Two homes, one too many

Bought before you sold?

The new house closed, the old one is still on the market, and every month it sits you are carrying two of everything. There is a better move than cutting the price: rent the first home at market to a screened resident, let it carry itself, and sell when the timing is yours again, not the market's.

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The arithmetic of waiting

A home that is slow to sell has two costs: the carrying cost every month it sits, and the price cut it takes to move. Renting removes the first and makes the second optional.

What it costs to sit

Mortgage interest, property tax, insurance on an empty house, utilities and heat through a Kingston winter, and your time driving over to check on it. Most owners have never added it up by the month. Our vacancy calculator does it in a minute.

What it earns leased

Market rent from a screened resident on a one-year lease, collected by pre-authorized debit, less the flat $149 management fee and the repairs you approve. For most houses in Kingston, that covers the carrying cost and then some.

What you keep

The option. Sell in a year when the market is firmer, sell with the resident in place to an investor, or discover the house is a good rental and keep it. A price cut today is the one choice you cannot take back.

Before the first lease, three calls. Your lender, to confirm the mortgage allows a rental and whether your bridge financing terms change. Your insurer, to switch the homeowner policy to a rental dwelling policy. Your accountant, about the change in use: moving out of your principal residence and renting it is a deemed disposition for the CRA, and the subsection 45(2) election can let you keep designating it as your principal residence for up to four years while it is rented, as long as no capital cost allowance is claimed. Ask before the first rent cheque.

How renting instead works

The rent number, in writing, within 24 hours of a callPriced from current listings and signed leases on comparable homes nearby, with a furnished comparison if your staging furniture is still in the house. Put it beside the carrying cost and your realtor's current advice.
Listed within the weekThe house is usually already clean, photographed and showing-ready. We re-shoot where the listing photos are watermarked, price it, list it on rentals.ca, Kijiji, Zumper and the rest, and screen every applicant on credit, income, background and references. You approve the final applicant.
A one-year lease, then your choiceA fixed one-year term continues month to month afterward. Sell with the resident in place at any point, or serve the notice a buyer who wants to live there needs, which we handle. Nothing about renting closes the door on selling.
Run without youRent by EFT, maintenance through insured trades on a published clock, an annual photo inspection, and a monthly statement grouped by the CRA's T776 lines so the tax side is easy. You get on with the new house.

Selling later, with a resident in place

Owners worry that a tenant makes the house harder to sell. It makes it different to sell, and we manage the difference.

Investor buyers want the resident

A screened resident paying market rent, a clean twelve-month statement history and a manager already in place is exactly what an investor is buying. The tenancy transfers with the sale.

Owner-occupier buyers get possession properly

A buyer who wants to live in the house can be given possession through the N12 notice process: at least 60 days' notice, one month's rent paid to the resident, and a sworn affidavit from the buyer. We serve it and manage the move-out for your deal.

Showings that respect the lease

Ontario requires 24 hours' written notice for entry and reasonable hours. We schedule showings with the resident, keep the house in showing condition through the inspection program, and work directly with your listing agent.

Response standards with a clock on them

Owners judge a manager by how fast they get an answer, ahead of fees and even occupancy. So we publish the clock we run on and put it in the management agreement.

20 min

First call

A.J. Keilty calls every new owner enquiry within 20 minutes in business hours, or at 8:30 the next business day.

Same day

Owner replies

Every owner call or email is answered the same business day by the person handling your property, not an auto-reply.

1 hour

Emergencies

An emergency trade is dispatched within one hour, 24/7, and the after-hours line is answered by a person.

1 / 5 days

Routine repairs

Routine requests are acknowledged within one business day and scheduled within five, with you approving anything above your limit.

The full standards, including inspections and vendor rules, are on the maintenance services page.

Flat-rate pricing, published

One flat rate for Full Service management of a house or condo. Every other fee is tied to work actually done on your property, listed on the single-family page and confirmed in writing before you sign anything.

Full Service

$149 + HST / unit / month

✓Rent collection and delinquency management
✓Monthly owner statement and 24/7 owner portal
✓Dedicated property manager, one point of contact
✓Maintenance coordination and annual photo inspection
✓24/7 emergency response for residents
✓Landlord and Tenant Board process handling

Leasing Fee

1 month's rent + HST

✓Professional photography, 3D tour and floor plans
✓Listed on rentals.ca, Kijiji, Zumper and more
✓Advertising funded by us, up to 50% of one month's rent
✓Credit, income, background and reference checks
✓You approve the final applicant, always
✓Billed at occupancy, not up front

What you can count on

Cancel on 60 days noticeA one-year agreement that renews automatically, cancellable at any point on 60 days written notice.

