Maison Canada — Hotel in Waterloo

PROCEED WITH CAUTION: MAISON CANADA – A LANDLORD TO AVOID

Avoid renting from Maison Canada at all costs! I had the unfortunate experience of being a tenant under their management, and it was an absolute nightmare. Let me warn you about the problems I encountered, so you can make an informed decision and protect your rights as a tenant.

One of the major issues I encountered with Maison Canada was their blatant disregard for rent increase guidelines. They tried to raise the rent beyond what is permitted by law and will make you sign an N11 form, which is not required at the time of application. It became clear that they were more interested in squeezing extra money out of tenants than in following proper procedures.

Another major problem was their negligence when it came to dealing with problematic roommates. I repeatedly complained about a roommate who smoked indoors and maintained an unhygienic living space, but Maison Canada did absolutely nothing about it. Despite their promises of conducting house inspections, they never followed through. This lack of action made it clear that they were more interested in collecting rent than in providing a safe and comfortable living environment.

To make matters worse, when the bad roommate finally left, the replacement was even worse. This tenant was psychologically unstable, constantly screaming, yelling, and banging doors. Despite multiple complaints from other tenants, Maison Canada made no effort to address the situation or provide any sort of favorable living conditions. Instead, they threatened to evict us when we voiced our concerns. It became evident that Maison Canada has no screening process for tenants, which puts everyone's safety and well-being at risk.

Fed up with the situation, I had no choice but to leave the unit in order to protect my mental health and overall well-being. However, Maison Canada continued to show their true colors by stealing money from the move-out cleaning inspection. Despite leaving the space in a spotless condition, they unjustly deducted funds from my deposit. It took me months of constant reminders and follow-ups to finally receive my rightful deposit back.

Before renting from Maison Canada, I read the negative reviews on Google, but I foolishly underestimated how bad the experience could be. Let me assure you, it's far worse than you can imagine. They have no regard for their tenants' well-being; all they care about is maximizing their profits. If you end up with a mentally unstable roommate, Maison Canada will not lift a finger to help you. They'd rather threaten you with eviction than address the real issue.

Take my advice and proceed with extreme caution when considering Maison Canada as your landlord. Do your research, know your rights as a tenant, and remember that there are much better options out there. Don't fall victim to their greed and...

• EDIT - Sept 2024 *

In response to Maison's recently updated response claiming a change in management and goals, I will be charitable and amend my below post as follows:

I lived here from 2017-2019, and the content of my review reflects my experiences at the time. I think it would be irresponsible to remove the comment in the event that nothing has truly changed at Maison. I'm now graduated and moved out, so I can no longer comment on the current state of affairs.

• ORIGINAL POST *

They will take you for every penny they can get their grubby hands on. Lightbulbs, vent grates that disappear from the apartment, insane charges for move out inspection. They don’t give your key deposit back. Their internet network is unnecessarily complex. Want your visiting friend to have wifi? Email the IT guy and hear back from him several days later. Shoutout to Dan the maintenance man to being the only person with empathy and actually being a great help for residents

Since I can't reply to Maison Canada's response, let me do it here by editing my initial review:

First of all, dear reader, note that MC's response comes 2 years after I moved out and left a review. Ask yourself, what motivation might MC have for responding now? And take note of the unbalanced distribution of 1-start and 5-star reviews, and take away from this your own conclusions.

Interesting way to phrase that - "If you return your keys, then you will receive your key deposit back – simple". A subtle way to imply that I didn't return my keys, when in fact I did. Dear reader, do you think the average student would not return their keys, then leave a review complaining about not receiving a key deposit? Or, given the current state of the housing market in Waterloo, might a landlord refuse to pay back a key deposit because they know they can get away with it, and make some excuse? Again, come to your own conclusion here.

Take note of another subtle diversion in MC's response: "And we have never charged for a move-out inspection". MC employs a straw man argument here with against my initial imprecise language. No, I am not claiming that they charged me to conduct a move-out inspection, but rather that their move-out inspection resulted in ridiculous charges for what anyone would consider a clean room.

I implore you, dear reader, to take to heart the genuine criticisms of the 1-star reviews left...

Maison has great sized rooms compared to others in the Waterloo area for students and is super close to Laurier however, I wish I had read the reviews before signing the lease a few years ago. My lease just ended in August 2024 and I lived there for 3 years.

I had little issues for the 3 years until it came time to leave. I was charged a ridiculous amount for painting, and scratches on the wall that existed before I moved in. On top of this they told me nothing was wrong after doing my final inspection when I moved out and than I was send a crazy bill. They claim that they hire cleaners to clean your unit but don’t tell you that you are the one paying. Also my unit was a MESS when I moved in originally and walls were full of patches that were never fixed so it was crazy that we were held responsible for this.

The only reason people are leaving positive reviews is because they send an email that offered us a gift card for doing so. I’ve spoken to other tenants who left at similar times and they complained about the same issues. I do love the superintendent Nick - he does a fantastic job and is always available to help with anything!

When I signed the price was great and reasonable based on the condition of the building but after hearing what they charge now it’s definitely not worth your money compared to more updated places.

My BIGGEST TIP for anyone thinking of living here TAKE PHOTOS OF EVERYTHING in your unit so when you leave you have proof of what was actually damaged and what was not so you don’t face...