis has frequently issued allegations of harassment and discrimination against her many landlords.
Recently, she was charged with fraud and forgery by Toronto Police for allegedly providing “fake” employment information and writing bad cheques.
In interviews Willis’s landlords say they feel powerless in front of the provincially funded board.
In Vakili’s case Willis has been fighting off eviction orders for more than six months by paying portions of rent, claiming Vakili’s property failed to meet health and safety standards and asking for adjournments to present evidence that Vakili was harassing her.
“You feel you are helpless, you complain to the authorities and they take her side,” said landlord Vakili, who originally planned to give the house to his daughter but says he may be forced to sell the property. “I really don’t know what to do. If she stays another year I will be totally demolished.”
The six cases found by the Star date back to 2005.
An April 2012 ruling by Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicator Vincent Ching “failed to find (Willis) credible in any way.” Ching ordered Willis to vacate Vakili’s property, after he rejected her lawyer’s defence that she was “trying to make amends.”
The order doesn’t mean she is out. Ching estimated the time it would take from the order to the sheriff arriving could be up to four weeks. At any time Willis can pay the full amount of what she owes and stay.
Vakili was one of two landlords who reported Willis to police. A date for the trial has not been set. Willis told the Star the fraud allegations were false and she intended to sue.
The Star obtained information related to six properties Willis rented in the past seven years through files from Divisional Court and interviews with landlords, lawyers and paralegals.
The Landlord and Tenant board (formerly the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal) was created in 1998 to keep eviction and maintenance disputes out of Ontario courts and ensure fair hearings for the tens of thousands of landlords and tenants who appear before the board every year.
Critics say those protections have also allowed a small number of tenants who manipulate the system at the taxpayer’s expense and ruin small landlords.
“The process in and of itself is good intentions gone awry,” said lawyer David Strashin, who specializes in landlord and tenant law and who has represented three of the Willis landlords.
In 2007, the Residential Tenancies Act came into force and the tribunal was renamed the Landlord and Tenant Board. That, according to advocates for landlords, is when evicting tenants like Willis became even more difficult.
The new rules mean every person facing eviction has increased rights to mediation or a hearing, the board must consider any issues raised by a tenant related to non payment of rent, and tenants can pay the money they owe at any time to stop an eviction.
Willis’s landlords want her record and the record of tenants like her to be made public.
Prior to 2003, people could pay a fee and the board would produce reports on repeat tenants. The practice was stopped after the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario ruled that even though the hearings were public, releasing names, addresses and the amount of rent owed was a violation of the privacy act.
Landlord and Tenant board spokeswoman Donna Mrvaljevic said the board has chosen not to release information on tenants’ history because provincial privacy legislation “gives an institution the discretion to refuse to confirm or deny whether records exist.”
It is only when Willis appeals a board eviction notice that the file moves to court and into the public realm, where landlords can access a file for a fee. Critics say landlords should have ready access to records and not have to go to court to see if someone is a problem tenant.
If you didn’t know her history Willis seems like a perfect tenant.
When she approaches the owners of small homes in the north and east end of the city she is friendly and well-dressed. Willis also claims to make a good living, and has a good relationship with her family and loves to garden.
Her husband, she has assured potential landlords, is handy and can handle small repairs. In the case where she claimed to work at a Toronto/Montreal cellphone company, the Star contacted the company, which said it had no record of Willis working there.
Tony Poupolo said Willis seemed like an “angel” to his elderly parents, who rented a house to her in 2008. She promised to take care of the property and deal with small repairs, then the rent stopped.
At the tribunal Willis again complained about the condition of the home. Poupolo said legal aid lawyers knew Willis and warned the family they were in for a fight.
In November 2008, the Landlord and Tenant Board ordered Willis to “move out of the rental unit on or before Nov. 9, 2008 and return the keys to the rental unit.”
Willis promptly appealed the board’s decision to Divisional Court, but lost. Poupolo’s said Willis owes his parents more than $12,000. Poupolo blames the tribunal for “allowing things to go on.”
