FAQ

Applications for Rent Geared to Income (RGI) subsidies are managed through Durham Access to Social Housing (DASH) and can be found online (click the link above). They must be printed and completed manually, then submitted by mail or in person at a DASH office. At this time, applications cannot be submitted online, and only original applications complete with a signed consent form are being accepted.

Subsidized housing providers in Durham Region, like AMHC, generally select residents based on a first come, first serve basis. In other words, the central waiting list for subsidized housing that DASH maintains is chronological, and applicants are placed in order by their date of application.

Some applicants with unique circumstances receive special priority.

Anyone can apply for subsidized housing in Durham Region as long as they meet the following basic eligibility requirements:

• One member of the household must be at least 16 years old and able to live independently;
• All members of your household must be a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant or made an application for permanent residency/ sponsorship/ refugee protection under the Immigration & Refugee Protection Act (Canada);
• No removal orders have become enforceable;
• Former tenants of any social housing provider who have outstanding arrears can only be considered if the arrears have been paid in full or in some cases arrangements to repay are made with the social housing provider and or landlord;
• No household member has convictions for rent-geared-to-income fraud or misrepresentation.

Generally, people are offered housing on a first-come, first-served basis. Since the waiting list for a rent subsidy is very long, it can take several years before a unit becomes available for you. The Region of Durham encourages people to apply through DASH before their situation becomes desperate and to select as many places as possible where they really want to live.  You will need to find your own rental housing in the private market while you are on the wait list.

Once you apply it is crucial that you keep your application information up-to-date. If you have a change in income, family composition or move, you should let Durham Access to Social Housing (DASH) know as soon as possible, as this might alter your status on the waiting list. Always update your application with accurate contact information to avoid missing out on an offer of subsidy and possibly having your name removed from the list.

Market rent units become available throughout the year. If you wish to apply for a market rent unit, please look at the “Vacancies” area of our website.

How Does AMHC Assess Market Rent Applicants?

Applications for market rent units are assessed by using several sources of information, such as credit checks, landlord references, and household income. AMHC staff use the collection of this information from all applicants for a specific vacancy to determine the “best” applicant.   A lack of rental or credit history does not negatively affect our selection decision. All applicants are advised of the acceptance or denial of their application.  AMHC does not apply a rent-to-income ratio cut off rule for market applications.  AMHC does not request guarantors to co-sign leases. Any last month’s rent deposits collected during the applicant phase will be returned to applicants that were not selected for the vacancy.   The order in which the applications for a vacancy are received is not necessarily the deciding factor of who the vacancy will be offered to.

Any further questions regarding AMHC’s market rent applicant selection process can be posed to the General Manager.

AMHC has some wheelchair accessible units. If you are interested in obtaining a barrier free unit, please contact the housing provider directly.

• City of Toronto 
• City of Hamilton 
• Region of Peel 
• Region of York
• Region of Niagara 

AMHC residents can pay their rent by cheque, money order, credit card*, debit card*,  pre-authorized payment, and online payment.

Cash is not accepted

* Payments by credit card and debit card must be made at AMHC’s head office. If you would like to sign up for pre-authorized payment or online payment, please contact our head office.

If you do not pay your rent or move out within that time frame noted on the form, AMHC will apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to commence the eviction process.  There are additional fees of $190 to $335 that are associated with these legal proceedings that will be added to the money that you owe.

If your rent is not paid in full, you will be unable to rent any common space in AMHC locations.

AMHC has a mortgage on the building in which you reside.  The bank withdraws our mortgage payment on the first of the month, which is why we need tenants to make their rental payments on the first of the month!

Meetings of the AMHC Board take place each month, except July and December, on the fourth Thursday of each month. For 2024 the Meeting Dates for the Board are:

Thursday January 25, 2024

Thursday February 22. 2024

Thursday March 28, 2024

Thursday April  25, 2024

Thursday May 23, 2024   Plus AGM

Thursday June 27, 2024

July 2024 No Meeting

Thursday August 22, 2024

Thursday September 26, 2024

Thursday October 24, 2024

Thursday November 28, 2024

December 2024  No Meeting

All Board meetings are currently held through Zoom. If you would like to attend a Board meeting please contact the office for information on how to access the meeting. Requests to attend a Board Meeting via Zoom must be made prior to 3pm the day the meeting is to occur.

AMHC may commence legal action against you through the Landlord and Tenant Board to terminate your tenancy.

You may apply to transfer to another unit within AMHC’s portfolio at any time. However, the waiting list for most locations is very long – often several years’ wait.

To apply, contact our head office at 905-683-9269. Our staff will explain the application process. The waiting list is generally “first-come, first-served.” However, under very special circumstances, some people with urgent needs may be moved more quickly.

When you transfer, you must not owe rent or be involved in legal action with AMHC. Your unit must also pass an inspection for damages.

If your quiet enjoyment of your residence is disturbed, particularly in the late evening or early morning hours, you should call the Police.  AMHC staff will not attend your unit outside of our regular business hours of 8:30am to 4:30pm.  AMHC staff cannot place their own safety in jeopardy by investigating and/or intervening.  The next day you should contact the office to advise of the incident and provide a written account to the office.  This is the only way that AMHC will be able to take the appropriate action as per the Residential Tenancies Act.

The Residential Tenancies Act states that a resident may not alter the locks on a unit without the written consent of the Landlord.

AMHC Residents wishing to have their locks changed must complete a Work Order form and drop it off to the head office.  Residents will be notified of the arrangements for the lock change.  All unit locks must be keyed to the site master key.  There is a cost to the resident to change the unit door lock. This fee must be paid before the lock is changed.

Any resident who changes their lock without following this process will have their locks changed back to the site master and will face costs for such a change.

