Living in Community Housing

Getting involved in your community can not only make you feel good, it strengthens neighbourhoods. Learn about the different types of community housing offered, opportunities to get engaged, as well as your responsibilities as a tenant or member.

Waterloo Region Housing

The Region owns and operates more than 2,700 community housing units in Waterloo Region.

Help with issues in your unit

Who you call about an issue that arises in your unit depends on the type of issue you are dealing with. See below to learn more. All maintenance requests can be completed in the online work order form.

Non-urgent maintenance requests: If you have a non-urgent maintenance request, call the Region of Waterloo at 519-575-4400 to speak to a live person 24/7. Otherwise, all maintenance requests can be completed in the online work order form.
Emergency maintenance requests: Please call 519-575-4800 if there is a maintenance emergency in your unit. This includes a sewer back-up, major property damage or a power outage.
- If you call Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and are asked to leave a message, please give as many details as you can.
- If you have an emergency when the office is closed, your call will be answered by an after-hours dispatch service.
Managing pests: If you think you have bed bugs, don't worry, it's not your fault! Even the cleanest homes and hotels do; but regularly cleaning and inspecting your home can help prevent or discover an infestation early on. Get more prevention tips or if you have bed bugs in your unit, please call 519-575-4800.

Maintenance service request online form

Your responsibilities

As a tenant in WRH, you have some obligations to follow that support a successful tenancy as well as health and safety.

Paying rent

As a tenant of Waterloo Region Housing rent payments can be made online, in-person or by mail. Please see instructions below.

Depending on which institution you bank with, you may be able to pay your rent online by setting up Waterloo Region Housing as a new payee for online bill payments.

Log-in to your bank's website
Follow the instructions to add a new payee for online bill payments
Payee information starts with “Waterloo Region” and appears in your bank’s payee list as follows: Waterloo Region Housing (WRH)
- You will need your tenant number to use for your account number. If you don’t know your tenant number, contact your Tenant Services Coordinator or call 519-575-4400 to be connected to your Tenant Services Coordinator

You can set-up your rent as a pre-authorized payment with Waterloo Region Housing. This means your rent is automatically deducted from your account at the beginning of each month so you’ll save the time and costs associated with cheques.

You will need a pre-authorized debit form from your bank to provide to your Tenant Services Coordinator
Please ensure to include your address and tenant code when submitting the form
- You can email the form to your Tenant Services Coordinator, fax the form to 519-893-8447, mail it to or drop it off at one of these addresses:
- 20 Weber St. E., Kitchener, ON N2H 1C3
- 99 Regina St. S., Waterloo, ON N2J 4V6
- 150 Main St., Cambridge, ON N1R 6P9
  - If you do not know who your Tenant Services Coordinator is or have any questions call 519-575-4400 to be connected to your Tenant Services Coordinator

Cheques can be mailed to or dropped off at one of these addresses:

20 Weber St. E., Kitchener, ON N2H 1C3
99 Regina St. S., Waterloo, ON N2J 4V6
150 Main St., Cambridge, ON N1R 6P9

Please ensure to include your address and tenant number with the cheque.

Cash and debit payments can be made in-person at one of our three Welcome Spaces in Cambridge, Kitchener or Waterloo.

Smoke-free policy

There is no smoking in units with a smoke-free lease. Tenants also cannot smoke in common areas, including building entrances and exits, or within five meters of any building. Please obey the no smoking signs where you live.

Child safety

Please remember to keep your children under the age of 12 safe by supervising them when they are at the playgrounds.

They must not be permitted to play or run into parking lot areas. Also, children's toys and bikes should be stored in the patio area of your home.
It can be very dangerous for children to skateboard or ride bikes in parking lots and driveways; drivers may not see the children, and may not have enough time to stop.
Please explain the risks to your children and help keep them safe!
It is your responsibility if your child damages property, including cars.

Noise

Tenants and their guests should be careful not to make any improper noise in or around their homes. Improper noise is anything which may disturb or interfere with the rights, privileges or interests of your neighbours. Loud music is a common complaint.

Parking

As a tenant, you may use one parking spot (if available, depending on where you live). Visitors must park on the street or in designated visitor parking spots only. Please be careful when you are entering and exiting your car to not damage the car beside you.