Willis also damages the properties she lives in, landlords say. One landlord showed the Star photographs of a house after Willis was forced to leave, including a kitchen and other rooms filled with garbage, dirt, broken furniture and clothing. A smoke alarm dangled from the ceiling by wires in one room.
Another landlord who reported Willis to the police, Virginia Stoymenoff, 77, said Willis had installed locks on every door in her house, something she believes was done because Willis was subletting rooms to other tenants. Stoymenoff had to remove the locks at her own expense after Willis was forced to leave.
Willis called in city inspectors who ordered minor repairs on what landlord Stoymenoff claimed were “cosmetic issues” and opened a sealed cold room to complain about mould.
Willis has been ordered to pay Stoymenoff more than $8,500 in back rent.
“It has changed my lifestyle and it is so embarrassing to me that I was taken in so completely by her,” said Stoymenoff, who has written numerous times to associate board chair Lilian Ma complaining that the process at the Board takes too long. Ma has written back saying if she is not satisfied with a decision, she can appeal it.
Willis complains Stoymenoff and Vakili have banded together to harass her. The two landlords did meet when Stoymenoff found that Willis was now renting from Vakili. When Vakili appeared before the Landlord and Tenant Board to deal with Willis’ non payment of rent, he tried to introduce what he had learned about her history with Stoymenoff.
“Every time I show my documents they just ignore me,” Vakili said.
Board spokeswoman Mrvaljevic said landlords can submit evidence related to a tenant’s history but it is then up to each adjudicator to decide whether the material is “relevant and admissible.”
Lawyers and paralegals who represent small landlords said they have rarely seen a tenant’s previous history considered at board hearings.
Lawyer Strashin said in his experience “there seems to be a general refusal to consider that type of evidence,” because it could be considered to be prejudicial.
Court documents show Willis also uses the last name Noronha or Lancelotte.
Reached in Nova Scotia, Willis’ mother, Vivian, described her daughter as a “go getter,” a successful antiques dealer who has owned homes in Toronto and Oshawa. Her mother said Willis had been stolen from and is persecuted by people who are envious of her success. “She pays, pays, pays,” she said.
When confronted at the hearing Willis tried to pull a phone from a Star reporter then said: “You are going to make me famous, thanks. I didn’t know the Toronto Star supports people being homeless. It is not going to happen to me.”
Willis also tried to have the Star removed from her hearing. As she waited for her lawyer and dispute to be heard Willis paced in an outside hallway.
“I am exercising my rights. Damn right I am exercising my rights,” she said.
Friday afternoon, a Toronto Police detective contacted the Star and said Willis has alleged a Star reporter is stalking her. Police advised the Star not to contact Willis again.
Emily Mathieu can be reached at (416) 869-4896 or emathieu@thestar.ca
Tenant from hell leaves string of landlord victims
May 05, 2012Emily Mathieu
Tenant Nina Willis, 48, faces two fraud and two forgery charges in relation to her tenancy at a Toronto landlord's house.
Toronto Police
She was well-spoken and tidy, posing as an employee for a cellphone company with offices in Toronto and Montreal. She came with glowing references.
What landlord Darius Vakili, 63, didn’t know was that the 48-year-old Willis was a tenant from hell, with a track record of bounced cheques and eviction notices.
A Star investigation reveals that the rules governing the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board have allowed people like Willis to flourish. Privacy legislation means her dodgy past as a tenant is kept secret from prospective landlords.
Willis denies any wrongdoing. “There is a lot more to it than what you have been told,” she said, but did not provide details. “I don’t have anything to hide. I have done nothing wrong.”
Landlord Vakili, who owns a small rental home in Don Mills is one in a long series of at least six landlords who have had trouble with Willis. Vakili is locked in a battle to evict Willis and recover more than $7,000 in unpaid rent.
Like landlords who have sought information on Willis, the Star was told by the Landlord and Tenant Board individuals cannot request a tenant’s history. We had to use court records and interviews with past landlords to piece together Willis’s rental history. In the six cases we were able to find, the Star found that Willis rents a house, falls behind, issues cheques that bounce or only pays portions of what she owes.
