• Home
• About Us
  • Key Founding Members
  • Growth of the Corporation
  • Board of Directors
  • Rental Portfolio
• Forms
• News and Stories
  • New Location & Logo
  • Emergency Maintenance
  • Dibajimowin
  • Easy Recipes to try
• FAQ
  • Available Resources
• Contact Us
  • Staff Listing

Frequently Asked Questions

We have compiled a series of questions often received, along with their answers below. If your question is not within this listing, please contact us via the online contact form on the Contact Us page.

I couldn't reach someone in Maintenance and need to report a repair request for my home. What should I do?

Office staff are available Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm to assist you with repair requests.

If the repairs are an emergency request (listing here), please call the Admin Assistant/Front Desk at 807-343-9401, ext #805, or by dialing zero.

If not an emergency, you can choose one of the following methods:

• email the Maintenance Clerk
• email your Tenant Relations Workers 
• print and complete the new Maintenance Request Form and send it to our office via fax, emailing it to the Maintenance Clerk, or by dropping it off at the Front Desk.

Tenants, if you are sending an email, please make sure to include your address in the subject line.

How long is the housing waiting list?

Once an application is completed in full and all required information and documentation are received by our office, placement could take as little as six (6) months, if an application is rated as a higher priority and there is a rental unit available.

Depending on rental unit availability that will support you and your family's housing needs, it may take anywhere from one (1) year or more for approved applicants to be placed in a new home.

It is understood that the completion of the housing application does not guarantee that the Native People of Thunder Bay Housing Corporation will provide rental accommodations.

What happens once I've completed the application?

Once an application is received and reviewed, if completed in full and all required documents are submitted, applications are entered onto the Corporation's wait list program and a letter of acknowledgement is mailed out.  However, if the application is missing some, or all, of the required documentation, a request for further information is completed by mail or email instead. Unfortunately, if all required information is missing, your application will be returned to you for completion.

For applications that are completed in full - a landlord reference check and an in-home interview is conducted to asses your need for housing.

Finally, a Tenant Selection Meeting is held; this determines the priority and/or order of applicants brought forward. Depending on vacancies, a unit is offered by letter during a scheduled viewing. 

A time frame of 24-hours, from the time of the appointment, for a response by the applicants is given. If applicants do not respond within the time frame given, the offer is rescinded and your application is returned to the waiting list.

When the unit is ready for the applicant to move in, an appointment is scheduled between the applicant and the Tenant Placement Worker to complete the signing of a new lease agreement and later to conduct a final Move-in Condition Inspection of the unit. Keys are released when all paperwork has been completed and the first month's rent is paid.

It is your responsibility to "check in" with the Tenant Placement Worker on a regular basis to keep your application active or to report any changes to your household composition, income sources or location.

How long will my Application remain on file (active)?

It is your responsibility to keep in touch with the Tenant Placement Worker on a regular basis to ensure that your application remains active, and to provide the Corporation with any/all updates of information concerning your application within thirty (30) days (such as changes to your household members, income, or accommodations).

It is the policy of the Corporation that all applications without activity in a six (6) months period will be changed to an “Inactive” status; after twelve (12) months, applications are removed from the Corporation's waiting list and the file is closed.

Would I be responsible to pay for utilities such as Hydro (Electricity), Heat, or Water?

Heat and Hydro utilities are paid by the Corporation only for rental units under Section 95 Operating Agreement.

As of November 2023, these utilities are the responsibility of tenant households under Section 15.1, COCHI and LEM, and all new tenants moving into any vacant unit, other than Section 95 units. Tenants will be responsible for creating an account with the utility companies prior to moving into a rental unit and paying for these services during their tenancy.

Will any Appliances be supplied or do I have to buy my own?

All currently occupied rent-geared-to-income units are supplied with a fridge and stove owned by the Corporation. Unfortunately, due to decrease in funding and changes to Operating Agreements, all new tenants moving into any vacant unit, other than Section 95 units, will have to supply their own appliances.

If you already own appliances and wish to use them in your new home, you must notify the Corporation prior to moving into a rental unit.

In addition, the majority of our barrier-free units are provided with a washer and dryer owned by the Corporation.

What if I want to move into another rental unit in a different part of the city?

You can apply for a transfer by completing the Internal Transfer Form, copy is available here.

Please be aware that your reasoning for a transfer must be within the guidelines; more information on guidelines is available here.

Top of Page