Archive only: Renting Community Basements

As of 5/2013, we no longer have community basements. Our community includes some buildings which are built on slabs, and others which have basements. Some basements are owned by the owners of the unit above, whereas others are owned and maintained by the community. Space in the community-owned basements may be rented by households or by community teams. People in the units above a given basement space will have first call on the space underneath their units. If a unit changes hands, the new owner/s may negotiate with the people or teams renting space below the units. The owners of the building above a given basement space will work with those interested in the space to set reasonable hours of access / noise, and must give at least one month notice before changing hours. There will be a team established to manage space rentals and any space modifications. Rental costs will be established by the finance team based on a price to be determined / year / sq ft., with a square foot minimum also to be determined. Spaces will be clearly delineated.

Short Term Rental Policy

1. Cost
   
   1. The cost will be $.40 / square foot / month.
   2. There will be additional surcharges for taxes, and electricity and maintenance costs.
   3. The surcharge may be increased or decreased after 12 months if our costs are higher or lower than expected.
2. Walkways (Partial‐basement rentals)
   
   1. The rent will include a walkway area of two feet in front of the storage unit. i.e. If someone would like to rent a space 5’ wide and 10’ deep, then must in fact rent a space 5’ wide and 12’ deep, where the front two feet are in the walkway in front of their space. We will therefore have 4’ wide walkways, given storage spaces on both sides of the walkway.
   2. The exist size of the rental space may be decided by the renter, but with the condition that the choice will be constrained by the need for walkways, particularly with the locations of the support poles in the basements.
3. Storage area delimitation
   
   1. Rental spaces will be delimited by painted lines on the floor.
   2. If a renter wishes to build an enclosure of some kind (wood frame w/ chicken wire, etc), they may do so at their own expense and upkeep. Again, this must not interfere with access to other rental space.
4. Team/group rentals: Teams or groups may rent basement areas basement on criteria and at fees to be determined.
5. Insurance: Rental insurance is the responsibility of the renter. If the renter’s home owners policy doesn’t cover rental areas, the renter should get a separate policy to cover items stored in the basement.
6. Specific accessibility requests: MC will attempt to accommodate specific requests for allergen-free and otherwise accessible basement areas. For example, MC may declare that a certain basement may not have any items containing pet hair or other materials that members are sensitive to.
7. Restrictions
   
   1. Members may not store items that are prohibited by MC. The list of prohibited items may include flammable items, toxic materials, items that may affect our insurance, etc. The list of prohibited items will be posted in each basement.
   2. Any basement that has been declared an allergen-free or otherwise accessible area will have additional restrictions.

Full basement rental policy

1. Cost
   
   1. The cost will be approximately equivalent to the monthly payment of a 30-year mortgage.
   2. There will be additional surcharges for electricity, maintenance, taxes, and MC bookkeeping costs.
   3. For damage caused by a renter of a full basement, MC will cover the cost of repairs, but has the right to charge the renter for that cost.
2. Insurance - Insurance for items in the basement is the responsibility of the renter. If the renter's home owners policy doesn't cover rental areas, the renter should get a separate policy to cover items in the basement.
3. Pets/allergens - If there are pets or other allergens in the basement, it must be thoroughly cleaned before vacating so that the space may then be rented to any member of MC.
4. Renovations
   
   1. All renovations are the responsibility of the renters.
   2. This includes staircases, firewalls, etc.
   3. Renters are responsible for ensuring that any renovations meet all required building codes.
   4. Before the space is vacated, MC will decide whether or not renovations must be removed. Removal will be at the renter's expense.
5. If a renter moves out of MC, the space reverts to the community. The basement rental may not be 'sold' as part of a unit sale, unless approval is obtained from MC. (i.e. If the new owners wish to continue the rental and keep any renovations, approval must be obtained, and MC has the right to deny the request.)
6. A rental agreement will be required for all rentals.