This document is not a rental contract. The rental contract will be signed in person with the Landlord when moving in. The intent of this document is to inform you about the general terms and conditions of this booking request, and to let you know what to expect once the booking is accepted by a Landlord.
PENDING BOOKING REQUEST
Your credit card won't be charged until your booking request is accepted by a Landlord. This may take up to 48 hours. If your booking request is approved, your payment will be processed automatically and you will receive an email confirmation.
ELIGIBILITY
In order to ensure maximum transparency and establish fair expectations, you must have seen the photos and the 360 virtual tour, and you must have read thoroughly the booking conditions of the corresponding listing. If due to computer issues, you are unable to view all the photos, virtual tour our information displayed in the listing, it is your responsibility to notify us at info@rentaplacenow.com before booking a room.
RESERVATION PAYMENT (LAST MONTH'S RENT)
An amount equivalent to one month’s rent is required to reserve a room through this website. This amount will go towards last month's rent. Should your application be declined, no amount will be charged to your card.
BOOKING FEE
There is a one-time booking fee of $160.00 ($141.59 + HST) to be paid in addition to the reservation payment. Rentaplacenow.com charges a booking fee for the following reasons. We : 1) inspect every single property advertised on our website; 2) scan every property with HD/360 cameras; 3) authenticate the ID and ownership of every landlord and property manager; 4) as required by certain landlords, conduct a full and thorough background check of the applicant through a third-party agency, at our own cost; 5) if required by the applicant, hire a third-party agent to do a walk-through inspection with the applicant to guarantee the quality and accuracy of his booking prior to the expiration of the cancellation policy; 6) in the event of last minute cancellation from the landlord (which seldom happens), we offer a $200 credit towards hotel/AirBnB stay, while we help you find another option.
FIRST MONTH'S RENT
You will be required to pay first month’s rent to the Landlord in person the day you check-in. Every subsequent rent payment will be due the 1th of every month. Remember that the rent will already be paid for your last month’s occupancy, so you won’t have to pay anything during your last month.
SUBSEQUENT MONTHLY RENT PAYMENTS
After the payment of your last-month's rent through our website, any subsequent payment is to be made directly to the landlord, not Rent a Place. Your rent will be due in full on the 1st of every month for the entire length of your rental agreement. Early departure, late arrival or cancellation DO NOT justify a refund or a prorated adjustment of your rent, unless otherwise agreed with the landlord.
REFUND POLICY
Make sure to view the cancellation policy applicable to your booking. Not every listing has the same cancellation policy. There are two (2) cancellation policies for tenants which the Landlord can select, at his own discretion:
1) Up to 7 days after the booking: The reservation payment is fully refundable, no questions asked, up to 7 days after the booking, or up to 2 hours after the tenant has conducted his own inspection of the unit, whichever comes first.
2) Up to 24 hours after the booking: The reservation payment is fully refundable, no questions asked, up to 24 hours after the booking, or up to 2 hours after the tenant has conducted his own inspection of the unit, whichever comes first.
As opposed to the reservation payment, the booking fee may be fully refundable only under specific and valid circumstances up to a maximum of one week (7 days) after the request has been approved by the Landlord. You will be required to support your cancellation claim with documents such as a visa cancellation letter, an academic rejection letter, a medical bill, etc. Generally, any circumstance that escapes your control would be consider as valid. However, if you schedule an inspection of the unit prior to the check-in date, uncleanliness and untidiness cannot justify a refund of the booking fee, since you are inspecting a unit that is occupied, and is therefore expected to be under less than ideal conditions.
CHECK-IN POLICY
After moving-in, you will have 48 hours to notify RENT A PLACE should there be any major structural damage or breach of booking conditions. You will be required to send an email to info@rentaplacenow.com with pictures to support your claim. RENT A PLACE will only transfer the last month’s rent to the Landlord after the 48-hour period has elapsed without any complaint. Should you make a reasonable complaint within 48 hours of moving-in, the Landlord will be required to rectify the situation within a reasonable time frame before we transfer the rent.
LEASE OR RENTAL AGREEMENT
Rent a Place does not get involved in the leasing process. The lease is to be signed directly with the landlord or property manager in charge of the unit. Note that for co-shared units you will be required to sign a group lease with the other occupants. Certain landlords may require that the liability be joint and several among all occupants, whereas others may simply ask that the liability be joint.
DISPUTE & MEDIATION
At any moment, we protect the interest of both tenants and landlords. If there is a breach of booking conditions by either one of the parties in the first 48 hours after check in, RENT A PLACE will supervise the mediation as a third-party, with the intent to find the fairest and most appropriate solution for both the Tenant and the Landlord. RENT A PLACE will require the breaching party to rectify the situation within a reasonable time frame. If the breaching party refuses to cooperate or fails to address the breach of booking conditions, RENT A PLACE may, if deemed necessary, return the full amount of the reservation payment to the Tenant. On the other hand, if the breach comes from the side of the Tenant who is unwilling to cooperate, RENT A PLACE may opt to transfer the reservation payment to the Landlord.
LISTING ACCURACY
The booking conditions along with the verified pictures and virtual tour provided to you have been reviewed and approved by the Landlord. They represent the whole of the rental offer to the best of our knowledge at the date of taking them. The conditions of the accommodation correspond to that date, regardless the date when you booked the accommodation. You have viewed and read the listing in its entirety.
ROOMMATES MATCHING
When choosing a room, it is a good idea to review the profile of fellow roommates who might be renting in the same property or unit as you. Their profile is generally displayed in a listing of its own with the status "RENTED". Their name, gender, age, school will be displayed. Although RENT A PLACE strives to develop a website that facilitates good roommate matching, RENT A PLACE cannot guarantee that the roommates will get along well. There is always a risk involved with committing to a room online, without first having met the roommates in person. You are aware of this risk and understand that you cannot substantiate a refund or cancellation request based on your relationship with other tenants.
REFUNDABLE FURNITURE DEPOSIT
Some landlords require a refundable furniture deposit to be paid when moving in. This may apply to your room. Make sure to carefully review the booking conditions displayed in the listing. If any, the amount of the deposit will be displayed in the listing. RENT A PLACE does not get involved in the transfer of this amount to the Landlord. This transaction will be done in person between you and the Landlord.
CHECK-IN EXPECTATIONS
There is very little time between when previous tenants move out and when new tenants move in. Normally the time window is a little less than 24 hours. During that period, the Landlord requires a cleaning team to do a full clean up of the unit, along with fixing minor issues. There is also a possibility of other roommates currently living there, and leaving the spaces unclean. You understand that there is a possibility that the apartment might not be 100% clean by the time you move in.
LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
RENT A PLACE does not own, nor manage any of the units advertised on its website. RENT A PLACE is not responsible for the state in which the rental units are, not can it guarantee that there will be a good matching between the tenants. The services offered by RENT A PLACE are limited to the following: 1) development and maintenance of an online platform that helps prospective tenants connect with local landlords; 2) the processing of the reservation payment made by the Tenant to the Landlord, through a secure intermediate escrow account; 3) in rare occasions where there is a breach of booking conditions by either one of the parties, mediation will be supervised by RENT A PLACE.