Tenant FAQ
General Housing
- The Battlefords Housing Authority cannot provide you with any type of insurance coverage. Under the lease agreement the housing authority cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to your furniture or belongings. You may also be held financially responsible for loss or damage to your neighbours property or person that is incurred due to your own actions.
- To protect yourself against loss by fire, flooding, theft, weather or other factors we encourage you to purchase your own tenant insurance.
- Dogs, cats, and other animals are not permitted to be kept in your home as pets.
- Yes, but you are responsible for the behavior and activities of your visitors. Disturbances created by your guests will be considered a violation of your lease agreement.
- Relatives and/or friends may stay for a limited time. Any extended visits require permission from the housing authority.
- Any other living arrangement is a violation of your lease agreement.
- Visitor parking is available in designated areas only. In most cases, visitors park on the street near your home. Please ensure visitors do not park in other tenants stalls.
- You may NOT install your own locks. If your lock is not secure, call the office.
- Please think carefully before you decide to give out a copy of your house key. If problems do arise from giving a key to someone else the locks can be changed by the Housing Authority, but you will be responsible for the cost involved.
- Keys will only be given to adults who are on the lease.
- No, painting or wallpaper is not permitted to be completed by tenants. Other alterations also must be requested by submitting a Request to Alter form.
- The Housing Authority is under no obligation to transfer tenants. However, the transfer policy does consider the following criteria:
- Medical concerns as recommended by a physician;
- Affordability concerns;
- Relocation closer to family, work, school, child care, or medical care, and,
- Relocation to a more suiteably sized unit.
- In order to be considered for a transfer the tenant must:
- Re-qualify under prevailing asset limits,
- Have lived in their current unit for no less than 12 consecutive months;
- Be current with their rent and all other charges; and,
- Have not had any lease violations in the immediate preceding six months.
- All transfers are evaluated, point scored and may include a $200 transfer fee. The $200.00 fee will be waived for applicants who are requesting a transfer due to the following reasons:
- verified medical concerns,
- re-location due to under-housed or over-housed situations
- special circumstances as determined by the Housing Authority.
Moving
- After you accept a unit to move in the following items are required before a lease can be signed and keys provided:
- Utilities must be verified in your name
- Rent and 50% of the security deposit must be paid
- A move-in inspection will be arranged between you and a Tenant Services staff member. If something is missing or does not work, it will be noted and repaired
- Please ask the movers to be extremely careful when moving your belongings to prevent damage to the property. Movers are not allowed to back vehicles on lawns and sidewalks.
- If you plan to move, your written notice must be received at the Housing Authority office at least one calendar month in advance. This means on or before the last working day of the month before the month in which you intend to move.
For example: if you plan to vacate at the end of November, your written notice must be received at the office on or before the last working day of October.
- Notices can be faxed (306) 446-1277, emailed by filling out the Notice To Vacate Form and email it, delivered to our office in person, or put in the overnight mail slot at 831 104th Street. Please call to confirm that your notice was received.
- If your notice is received even one day late you may be responsible for the following month's rent.
- The unit you are vacating must be left clean and in reasonable condition. Cupboards, walls, and floors should be washed, if there are carpets they must be cleaned. The fridge is to be emptied, defrosted, and cleaned. Do not use knives or kettles to defrost your fridge as this could result in costly damage. The stove is to be left clean; inside the oven and under the burners.
- Do not allow movers to drive their vehicles on the lawn or sidewalks. You will be held responsible for any damage to doorways and walls caused by the movers.
- Do not forget to leave your new address with Canada Post and the Housing Authority.
- After you vacate your unit, a Tenant Services staff member will visit your unit to check for painting and repairs. The original move-in inspection report will be referred to when you vacate to determine if you will be charged for any damages or cleaning.
- Tenants must return their keys to the Housing Authority office. Failure to return your keys will result in a financial charge.
Rent
If you are worried about rent, TALK TO US RIGHT AWAY.
The sooner you speak to us the quicker we can help you.
We have ways we can help you, from payment arrangements for chargebacks to seeing if you’re eligible for a rent reduction, to connecting you to community services or income assistance.
Get in touch with your tenant services coordinator today. You can email us or call us at 306-445-4393.
- We know money is tight – but paying your rent should be #1 on your list. It keeps the roof over your head.
- Rent is due on or before the 1st of the month and there are four easy ways to pay your rent:
- (Best Choice) E-transfer Payments: qui.ck, easy and convenient method to pay your monthly rent, repayment amounts, repair fees or service fees. Go to www.thebattlefordshousing.ca for instructions and quick guide or contact the office for assistance.