When a landlord tries to evict her she complains of shoddy maintenance and appeals to the Landlord and Tenant Board. She has lost every case, but sometimes appeals to court, which further delays her eviction. Along the way, Willis has frequently issued allegations of harassment and discrimination against her many landlords.
Recently, she was charged with fraud and forgery by Toronto Police for allegedly providing “fake” employment information and writing bad cheques.
In interviews Willis’s landlords say they feel powerless in front of the provincially funded board.
In Vakili’s case Willis has been fighting off eviction orders for more than six months by paying portions of rent, claiming Vakili’s property failed to meet health and safety standards and asking for adjournments to present evidence that Vakili was harassing her.
“You feel you are helpless, you complain to the authorities and they take her side,” said landlord Vakili, who originally planned to give the house to his daughter but says he may be forced to sell the property. “I really don’t know what to do. If she stays another year I will be totally demolished.”
The six cases found by the Star date back to 2005.
An April 2012 ruling by Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicator Vincent Ching “failed to find (Willis) credible in any way.” Ching ordered Willis to vacate Vakili’s property, after he rejected her lawyer’s defence that she was “trying to make amends.”
The order doesn’t mean she is out. Ching estimated the time it would take from the order to the sheriff arriving could be up to four weeks. At any time Willis can pay the full amount of what she owes and stay.
Vakili was one of two landlords who reported Willis to police. A date for the trial has not been set. Willis told the Star the fraud allegations were false and she intended to sue.
The Star obtained information related to six properties Willis rented in the past seven years through files from Divisional Court and interviews with landlords, lawyers and paralegals.
The Landlord and Tenant board (formerly the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal) was created in 1998 to keep eviction and maintenance disputes out of Ontario courts and ensure fair hearings for the tens of thousands of landlords and tenants who appear before the board every year.
Critics say those protections have also allowed a small number of tenants who manipulate the system at the taxpayer’s expense and ruin small landlords.
“The process in and of itself is good intentions gone awry,” said lawyer David Strashin, who specializes in landlord and tenant law and who has represented three of the Willis landlords.
In 2007, the Residential Tenancies Act came into force and the tribunal was renamed the Landlord and Tenant Board. That, according to advocates for landlords, is when evicting tenants like Willis became even more difficult.
The new rules mean every person facing eviction has increased rights to mediation or a hearing, the board must consider any issues raised by a tenant related to non payment of rent, and tenants can pay the money they owe at any time to stop an eviction.
Willis’s landlords want her record and the record of tenants like her to be made public.
Prior to 2003, people could pay a fee and the board would produce reports on repeat tenants. The practice was stopped after the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario ruled that even though the hearings were public, releasing names, addresses and the amount of rent owed was a violation of the privacy act.
Landlord and Tenant board spokeswoman Donna Mrvaljevic said the board has chosen not to release information on tenants’ history because provincial privacy legislation “gives an institution the discretion to refuse to confirm or deny whether records exist.”
It is only when Willis appeals a board eviction notice that the file moves to court and into the public realm, where landlords can access a file for a fee. Critics say landlords should have ready access to records and not have to go to court to see if someone is a problem tenant.
If you didn’t know her history Willis seems like a perfect tenant.
When she approaches the owners of small homes in the north and east end of the city she is friendly and well-dressed. Willis also claims to make a good living, and has a good relationship with her family and loves to garden.
Her husband, she has assured potential landlords, is handy and can handle small repairs. In the case where she claimed to work at a Toronto/Montreal cellphone company, the Star contacted the company, which said it had no record of Willis working there.
Tony Poupolo said Willis seemed like an “angel” to his elderly parents, who rented a house to her in 2008. She promised to take care of the property and deal with small repairs, then the rent stopped.
At the tribunal Willis again complained about the condition of the home. Poupolo said legal aid lawyers knew Willis and warned the family they were in for a fight.
In November 2008, the Landlord and Tenant Board ordered Willis to “move out of the rental unit on or before Nov. 9, 2008 and return the keys to the rental unit.”
