Alberta Residential Landlord Association (ARLA)s Trade show – this was a great event for building relationships, networking, and bringing it all together. Tradeshows are a great way to discover services, trends, and technology and connect with people within the Alberta Landlord community. I recently attended ARLA’s Tradeshow and Conference on May 11th, 2022.
I’ll share a condensed version of my ARLA tradeshow takeaways in this blog.
Standouts
Four business services stood out as a special highlight: Enercare, MrPayment Services, COINOMATIC, and LocNest. Holdings.
Enercare
This service blew me away. I had no idea you could lease a water heater, furnace, or air conditioning equipment. With Enercare’s program, you can have a new high-efficiency system installed in your home for a low monthly fee, $0 upfront costs, and 24/7/365 call centre support. If/when you sell, the lease can transfer to the new owner, and there are buy-out options at any time. It’s 100% tax-deductible because lease payments are operating expenses as opposed to buying a furnace which is a capital expense that depreciates over time. If that isn’t enough, currently, Enercare is offering some enticing promotional expenses.
780-884-2742
MrPayment Services
I’m totally impressed with Darrick Payment’s (yes, that’s really his last name) digital and in-person MrPayment Services. Mr. Payment Services offers solutions for landlords for the types of nasty issues that require an experienced professional such as:
- Rent monitoring
- Rent eviction/conditional tenancy order
- Civil enforcement
- Rent/pesticides/appliance monitoring
- Orders of compliance or termination
MrPayment.Services
COINAMATIC
When my property management company worked with apartments, coin-operated laundry boxes were always a problem. There were always broken into.
COINAMATIC solves that problem with mobile payment options. They offer commercial laundry equipment for sale or lease, an extensive parts inventory, and even a mobile payment option (tenants can check their laundry status from cell phones – no more sitting and waiting with your laundry), and a multilingual call centre/service team.
Parcel delivery was also a hassle for apartment residents. When I lived in condos/apartments, I recall Canada Post jamming my package into the too-small mail slot, and needing the jaws of life (almost) to pry my box loose. Making multiple trips to the post office was also a pain. COINAMATIC provides smart package delivery lockers and automated package rooms that accept 100% of deliveries and contactless pickup. What’s not to like?!
780-686-8388
LocNest Holdings
Popular in Europe and the USA, LocNest Holdings is a tenant screening service that Canadian tenants can now have access to directly and share results with landlords. It provides an Equifax report and analysis of over 200,00 public databases, including social media, public profiles, media checks, and public court decisions. In addition to screening, they offer a rent and damage guarantee (RDG) for a yearly fee of 1.5% – 2.5% of the tenant’s annual rent.
Locnest.com
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Services available to the public
Tradeshows are a good opportunity to refresh your memory of the types of landlord/tenant services available to the public. Service Alberta, CPLEA, and Edmonton Fire and Rescue Services offer excellent legal information in plain language, and safety tips for landlords/tenants.
Service Alberta – sets the Residential Tenancy laws in Alberta. Service Alberta offers a consumer contact number where landlords and tenants can have their questions about The Residential Tenancies Act answered. You can also download the RTA Handbook for your own reference. The RTA includes laws on termination of tenancy, security deposit requirements, rental increases, entry of premises, lockouts, etc.
The Consumer Contact Centre number is 1-877-427 – 4088
Email: [email protected]
www.albera/infromation-tenants-landlords.aspx
The Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) is also a part of Service Alberta and is a quicker, more informal alternative to filing an RTA claim with the courts.
1-780-644-3000
Email: [email protected]
I have loved The center for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) for many years. They are a non-profit organization whose mission is to help people understand how the law affects their everyday lives. They accomplish this by writing plain language booklets, presentations, and other learning materials that are easy to understand.
780-451-8764
Edmonton.ca/Firerescueservices
Did you know most fire injuries and deaths occur in the home? The good news it that most fire injuries resulting in death and negative environmental impacts can be prevented by following a few simple fire safety tips and recognizing potential hazards.
https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/about-fire-rescue-services
Their website offers tons of useful information including:
- Calling 911
- Smoke alarms
- How to protect your home
- Using candles safely
- Cooking with care
- Smoker’s materials
- Fire pits
- Gas barbecue safety
- Charcoal BBQ safety
- Home heating
- Preventing fires started by children
- Child Firestarter’s project
- Electrical fires
- Fire escape planning
- Family/emergency contacts
Specialty Services
Every landlord understands the need for a team of skilled professionals to keep your properties running smoothly and costs to a minimum. The ARLA tradeshow had a great selection of electrical, security, mechanical, concrete repair, emergency response, apartment advertising, engineering, insurance, roofing, furnace and duct cleaning, carpet cleaning, pest control, tree service, and locksmith services.