Smoke detectors

All smoke detectors are vital life safety devices in your home. It is an offence under the fire code to tamper with them and this includes the Direct Detect system for Kitchener-Waterloo family tenants. Tenants who disconnect smoke detectors, remove batteries, remove a smoke detector from a wall, and/or contact City of Kitchener and request the smoke detector be moved to another location will be charged for all costs, ranging from $60 to $200.

Changes to your home

Your safety is important to us. Please contact your Property Manager before making changes to your home. This could be for planters, holiday lights or decorations, and the use of peel and stick tiles. You also need approval from your Property Manager to install a satellite dish or air conditioner. In the interest of tenant safety, Waterloo Region Housing does not allow bedrooms in basements.

Waste

If your apartment building or townhouse complex uses large bins to collect waste, please place all waste inside the bin. Large household items, like mattresses, sofas and appliances, are not allowed in the bins. You must take them to the landfill yourself, or call a pick-up business to remove them for you.

Key holder responsibilities

The Waterloo Region Housing key holder in your apartment building ensures that Emergency Services and contractors can access the property. The key holder also monitors fire alarm systems and assists in case of fire alarms, and reports vandalism and building deficiencies to Waterloo Region Housing. For any issues, concerns or for maintenance problems, please call 519-575-4400.

Tenant insurance

Tenants are responsible for cleaning and/or replacing clothing, bedding, furniture and other household contents. Insurance can protect you from having to pay to replace household items.

The HSC Tenant Insurance Program offers property and liability coverage. Property coverage protects you from loss or damage to your personal property and pays for living expenses if you need to leave your home because of a covered loss. Liability protects you from costs of claims made against you for accidental injury or damage to someone else's property.

How to get engaged

Waterloo Region Housing communities have very diverse tenants with a sense of commitment to where they live. See below to learn more about the opportunities available. Contact your community relations worker to find out about other social activities that aren't listed here.

Tenant advisory committee: This advisory body advocates for tenants and plays a large role in decisions that impact Waterloo Region Housing communities. The committee is made up of ten elected tenants, including youth. Elections are held every two years.
Local tenant councils: Tenant councils are in two of our senior housing communities; 168 Grand Avenue and 95 Concession Road in Cambridge. They meet monthly to address tenant issues and concerns. The council also helps foster stronger, more inclusive relationships among tenants and staff.
Youth Force: Youth Force is a summer employment program that helps teens and young adults become champions in their neighbourhoods. The program is open to anyone between 14 and 25 years old who lives in or near community housing in Waterloo Region. Participants are hired by community centres to work in their neighbourhoods while building skills to help with their future careers. Duties include clean ups, gardening, and unit inspections. Supervisory roles are open to the older participants.
Dotmocracy events: We provide people living in Waterloo Region Housing with opportunities to work together to make decisions about the communities they live in. Recently, tenants from nine WRH communities voted on a colour scheme for bathroom renovations by placing a sticker (dot) next to the colour board they preferred. The one with the most dots was chosen. Feedback from tenants who took part was overwhelmingly positive.

Volunteering with community centre partners

WRH tenants can volunteer with community centres on our sites. Contact a centre below for volunteer opportunities!

Sunnydale Community Centre - 508H Sunnydale Place, Waterloo, phone 519-883-0410
Paulander Community Centre - Unit 1, 60 Paulander Drive, Kitchener, phone 519-741-1152
Courtland Shelley Community Centre - 1064 Courtland Avenue East, Kitchener, phone 519-571-7953
Kinbridge Community Association - 241 Southwood Drive, Cambridge, phone 519-621-2930
Greenway-Chaplin Community Centre - 116 Rouse Avenue, Cambridge, phone 519-623-4220

Co-op Housing

Living in co-operative housing means that if you are able to, you take part in decisions that impact your community. Tenants are members of a co-operative; this means there is no formal landlord. Co-ops are run by a board of directors elected by the co-op's members.

Each co-op member takes on tasks to help maintain the community. This helps keep costs more affordable. It also provides members with opportunities to learn new skills. Meetings are generally held twice a year and are an opportunity for members to have a voice.

Non-Profit Housing

Non-profit housing is sponsored by community groups and developed through government programs that help cover costs. These costs include operating or rental costs (the gap between what the tenant can afford to pay and local market rent).

About 89 per cent of non-profit housing is owned by community-based organizations such as service clubs or faith groups. The rest are owned by municipalities.

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