- Pre-Authorized Payments (PAP): a convenient and safe method to make your monthly rent payment without having to write or deliver your cheques repeatedly. By giving permission once, your rent payment will be made automatically through your financial institution on the first business day of the month. Please contact Tenant Services to sign up.
- Interac Payment Terminal: payments may be made at our office using interact on the payment terminal with a debit card.
- Cheque or Money Order: payment may be dropped off in an envelope with your name and address in the office drop box and a receipt will be mailed to you. Please DO NOT USE the drop box for cash.
- Before you move out please review the Move Out Checklist available on this site.
- Rent is based on a household’s before-tax income. To calculate rent, the housing authority adds up all forms of household income, subtracts the forms of income that are excluded, and sets rent at 30 per cent of this total.
- Income inclusions and exclusions are outlined in the Social Housing Handbook available under Information and Forms.
- Households that receive income assistance from the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) program or the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program pay a set rent based on their benefits.
- As a requirement of the Social Housing Program annual rent reviews are completed to determine whether there have been any changes to before-tax household income that would result in a decrease or increase in rent. The date of this review is stated in the lease.
- Family, Adult Single or Couples Rent Reviews - May to July every year.
- Senior Rent Reviews - September to November every year.
- During the rent review process, all members of the household, except children, must provide current income information. If there has been a change in before-tax household income, this change will be reflected in the rent.
- For households that receive income assistance (SIS or SAID), the rent reviews occur annually and/or when income assistance benefits change. Tenants must notify the housing authority immediately if a member of the household begins to receive or no longer receives income assistance.
- There are two circumstances in which tenants may be eligible for a rent reduction:
- a household’s before-tax income has decreased over the last complete month, and the decrease in before-tax income will result in a reduction in rent of $50 or more; or
- a non-dependent student has paid tuition from their own resources to attend a designated educational institution.
- While a rent reduction can be requested at any time, tenants should report the change in their income within the first seven days of a calendar month in order for the next month’s rent to be reduced. The housing authority will process this request according to program policy.
- Rent reductions because of a decrease in household income will be in place for a three-month period. Tenants may receive four rent reductions within a twelve-month period (one per three-month period).
- Households that receive income assistance and pay rent based on the shelter rate or households that pay the minimum rent amount are not eligible for rent reductions.
Tenant Services
- Tenant Services Coordinators provide new tenants with an orientation to the Saskatchewan Housing Lease, conduct move-ins, ensure compliance with the lease during tenancy, and prepare annual rent reviews.
- They are also responsible for lease violations, evictions, and conduct move-out walk-throughs.
- In some situations, they may make referrals or provide local services to help tenants manage while they live in public housing.
- Some programs may be offered through Tenant Associations in your building that have the support of the housing authority.
- Contact the housing authority if you need assistance or further information about community supports available.
- 211 Saskatchewan offers a database of over 6,000 community, social, non-clinical health, and government services across our province.
- Call or text 211 to be connected with Service Navigators ready to help 24/7/365, or search below independently. Help over the phone is available in over 175 languages, including 17 Indigenous languages.
- For a listing of some local services visit Information and Forms.
Maintenance
- Notify the Housing Authority immediately of any damage to your premises or building that has been caused by you, other members of the household, or your guests.
- Report general maintenance concerns during regular business hours.
Office: Mon – Fri. 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
831 104th Street, North Battleford
Phone: Mon. – Fri. 9 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. (Except statutory holidays.)
In case of FIRE, DEATH AND SERIOUS MEDICAL OR THREAT OF LIFE - CALL 9-1-1
- Call the Housing Authority in case of a maintenance emergency at 306-445-4393
- Maintenance emergencies include:
- Flood, frozen water line or water running into your unit or the common areas of the building, sewer back-up.
- Smoke or natural gas smells
- Flooding
- Leaking roof
- Leaking pipe or water supply line
- Fire damage
- Loss of heat, power or water
- Smoke/CO2 Detector Not Working
- Elevator not working (individual trapped)
- Windows are broken and there is a security risk
- Main unit door or lock is broken and tenant is unable to lock/unlock the door
- Lockouts are only provided with ID and a fee (refer to key and lock policy)
- Exposed electrical wiring
- Clogged toilet, if the only toilet in the home
- Non-emergencies will be handled during regular business hours.
Tenant maintenance responsibilities include (but are not limited to):
- Maintaining cleanliness of the interior and exterior of the unit
- Family house tenants are responsible for removal of snow and ice from walkways and municipal sidewalks, and maintenance and care of the lawn, and front and back yards
- Snow removal and yard care are provided at all apartment buildings and some multi-unit buildings.
