Moving In & Out

Find information on the following topics below:

Moving In

The Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) would like to welcome you to your new home. Our goal is to give you a quality place to live and excellent service. We want to make your stay trouble-free and ensure any maintenance requirements are addressed quickly and professionally. It is important to us that your home provides a comfortable living environment and peace of mind. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of our service, please contact us.

Orientation Meeting

When you arrive at your new location, we will meet with you to review our Occupant Handbook, have you look over and sign your Licence to Occupy, and give you the keys to your new home. We will also provide site-specific information to help you settle into your new neighbourhood.

Department of National Defence (DND) Housing Checklist for New Occupants

Once you have moved into your unit, please make note of any damages or deficiencies you notice. Fill out and hand in your condition report within five (5) working days of your move-in day. We may already have this information on file, but the condition report will help make sure you are not held responsible for anything we may have overlooked.

Locks and Keys

When you move into your new home, you will be given no less than two (2) sets of keys. When you move out, you will be asked to return all keys provided to you and any copies made.

To respect your privacy, we do not keep a spare set of keys to your house. If you lock yourself out, we can arrange to have a locksmith provide access, but you will be charged for this service. During regular business hours, please call us at our general office number. After-hours, please contact the Emergency After-Hours Response Service at 1 800-903-2342.

Before changing locks, installing deadbolts or any security device, please contact us to talk about your plans.

Insurance

We do not cover any loss or damage to the contents of your house. You are required to have liability insurance and personal property insurance to cover damage or loss to your personal possessions and to your house in the event of fire, flooding, theft, etc. Proof of insurance must be provided to us prior to taking possession of your unit. Your insurance coverage needs to be kept up-to-date, and we may ask you to provide proof of your coverage at any time during your occupancy.

Damage Caused by Movers

Please inform us of any damage to your home, inside and out, caused by your movers. Regardless, you are responsible to cover the costs of repairs. You are therefore encouraged to submit a claim to the moving company for reimbursement of damages caused by the movers. Please note that there is a time limit associated with such claims. We can help you with this process if you need assistance.

Extended Absences from Your Home

When your home is unoccupied for more than 48 hours, please make sure that someone checks it on a daily basis so that emergencies can be dealt with promptly. Let us know the name and telephone number of the person who is able to provide access to the house while you are away. Without this information, you will be held responsible for all costs related to gaining access and all damages to your home in an emergency situation. You can contact your Housing Services Centre to obtain a copy of the Extended Absence Form.

While you are away, your lawn, sidewalks and steps still need to be maintained.

Reasonable and Emergency Access

CFHA employees and contractors might need to access your home from time to time for appraisals and other types of required inspections and maintenance. Except in an emergency, we will inform you and provide the reason, date and approximate time for the required access at least 24 hours in advance. Even during extended absences from your home, there needs to be a way for us to gain access to your home.

In emergencies such as, but not restricted to, fire, flood or gas leaks, CFHA employees or contractors may be required to enter your residence to respond to the emergency and perform necessary work without getting your permission.

It is recommended that you ask anyone requesting entry to your home for identification (ID) and that you inform us of any unscheduled visits.

CFHA Contractors

Although not all maintenance contractors have ID cards, they do carry official work orders issued by CFHA. The contractors will phone you to arrange an appointment time during normal working hours that is convenient for both parties. We must be provided with current, local phone numbers to pass along to contractors who are trying to contact you.

Utilities

When utilities are coordinated by the Crown (water, gas, fuel and electricity), we will tell you how much you will be charged for utility services and you are responsible for these costs. When a utility is not coordinated by the Crown, you will have to arrange for the services from a local provider.

Failure to obtain utilities might result in damage to your home or constitute a health hazard and may be considered justifiable cause for eviction. If we have to assume the cost of supplying utilities that are your responsibility in order to prevent damage to your house, or to top-up a fuel tank where you failed to do so on vacating, we will take cost recovery action.

You can act responsibly when using utilities by:

  • Turning off lights when you do not need them.
  • Only turning on your Christmas decorations from December to mid-January.
  • Keeping your windows closed during winter months.
  • Conserving water, especially hot water, by not leaving your taps running.
  • Using plug-in timers for vehicles, and setting them appropriately for temperature and conditions.

Cable/Satellite Dishes and Telephone

We provide a functioning jack in a common area of your house. You are responsible for paying for telephone, cable and satellite service, including the installation of additional and/or relocation of jacks or cable as well as satellite installation and their upkeep. Please see the Do’s and Don’ts page for more information on required approvals for satellite installation.

Moving Out

The moving out process is made up of both a preliminary and final inspection. We do a preliminary inspection to make sure you know all the cleaning and repair requirements to pass the final inspection. This meeting should be held as soon as possible after you have given us your notice of intention to vacate. The final inspection will take place on your move-out date and is carried out to make sure you have completed all the requirements identified during the preliminary inspection. The preliminary and final inspections will take place only during our regular working hours. You, or in unusual circumstances your representative (where one has been appointed), need to be present during both inspections.

