Renting an apartment and moving in with someone is like an exciting, new adventure. It’s fun to set the space up, decorate, get to know one another and settle into a new routine. However, after the honeymoon phase, reality often sets in and you start to realize that you are not at all compatible. You decide that you are no longer happy living together and that you need to look for a new place to live. The challenge of making a decision to part ways is that you and your roommate are committed to a lease. It’s possible that you still have six months, or more left in the contract. If neither of you is interested in keeping the apartment and searching for a new roommate, you need to discuss with your landlord what your options are. Some companies in Manitoba do not allow subletting, however, they are required to allow leases to be assigned. You are probably wondering what the difference is between assigning a lease and subletting? With an assignment of a lease, the tenants that have the lease agreement are the ones to advertise and show the rental unit. If new tenants are found, they still need to go through the approval process of the landlord or management company. Once approved, the new tenant takes the unit as is and the remainder of the lease is assigned to them. There is generally a small administrative fee for this process (approximately $75). Here are some tips to help with the assignment process: Be flexible - Offer the person interested in your unit the option to move in early. A day or two before the end of the month, rather than on the first of the month can make a big difference. Advertise - Take good pictures of the rental unit and use classified ads and social media platforms to promote your unit. You might discover that your rental rate is at a lower amount than what current rent levels are in that building, as rent increases are not permitted during the term of the lease. Offer incentives - If you are really desperate to move on, offer an incentive such as a free month of rent or a discount off the first month to entice new tenants to take over the remainder of your lease. Understand the process – Get a copy of the policy regarding assigning a unit from your landlord. Share it with the prospective renters so that everyone involved in the process is educated on what the steps are to take over the lease. Don’t stop seeking renters – If someone is interested in your place and the lease terms, do not stop showing the unit to other interested parties. If the first prospect is not approved by the landlord, you may need to attract more prospects in order to complete the assignment. If you stop showing the unit when one party is interested, you may lose the momentum you had when your ads and incentives were fresh. Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including condominium management. VHP currently has over 4,000 units under management in Manitoba. For more information, please visit www.vhproperties.ca.

Jarod Crane is a former golf pro and now a current partner in Crane Steel Structures Ltd. Companies who have built projects all over Western and Northern Canada.  Locally such buildings as Christies, Toyota, and Qdoba. BDNMB.CA wanted to ask him 20 questions to get to know the real Jarod. LSU or Alabama: 100% LSU:  Lots of respect for Nick Saban but, “Roll Tide What, ……………….. “ you know the rest ! Best golf memory: Previous Golf Life – Getting to play amazing courses all over the South and meeting and/or playing with a few celebrities, celebrity athletes and performers over the years. Played a few times at Steelwood CC which at the time was more exclusive than Augusta National.  My second visit was fun playing with Jerry Pate and Joe Durant. Locally – Winning the Grey Owl and Tamarack in the same season a few years ago. The best memories seem to come from a guy’s trip every spring out West where one of my idiot buddies does something stupid pretty much every time we play. Who hits a longer drive you or your brother PJ: When pain free I am 10 yards longer but that’s not very often.  Seems like PJ has a new Driver every round so he is always a step ahead with technology. Has your role changed or evolved at Crane Steel: We have a development Company working in conjunction with Crane Steel Structures which I oversee on a day to day basis while PJ oversees our General Construction of all projects.  They both go hand in hand with daily collaboration. Would you consider yourself one of Brandon’s best known people: Not at all, it’s best to fly under the radar. Your favorite reality TV show: Not a big fan of reality tv, they are all scripted and fake.  I watch a lot of Sports, Dragons Den and Shark Tank on regular TV, otherwise its Netflix. Who will win in the 2020 US Election and why: Today I would say Trump as the Dem’s are continually sinking their own ship and I don’t see anything changing prior to November. On a scale of 1 – 10 how attractive are you: A solid 7.8 What is your major weakness: Definitely chocolate almonds and not a fan of paperwork. Favorite website: I really don’t have one.  Social media sure has a lot of recommendations for me though, good or bad. What age do you think you would retire: I retired 14 years ago.  Developing properties and managing commercial tenants is more of a daily activity than a job to me, it’s just something I will always do. Have you ever had a Charleston Chew chocolate bar: Never heard of it, but if you ever make it to Charleston’s the restaurant, the Ribs are amazing. What do you think the first thing your wife would say about you ( good or bad ): “What did he do now?”  Truthfully, Jennifer has always been my #1 supporter in everything I have done over the years. Any advice you could give a class of grade 12 students that would be graduating: If you continue on in school take some business classes along the way, they apply to every profession. ***Believe half of what you hear and a third of what you read*** Latest sleep in time on weekends: About 8:30 am unless there is a tee time to show up for in the summer Skip The Dishes would you use it more or less than 5 times a month: Less than 5 times for sure, I would rather be in the restaurants. Best Brandon radio station: My truck is mostly on XM Radio.  If a local station is on it is probably BOB FM as I’m not much of a country music fan What would be your dream job: Golf was my dream job for about 15 years so I already did many forms of it. Warren – Sanders or Biden: Fake Pocahontas, Crazy Bernie and Quid Pro Joe -  I think I just threw up in my mouth ! Who would you Dad say is a harder work You or PJ: Dad would say we both work hard but I would say PJ, he has a lot on his plate every day. BTW – Epstein didn’t kill himself. Cheers