- Replacement of light bulbs, fuses and furnace filters, and unclogging toilets and drains
- Immediately notify the Housing Authority of any problem with or failure of the plumbing, heating or electrical systems
- If you live in a unit with a yard, you are responsible for maintaining it by:
- cutting and watering the lawn, removing leaves in the fall, and keeping the overall appearance tidy.
- In winter, keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice.
- Under local City bylaws, occupants of a home are responsible for the complete removal of snow and ice from all city pathways and sidewalks, adjacent to the front or side of their property, within 24 hours after the snow stops falling.
- If tenants do not maintain their sidewalks, the Housing Authority will have the work completed and the tenant will be charged for the cost of the service.
- If you don’t have heat in your unit, please follow these steps before contacting the office:
- Check your thermostat.
- Ensure it is turned on and set to “heat.”
- Make sure the temperature is set higher than the current room temperature.
- For radiator heat contact maintenance at 306-445-4393.
- For furnaces, check your breakers.
- Look at your electrical panel to ensure no breakers are tripped. If one is, reset it and see if the heat comes on.
- Check if the furnace are receiving power.
- Make sure any switches controlling the heating unit are turned on.
- If you still don’t have heat:
- During office hours, call the Housing Authority office right away to report the issue.
- After hours or on weekends, call the Emergency Maintenance line at 306-445-4393 for assistance.
- Please do not use ovens, stovetops, or open flames to heat your unit, as this is a serious fire and safety hazard.
- Try using a plunger to clear the blockage — most minor clogs can be fixed this way.
- If the toilet is still not draining or begins to overflow, stop using it and contact maintenance right away.
- Do not use chemical drain cleaners, as they can damage plumbing and create safety hazards.
- To prevent clogs, toilet paper is the ONLY material that should be flushed down your toilet
- If a plunger does not work, please call the Housing Authority at 306-445-4393
- Tenants must co-operate with the housing authority to prevent and treat pests. To do this, tenants must inform the housing authority immediately if they see a pest in a unit or the building. Examples of pests include ants, bedbugs, and mice.
- Pest control can become a problem without proper prevention. It is a shared responsibility among neighbors because pests can easily spread from unit to unit.
- There is no charge for pest control services.
- If you suspect you have bed bugs please contact the office immediately.
- Once you have reported the issue you will be booked for a bed bug inspection as soon as possible. If your bed bug inspection comes back positive you will need to have your unit treated. There is no charge for treatment.
- Find more information on bed bugs under Information and Forms.
- You may contact the Housing Authority and a member of the maintenance staff will unlock the door, providing you can prove you are the tenant of that home with photo ID. If you are locked out after regular business hours, a fee will be charged. Keys will only be given to adults who are on the lease.
Safety
We want to help you live safely in your home and community.
Check out our great tips on how to stay safer in your home, reduce the risk of fire and avoid unauthorized building access. As your landlord, we want to do everything we can to help keep you safe in your home.
- If you witness conflicts between neighbours that is criminal in nature call the RCMP. If the conflict is affecting your peace and enjoyment of your home contact your Tenant Services Coordinator.
- Vandalism is everybody's business.
- Smashed outdoor lights, damaged exit signs and missing fire equipment cost money and create hazardous conditions for you and your family.
- Ignoring theft and vandalism won't help. Report these activities to the local RCMP and the Housing Authority. This will help make your home a better and safer place to live.
- Making and keeping your home safe and secure can be achieved by tenants, staff and RCMP working together.
- Tenants unfortunate enough to experience a break-in, theft or vandalism should take the following steps:
- Contact the RCMP immediately
- Obtain the RCMP file number and name of the investigating officer
- Report the incident and all damages to the Housing Authority
- If you have tenant insurance, contact your insurance agent
- If a fire starts in your home, do not try to put it out; leave it to the fire fighters.
- The first and most important thing to do is ensure everyone gets out of the building. Close the door to your unit as you leave but don't lock it. Once safely away from the fire, call 9-1-1.
- Have an emergency escape plan if you live in a multi-unit home or family house, so you and your family know what to do if a fire starts or know your evacuation plan if you live in an apartment building.
- The three most common causes of a fire are:
- careless smoking,
- unattended cooking on the stove,
- children playing with matches or lighters.
- Please take special precautions to prevent any fire from starting in your home.
- Keep furnace and water heater areas clear of boxes, clothing, debris or any type of clutter
- Do not store oily rags
- Do not use gasoline or solvents inside your home
- Do not leave cooking unattended
- Do not leave lit candles unattended
- For your safety and the safety of others, smoke detectors must not be tampered with. This includes NO covering of the smoke detectors.