Willis promptly appealed the board’s decision to Divisional Court, but lost. Poupolo’s said Willis owes his parents more than $12,000. Poupolo blames the tribunal for “allowing things to go on.”
Willis also damages the properties she lives in, landlords say. One landlord showed the Star photographs of a house after Willis was forced to leave, including a kitchen and other rooms filled with garbage, dirt, broken furniture and clothing. A smoke alarm dangled from the ceiling by wires in one room.
Another landlord who reported Willis to the police, Virginia Stoymenoff, 77, said Willis had installed locks on every door in her house, something she believes was done because Willis was subletting rooms to other tenants. Stoymenoff had to remove the locks at her own expense after Willis was forced to leave.
Willis called in city inspectors who ordered minor repairs on what landlord Stoymenoff claimed were “cosmetic issues” and opened a sealed cold room to complain about mould.
Willis has been ordered to pay Stoymenoff more than $8,500 in back rent.
“It has changed my lifestyle and it is so embarrassing to me that I was taken in so completely by her,” said Stoymenoff, who has written numerous times to associate board chair Lilian Ma complaining that the process at the Board takes too long. Ma has written back saying if she is not satisfied with a decision, she can appeal it.
Willis complains Stoymenoff and Vakili have banded together to harass her. The two landlords did meet when Stoymenoff found that Willis was now renting from Vakili. When Vakili appeared before the Landlord and Tenant Board to deal with Willis’ non payment of rent, he tried to introduce what he had learned about her history with Stoymenoff.
“Every time I show my documents they just ignore me,” Vakili said.
Board spokeswoman Mrvaljevic said landlords can submit evidence related to a tenant’s history but it is then up to each adjudicator to decide whether the material is “relevant and admissible.”
Lawyers and paralegals who represent small landlords said they have rarely seen a tenant’s previous history considered at board hearings.
Lawyer Strashin said in his experience “there seems to be a general refusal to consider that type of evidence,” because it could be considered to be prejudicial.
Court documents show Willis also uses the last name Noronha or Lancelotte.
Reached in Nova Scotia, Willis’ mother, Vivian, described her daughter as a “go getter,” a successful antiques dealer who has owned homes in Toronto and Oshawa. Her mother said Willis had been stolen from and is persecuted by people who are envious of her success. “She pays, pays, pays,” she said.
When confronted at the hearing Willis tried to pull a phone from a Star reporter then said: “You are going to make me famous, thanks. I didn’t know the Toronto Star supports people being homeless. It is not going to happen to me.”
Willis also tried to have the Star removed from her hearing. As she waited for her lawyer and dispute to be heard Willis paced in an outside hallway.
“I am exercising my rights. Damn right I am exercising my rights,” she said.
Friday afternoon, a Toronto Police detective contacted the Star and said Willis has alleged a Star reporter is stalking her. Police advised the Star not to contact Willis again.
Emily Mathieu can be reached at (416) 869-4896 or emathieu@thestar.ca
Monday 7 May 2012
Why CRA Wants $30,000 HST Rebates Back
Here is a fantastic article about buying pre-construction and HST rebates.
Back to Why CRA wants $30,000 HST rebates back
Why CRA wants $30,000 HST rebates back
April 27, 2012Mark Weisleder
If you're planning to flip a condo or new property, be sure to check the HST rules.
Some investors who bought new homes or condos in the past few years planning to flip them in a hot Toronto market are facing HST bills of up to $30,000.
That’s because they didn’t read the fine print on the purchase agreement and they now have a problem that relates to the HST rebate that is available to buyers of new homes under certain conditions.
When you buy a new home or condominium, there are rebates for the federal 5 per cent portion of the HST and in Ontario, the provincial 8 per cent portion.
You can qualify for a rebate of 36 per cent of the federal portion of the HST if the home costs $350,000 or less. If the home costs between $350,000 and $450,000 there is a sliding scale. At $450,000 the rebate ends. For the provincial portion, everyone can apply for up to 75 per cent of the HST paid, to a maximum of $24,000. You can also apply for the rebates if you build your own home as well.