Rahall Electric Ltd
Competitive and affordable state-of-the-art technology for;
- Emergency service and maintenance
- Tenant improvements
- Design build
- Panel/service upgrades
- Installation of CCTVs and security systems
- Cabling for data and communication systems
- Thermal imaging
- Fire alarm installation and verification
- Automation and controls
780-406-4800
Now, more than ever, security is a top priority for every type of rental unit and tenant. Logixx provides security in the following areas:
- Burglar alarms
- Videos
- Access
- Security services (yes even for residential areas!)
- ULC monitoring
- Remote services
- Integrated building solutions
- Special services
- IP Connectivity
1-833-458-4499
An interdisciplinary team of tradespeople that offer industry contracting, electrical contracting, and mechanical operations services to commercial clients, institutions, and developers. Trades solutions include:
- Electrical installations
- Plumbing installation
- Plumbing repairs
- Maintenance
- Fire alarm systems
- Monitoring
- Restaurant fire suppression
- CCTV
- Alarm systems
- Fire sprinklers
- Card access
780-453-1362
OSCO Mudjacking & Shotcreting
I have to admit I didn’t have a clue what any of this meant until I looked at their brochure and had a conversation with them about concrete. I get it now.
Osco does concrete repair services for residential and commercial property managers and condominium owners including:
- Driveways
- Curbs
- Offices
- Entrances
- Sidewalks/ramps
- Leaking wall cracks
- Bowing/defective walls
- Ramp wing walls
- Septs surfaces
- Patios
- Warehouses
- Parkades
780-469-1234
mudjacking.com
4Rent.ca
Have you seen the newspaper boxes in grocery stores and on street corners? That’s 4Rent.ca; they are a biweekly rental magazine with 7000 plus distribution points that connect apartments with tenants across Canada.
RapidResponse Industrial Group
Rapid Response Industrial Group Ltd. (RRIGL) is an industry-leading group of professionals that provides complete emergency response services to manage and mitigate hazardous and non-hazardous incidents. Services cover land and water, including chemical and fuel spills, tanker roll-overs, train derailments, pandemic outbreaks, drug labs, and bio-hazardous incidents.
As a landlord, you probably won’t have a tank roll-over, but do you know who to call if a tenant dies in your property? If your tenants have an issue with hoarding? What about an animal house?
You do now – Rapid Response Industrial Group.
1.844.774.4911
Tree of Knowledge (TOK) Engineering & Consulting Services
TOK are mechanical/structural engineers who provide consulting services in the following areas:
- Reserve fund studies
- Building envelope reviews
- Licensed land/grading surveys
- Forensic investigations
- Energy audits
- Mechanical/HVAC services
- Structural/civil services
- Foundational & water leakage issues
780-434-2376
Economical Group Insurance
Many insurance companies offer car, home, and pet insurance – Economical offers discounted prices to ARLA members and even outside of tradeshow if you enter your name into a draw when you request a quote, you could win a cash prize.
1-844-999-7687
www.mygroup.ca/ARLA
OAB Furnace, Air Duct Cleaning, Carpet & Tile Cleaning
Air quality is so important, which is why furnace, duct cleaning and carpet cleaning are essential services in a landlord’s toolbox. OAB is insured and bonded and offers excellent discounts.
780-720-2007
OABcarpetcare.com
CLOABFurnace.com
Elements Roof Management Consulting
Did you know you can extend the lifespan of your roof by 5-10 years by participating in a roof management program? Elements services has a program, and their services include Roof Area Management Program, Roof Condition Assessments, Specification Preparation, Tendering & Inspections of Work in Progress, Attic Review, and Roofing Portfolio Overview Summary.
780-486-2828 ext. 230
Ecopest – Pest Control
Are bedbugs, rodents, or pigeons a problem in your apartment or rental units? Ecopest provides pest control with minimum impact on the environment. They offer discounts to ARLA members too.
1-866-26j9-2847
Capital City Tree Service
It’s always good to have a tree service on hand. They offer tree removal, pruning, and stump grinding.
587-735-6383
https://www.capitalcitytreeservice.ca/
Pop-A-Lock
Whether you want to replace your car key, are locked out, need commercial hardware, or want to rekey your home – Pop-A-Lock offers 24/7 locksmith services across Canada.
587-591-4060
The ARLA Landlord Resource Trade Show gave me the opportunity to meet good people in landlord-related services while gaining a mini education in the latest and greatest services and products for Alberta Landlords.
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Nelda Schulte is a property investor who is passionate about helping investors who self-manage have profitable investment properties through resources and education. If you struggle with the wrong landlord forms, or worse yet, no landlord forms check out Nelda’s 10 Essential Editable Landlord Forms that help you separate the good tenants from the bad and increase your property’s profitability.
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Sorry I could not attend. You did a great job of describing the vendors at the ARLA show – thx
Thanks Norm!