A free workshop taking place this November has been designed to help potential renters in Grande Prairie. Rent Smart aims to teach people the skills and knowledge they need to apply for housing in the area. Grande Prairie Landlord Tenant Advisor Valerie Thiessen says around 30 people have attended the workshop so far and feedback has been positive.
“The individuals that have taken the workshops in the past have commented that the information was very valuable and they thought that it would make them a better tenant.”
The program was brought to the city from Victoria last fall. It teaches people things like tenant rights and responsibilities, privacy laws, communication skills and fire safety. Once the course is complete, participants are given a certificate which can be used as a reference on a rental application. Thiessen hopes that certificate will give participants a boost over others also looking to rent and show landlords that the applicant cares about being a good tenant.
“Because we have a boom and bust economy, there are times when housing, especially affordable housing, is hard to find and some of our clients may not have references or the affordability is difficult to find so this Rent Smart training might give them an advantage.”
The course will be run in four three hour sessions from November 5th to 8th. People wanting to participate must pre-register by phone at 780-538-0380, online, or in person at the Community Social Development Office. The deadline to register is November 1st.