Your money in trustRent and deposits are held in a separate trust account, reconciled monthly, and your draw is sent by EFT.

You approve the spendAnything above your approval limit waits for your decision, except an emergency that threatens the home or the people in it.

Same rate for everyoneThe same published rate whether you keep the house for one year or ten. No short-term premium, and the management agreement is cancellable on 60 days notice when you do sell.

See every fee, listed. Renting a condo? The condo page has the same schedule plus the condo-specific details.

What owners say about the answer they get

Public Google reviews, quoted as written. KEILTY is rated 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews.

★★★★★

"Brandon is always quick to respond and follows through to completion on any tasks asked of him. All being handled with a positive attitude, and pleasant personality."

Dante Di Giovanni

Owner client

★★★★★

"Very satisfied with this company's service. Totally hands off for the owner. Also company's owner portal included every report there like income statement, repairs, tasks. Very handy for the owner to look for the information."

Jessie Wang

Owner client

Read all the reviews

What would your first home rent for?

A free rent estimate with a realistic range, a furnished comparison if the staging is still in, and a written management quote, with a call from A.J. Keilty within 20 minutes in business hours.

Free Rent Estimate

No obligation. Prepared by a local property manager.

A call within 20 minutes in business hours, the written estimate within 24 hours of that call. We never share your information.

Carrying two houses? Call before the next price cut.

Call 613-545-3322 or email ClientCare@KEILTY.com and we will tell you what the house would rent for and have it listed this week if the numbers work.

Get My Free Rent Estimate Call 613-545-3322

Frequently asked questions

Owners carrying two homes, answered

The questions owners ask when the old house will not sell, with the same answers you would get on the phone.

Can I still sell the house while it is rented?

Yes, at any time. Investors often prefer a house with a screened resident and a statement history, and the tenancy transfers to the buyer. A buyer who wants to live in the house is given possession through the N12 notice process, which we handle. We keep the house in showing condition and schedule showings with the resident on proper notice.

Will renting lower the price I eventually get?

Not if the house is kept the way we keep it: an annual photo inspection, repairs done when they arise, and a resident who was screened properly. What lowers a sale price is a house that sat empty through a soft market until the owner had to cut. Renting is how you avoid that cut.

What lease term should I use if I plan to sell in a year?

A one-year fixed term, which continues month to month afterward. It gives the resident the stability that attracts good applicants, and it gives you a clean point to sell, renew or serve notice. We do not recommend shorter fixed terms; they shrink the applicant pool without adding flexibility, because an Ontario tenancy continues after the term regardless.

Do I need to tell my lender and my insurer?

Yes. Most mortgages allow the home to become a rental, and your lender will want to know, especially if you have bridge financing on the new house. Your homeowner policy needs to become a rental dwelling policy once a resident moves in, and a house that sits empty for more than about 30 days usually needs a vacancy permit until then.

What are the tax consequences of renting my old home?

Moving out and renting your principal residence is a change in use for the CRA, treated as if you sold the house at fair market value that day. The subsection 45(2) election can let you keep designating it as your principal residence for up to four years while it is rented, provided no capital cost allowance is claimed, which protects the exemption if you sell within that window. Rental income is reported on form T776, and our year-end summary is grouped by its lines. Ask your accountant before the first rent cheque.

How quickly can you have it rented?

If the house is already showing-ready from the sale listing, we can have it priced and listed within the week. Time on market depends on the season and the price: a well-priced house in Kingston typically leases within a few weeks in spring and summer, a little longer in winter. We fund the advertising, up to half a month's rent, out of our leasing fee.

The house is staged. Should I rent it furnished?

Possibly. Near Queen's, the hospitals and downtown, a well-furnished house can command a premium from visiting faculty, medical fellows and professionals on contract who need a complete home for a year. Your estimate shows the furnished and unfurnished rent side by side. If the furniture is rented staging, send it back and lease unfurnished.

What does management cost while I wait to sell?

A flat $149 plus HST per month for Full Service, one month's rent plus HST when the resident is placed, and the other fees listed on the single-family page, confirmed in a written quote first. The agreement is cancellable on 60 days written notice, so when you do sell, you are not stuck.