It can add up to a sizeable sum. If a new home costs $300,000 and there was no rebate, the HST would be 13 per cent of the price or $39,000. With the rebates, you’d pay $15,600 for a saving of $23,400
The catch is that in order to qualify, the new home or condo has to be your primary residence, or you must prove that you have rented it out for at least a year. If you move in on closing, the builder often builds the rebate into the sale price and then applies to the Canada Revenue Agency for the refund on your behalf. Before the builder will do that, you have to sign a document saying that you will move in. If the builder suspects you will not be moving in, they have the right to ask you to pay the rebate on closing.
If you bought the house as an investment and plan to rent it out, you can apply for the rebate immediately as well, but will have to send proof that you closed your deal and a copy of the lease agreement. If you sell the investment property within a year, you have to pay the tax.
Many investors who bought new homes or condominiums several years ago from plans are trying to take advantage of the hot real estate market by selling without moving in. However, these same investors signed papers with the builder promising that they would move in, so the builder applied for HST rebates on their behalf. Now CRA wants the HST rebate back with interest. That can be as much as $30,000.
I’ve heard plenty of stories from realtors about investor clients receiving demand letters from CRA about the HST.
The lesson is that buyers must understand their obligations if they intend to apply for any HST rebate on a new home or condominium. Either you must move into the home as your primary residence on closing, in which event you can immediately apply for the full rebate, or you must rent it out for at least one year and then apply for the rebate. If you are intending to immediately re-sell your home without moving in, then just pay the full HST amount when you buy the home from the builder, and don’t apply for any rebate.
This article has been changed from an earlier version to clarify the HST rules regarding investment properties.
Mark Weisleder is a real estate lawyer. Email mark at mark@markweisleder.com
That’s because they didn’t read the fine print on the purchase agreement and they now have a problem that relates to the HST rebate that is available to buyers of new homes under certain conditions.
When you buy a new home or condominium, there are rebates for the federal 5 per cent portion of the HST and in Ontario, the provincial 8 per cent portion.
You can qualify for a rebate of 36 per cent of the federal portion of the HST if the home costs $350,000 or less. If the home costs between $350,000 and $450,000 there is a sliding scale. At $450,000 the rebate ends. For the provincial portion, everyone can apply for up to 75 per cent of the HST paid, to a maximum of $24,000. You can also apply for the rebates if you build your own home as well.
It can add up to a sizeable sum. If a new home costs $300,000 and there was no rebate, the HST would be 13 per cent of the price or $39,000. With the rebates, you’d pay $15,600 for a saving of $23,400
The catch is that in order to qualify, the new home or condo has to be your primary residence, or you must prove that you have rented it out for at least a year. If you move in on closing, the builder often builds the rebate into the sale price and then applies to the Canada Revenue Agency for the refund on your behalf. Before the builder will do that, you have to sign a document saying that you will move in. If the builder suspects you will not be moving in, they have the right to ask you to pay the rebate on closing.
If you bought the house as an investment and plan to rent it out, you can apply for the rebate immediately as well, but will have to send proof that you closed your deal and a copy of the lease agreement. If you sell the investment property within a year, you have to pay the tax.
Many investors who bought new homes or condominiums several years ago from plans are trying to take advantage of the hot real estate market by selling without moving in. However, these same investors signed papers with the builder promising that they would move in, so the builder applied for HST rebates on their behalf. Now CRA wants the HST rebate back with interest. That can be as much as $30,000.
I’ve heard plenty of stories from realtors about investor clients receiving demand letters from CRA about the HST.
The lesson is that buyers must understand their obligations if they intend to apply for any HST rebate on a new home or condominium. Either you must move into the home as your primary residence on closing, in which event you can immediately apply for the full rebate, or you must rent it out for at least one year and then apply for the rebate. If you are intending to immediately re-sell your home without moving in, then just pay the full HST amount when you buy the home from the builder, and don’t apply for any rebate.
This article has been changed from an earlier version to clarify the HST rules regarding investment properties.
Mark Weisleder is a real estate lawyer. Email mark at mark@markweisleder.com
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