Moving Out Requirements

When a home is vacated, it needs to be left in a clean, hygienic and tidy condition. Here’s what you need to do:

  • Clean all floors, including those in the basement; vacuum all carpets and steam clean if required.
  • Remove residue from all wall and ceiling surfaces, with the curtain tracks removed. Residue means foreign matter such as tobacco stains and pen/pencil marks.
  • Clean all windows, window sills and screens inside and out; repair or replace damaged screens.
  • Clean and disinfect all sinks, bathtubs and toilets.
  • Clean and disinfect all appliances, including range hoods and bathroom exhaust fan grills that are permanent fixtures to the house.
  • Remove residue from all cupboards, bathroom vanities, cabinets and closet surfaces; remove shelf-liner in kitchen cabinets and drawers.
  • Replace all burned-out and/or missing light bulbs/fluorescent tubes.
  • Cut and trim the lawn and the grounds surrounding the home; clean window wells; weed and rake flower beds.
  • Clear snow and ice from all sidewalks and driveways.
  • Clean and empty basement, crawlspace and garage.
  • Remove nails, screws and frame hangers from all surfaces.
  • Clean the furnace humidifier and filter; vacuum all accessible ducts with removable heat registers.
  • Dispose of all garbage and hazardous waste in the correct fashion. Please look into regulations and by-laws about garbage and hazardous waste.
  • Empty the composter and dispose of the contents.
  • Remove all temporary structures (e.g. sheds, pools, fences) and restore the grounds to their original condition.
  • If the residence is heated by oil, fill up the fuel tank.

Restoration of Grounds

When you move out, you need to remove any structures you have put up and restore the grounds to their original condition, at your own expense. This also includes proper soil preparation and re-seeding any damaged grass areas at least 30 days before you move. If you move during the winter months, you need to give us a letter of intent, indicating the contact information of the designated person who will remove all the structures, gardens, pet waste, as well as restore the lot in the spring. The letter needs to be signed by the designated person. Without a letter of intent, you will need to give us advanced payment so that we can restore when weather permits.

Damage

If the home is found to be damaged beyond what is considered fair wear and tear, formal cost recovery action for the repairs may be taken against you.

Notification to Utility Service Providers

You are responsible for telling all service providers (hydro, gas, cable, telephone, etc.) of your move-out date and to provide a forwarding address for final billing.

Redirection of Mail

You are responsible to have all personal mail redirected. Please call your local Canada Post office for more information or visit www.canadapost.ca.

Intra-Base Moves

You are expected to ensure that your personal records are accurate and up-to-date. Our governing documents do not address the issue of pregnancy and its affect on household size. Therefore, we have established our own approach: You may be considered for DND housing based on your current official household size plus one, if you present a doctor’s certificate confirming the completion of the pregnancy’s first trimester.

Official reductions in household size will not necessarily require relocation. CFHA does not typically relocate occupants as a result of household size reductions.

Directed Moves

We may need to remove occupants (Priority 1, 2, or 3) from their housing units to accommodate portfolio rationalization or other military requirements. This is called a directed move and is defined as a move from one DND housing unit to another or to the local economy when ordered by CFHA, the DND housing managing authority.

We attempt to minimize the disruption to the occupants in the event of renovations, maintenance or disposal. However, in exceptional circumstances, some occupants will need to vacate housing units earmarked for rationalization (i.e. disposal, major renovation or replacement of a unit). Once rationalization plans are finalized, we will notify the occupant of record in writing of the requirement to move, along with an expected date. Priority 1 and 2 occupants will be given a minimum of three months’ notice to vacate their home. Priority 3 occupants will be given a minimum of 30 days’ notice. While rationalization could affect anyone occupying DND housing, only Priority 1 and 2 occupants will receive local move benefits. All other occupants will be required to move at their own expense.

Evictions

When you move into DND housing, you sign a Licence to Occupy (similar to a rental agreement). You are required to observe at all times all conditions of the licence. Eviction is undertaken as a last resort when all other avenues of compliance have failed.

The following represent some (but not all) grounds/breaches that require us to consider terminating the licence (eviction):

  • You are not paying your rent or other financial commitment to us;
  • You do serious damage to the home or related assets wilfully and/or negligently;
  • You are convicted of a crime or incarcerated where we clearly determine that continued occupancy is not in the best interest of the community;
  • You continue unacceptable behaviour, i.e. serious pet issues, serious housekeeping issues, serious noise or privacy violations, threatening behaviour to other occupants;
  • You continue to be non-compliant with other conditions laid out in the Licence to Occupy; and
  • You are no longer eligible to live in DND housing.

If you are deemed to have breached or failed to fulfill one or more of the conditions of the Licence to Occupy, we must terminate the licence and notify you of the termination. Base/Wing Commanders are the legal authority for removal of all occupants from DND housing in accordance with the National Defence Act, the Defence Controlled Access Area Regulations, the Federal Real Property and Immovables Act, and the law of general application to real property. Since the termination and removal process involves two separate authorities, the formal notification to occupants in breach of the licence’s conditions will contain the signature of both CFHA and the Base or Wing Commander.

Failure to Vacate

If you have received a Notice of Licence Termination and Order to Vacate and do not vacate the home by the date stated on the notice, we will ask the Base or Wing Commander to take necessary action with advice from the local Judge Advocate General officer where applicable. All members of the household may be removed in accordance with the Defence Controlled Access Area Regulations or other applicable laws. If you are subject to the Code of Service Discipline, disciplinary action may be taken. If your belongings are left in the home past the date specified on the Notice of Licence Termination and Order to Vacate, the Military Police will be contacted immediately. Entry into the unit will proceed in their presence, and the removal of personal belongings will be coordinated with them.