I have a new tenant who says she can charge me $10 a week for not putting her garbage and recycling out at the curb. I have owned the 5 unit building since 2005 and have never had to collect and place a tenant’s garbage at the curb. Do I have to?

This is an issue that is not really addressed in the Residential Tenancies Act. It is usually up to the landlord and the tenant to work out an agreement at the beginning of the tenancy on how the garbage and recyclable items will be collected. If there is nothing in your tenancy agreement about it, you can try taking the position that all other tenants in the building take out their own garbage and it’s understood that would apply to her also. However, if she is insisting to charge you for it, your only recourse would be to take the matter to the Landlord and Tenant Board for a decision.

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