Jigar Patel (JP) is the owner/franchisee of Pita Pit in Brandon. Recently bdnmb.ca broke the news that JP would be opening a second Pita Pit location in Brandon at 1890-18th Street North. How long have you lived in Brandon: 8 years   Where is the most relaxing place you’ve ever been: Whistler,BC    What was the most memorable gift you’ve received: Motorcycle from Dad   If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be:  It's hard to pick just one meal because i am foodie, so Pita for sure and our authentic food "Khichadi" (its a boil rice with turmeric and other Indian spices and vegetables)   If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be: there are not such a 4 individuals, i can share my meal to any one     What's the most daring thing you've ever done: Nothing yet still waiting to do it.....   Where’s the next place on your travel bucket list: Las-Vegas   What's your favorite ice cream flavor: chocolate chip    What's the phone app you use most: Facebook and Gmail   Would you rather spend a day at the beach or poolside: Poolside   Are you usually 15 minutes late, or 15 minutes early  15 minutes early most probably    What’s one thing you still have from your childhood: Never give up attitude    What is the first website that you go on at the beginning of the day: Yahoo mail   Pick one thing that you would love to win a lifetime supply of: Money so i can spend that for my pleasure and donation  (Win lottery)   If you could participate on a game show, which show would it be: Big Brother   When was the last time you spoke with a classmate from high school: Due to technology, i speak with them (on Facebook) almost every week.   At what age did you buy your first car: when i was 27 years old.   What chore do you absolutely hate doing: To clean house on my day offs   If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be: Food truck Warz Describe living in Brandon in 3 words: City Of Dreams

Chilli Chutney has been serving fresh Authentic East Indian food in Brandon since 2005. Tomorrow evening (Sunday, January 26) from 4pm to 9.30pm, the popular restaurant will be featuring an East Indian street food buffet comprised of the most popular street food dishes found on the streets of India. The dishes are made with a mixture of exotic spices and ingredients and said to be among the most popular street food in the world. Featured dishes include: Paani puri, Dhokla, Kachori, Jalabi, Chaat papari, Chicken lollipops, and Tandoori paneer tikka. Chef/owner Laxman Nagi tells bdnmb.ca that he expects to have up to 16 different menu items on the buffet.

Over the last few years, we’ve shared articles about what type of insurance you should have on your unit as a condo owner, as well as what coverage a typical condominium policy has. A topic we haven’t touched on before is deductible assessment coverage.   While most condominium insurance policies cover the cost to return a unit back to the standard unit construction in the event of a loss, sometimes the unit owner will be held responsible for the deductible on the condo corporation policy to process the claim. If you had deductible assessment coverage in your policy, you would be covered for this deductible, should it be determined that you are responsible to pay it. Deductible assessment coverage has always been a highly recommended coverage, considering that condominium policies often have a $5,000 deductible.   Let’s consider a scenario. Perhaps you were filling your sink to wash dishes and someone knocks on the door. You run quickly to answer the door, but accidentally leave the water running. You then get further distracted by visiting with your guest and all of a sudden there is $25,000 worth of damage in your kitchen (flooring, cabinets, baseboards, etc.).   In this case, the condominium insurance would cover the loss, but there’s a chance that the condo corporation could assess the deductible to you. However, if you had deductible assessment coverage you would pay your deductible, which may be $500, and your insurance would pay the $5,000 condo policy deductible. To repair the damage, the contractors would be paid $25,000 from the condo insurance policy.   If you did not purchase the deductible assessment coverage, you would personally be responsible for the $5,000 deductible. That would be a rather large, unexpected expense!   The issue becomes even more complicated when you realize the position that underwriters like Wawanesa Insurance, Red River Insurance, Aviva, SGI and Intact have taken concerning insuring condominium properties. These underwriters are sometimes reluctant to take on a whole policy by themselves, therefore they share the policy. In doing so, it potentially drives the rating up, which can only be mitigated by increasing the deductible. This means that some corporations have $25,000 deductibles.   As a result of the underwriters sharing the policy, in the scenario we shared earlier the unit owner would be assessed and responsible for a $25,000 deductible if they did not carry deductible assessment coverage. Ouch!   Vionell Holdings Partnership (VHP) provides rental housing and property management for an array of residential and commercial customers, including Condominium Management. VHP currently has nearly 4,000 units under management in Manitoba. VHP recently opened the Summit Life Lease Community on Brandon’s North Hill, which features underground parking and great views of the Wheat City. For more information please visit www.vhproperties.ca.