The time it takes to fix something in your unit will depend on several factors such as the type of repair, the urgency of the repair, the schedule of superintendents and contractors, and the availability of repair parts.  Simple repairs made by the superintendent may be able to be made within a day or two, however more complicated repairs which require a contractor to be hired, or requires parts to be ordered may take much longer.  Emergency repairs related to flooding, the loss of heat, hydro, or water will take priority over other repair requests.

You must complete a Work Order form, which is available at your site.  If you are not familiar with where to find the form, please contact the office and we will advise you.  Superintendents cannot complete repairs based on a verbal request, except in an emergency situation.

You can also complete a Work Order online!  Navigate back to our main page and you’ll see a link at the top right corner.

Any alterations to the interior or exterior of your unit requires the written permission of AMHC BEFORE they are undertaken. Any alterations made must be restored to their original condition prior to you vacating the premises.  For example, if you paint the unit, or a room in your unit, you must re-paint that area the original colour it was when you moved in. If you don’t you will be charged the cost for AMHC to do so.Some examples of other alterations are installing a fence, wallpapering and the installation of new flooring or carpet.

Getting a visitor’s parking pass is easy!  Just Call AMHC’s head office and make your request.

Documentation required;  If you own a vehicle and are renting a space from AMHC, we’ll need a copy of the ownership of your vehicle (as per your lease agreement s17(a).  We ask for this information when providing a visitor’s parking pass to ensure that residents do not park in visitor spaces.

Only one visitor’s parking pass is provided per household.   Other arrangements can be made for special “one time” events.

Special Exception Note: Due to the very limited number of visitor parking spaces at Hubbard Station (50 Station Street, Ajax), only one visitor’s parking pass will be issued to each household.

Visitors that park on AMHC property without the visitor’s parking pass clearly displayed on their dashboard may be ticketed and/or towed.

There is no visitor’s parking at 1 Richards Lane from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.

There is no cost to residents for the visitor’s parking pass, however,  residents that lose their visitor parking pass must pay a fee to replace it.

Residents must not park in visitor parking spaces at any time.

If you, or your guests, cause damage to your unit you will be required to pay for the damage as per your lease agreement.  All residents of AMHC should have insurance to protect them from the cost of unexpected damages.

If you live in a townhouse (River Breeze or Monarch Mews) then you are responsible for maintaining any garden or patio area that adjoins your unit.  AMHC has a landscaping contract that looks after grass cutting and weed trimming in common areas of the site.

If you live in a townhouse (Riverbreeze or Monarch Mews), then yes you are responsible for clearing snow from your walkway, driveway, and patio area as per your lease agreement.   Special accommodations are made for residents in wheelchair accessible units for snow removal.

No.  Residents are not permitted to make any changes to electrical systems in their units.  Improper electrical work can cause power outages, fires, and even death.   Any electrical malfunctions or power outages should be reported to AMHC immediately.   As this is a serious matter, AMHC may seek legal action against residents who install or alter the electrical systems in their units.

Please see our Feedback / Complaints process under the “Tenants” section of our website.

Residents that require alterations to their unit for medical reasons should put their request in writing to the AMHC office at 1 Richards Lane.  All requests will be reviewed by AMHC and responded to based on the specific requirements of the individual making the request.   Additional information from a medical professional may be required to assist in determining a response.

No.  AMHC does not permit its residents to sublet their units.  Residents found to be subletting their unit will be pursued for eviction by AMHC at the Landlord and Tenant Board.  Residents  receiving rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance who are found to be subletting their unit will also be pursued for “Misrepresentation”  and may no longer be eligible for assistance.

It is very important that residents leaving AMHC clear up their account and leave their unit in good condition.   If you vacate your units and owe AMHC for rent or damages,  the money owed will be listed on a Province-wide arrears database.  AMHC will also place outstanding arrears for rent and any unit damages with a collections agency.  The collections agency AMHC uses registers outstanding monies owing on personal credit files.  This can affect the ability of the person to obtain a loan or purchase a home.

Installing a garage door opener permanently affects the integrity of the garage door and requires electrical alterations.  For these reasons,  residents cannot install garage door openers in their townhouse unit.

For All AMHC Residents  Re: Emergency Preparedness

With sudden and intense storms happening more frequently, AMHC suggests that all residents consider creating an emergency plan and to put together an emergency kit to use in the event of a major event like extended power outages or loss of water.

If an emergency happens, it may take emergency workers some time to reach you, to restore power, or your water supply. You should be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours.

Communications Plan

Discuss with your family, a trusted friend, or other support person which way(s) you will try to get in touch with each other. Identify one or two out-of-town contacts you and your family can call or text message to connect through and share information.

Evacuation plan

In case you are asked to evacuate your home, or even your area, select two safe locations you could go to. One should be nearby, such as a local library or community centre. The other one should be farther away, outside of your neighbourhood, in case the emergency affects a large area.

Emergency Supplies Kit

While AMHC’s multi-residential buildings all have emergency lighting, these systems operate on a battery that only lasts for so long. In an extended power outage it is strongly recommended that every household have one or more working flashlights as well as the following items in an emergency kit:

• A well stocked first aid kit
• A battery-powered or crank radio or a battery bank to charge your cell phone so you can stay informed even when the power is out
• Food that you can prepare without electricity
• Cash
• Special items that may be required for infants, seniors in the household, pets, or assistive mobility devices.
• Water (two litres per person, per day)

You may also consider subscribing to get emergency alerts of severe weather or other emergencies from your cellphone.   For more information, please contact the Region of Durham’s Emergency Management Office at 1-800-372-1102

Power outages may affect entire areas and are beyond the control of AMHC.  For up to the minute power outage information call Elexicon at 1-866-579-6819.

Yours in safety, Ajax Municipal Housing Corporation (AMHC)   (905)683-9269