Cleaning Up Our Blog

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We’ve decided after quite some time that we need to redo and clean up our blog.   Our older one was not being updated much, and that scares us, since we were seeing a lot of broken links and dupe content.

We think this new format looks a lot better.

You may have noticed that we include, and are starting to include a lot of videos on the site, and in our blog.   There’s a reason for that.  Actually, a few reasons.

For starters, video is an easy way to convey a message in a short period of time, in a rich, engaging format.   It adds great visual content to a site, and it’s easy to embed without weighing our site down.

Secondly, there are tons of great videos out there.  Apartment and rental folks are really good about producing good videos for either rentals, or for their companies, and we are happy to include those in our blog, and city pages.

Thirdly, good videos have a knack for showing up in organic search results, fairly high, at times.  The search result is often also a thumbnail of the result, which is eye-catching, and invites people to visit the video.

If you haven’t gotten into video, and manage property or apartment listings, maybe you should consider it.   If you do have a good video, send us the link, or the embed code, and we will include it on Canadarentals.net!

Michelangelo Apartments Video – Courtesy of MontrealStays

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I thought this was an interesting video done by Montrealstays.com – I really enjoy some of the views of the apartments, but the music took a little getting used to :-) .   I have listed many properties and apartments by this company on my site’s Montreal rentals page over the years, and they seem to be one of the bigger games in town.   They always seem to have interesting properties available.

Our Rocky Mountain Stars – Long Exposure Shot

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I am loving photography, and love my Canon T2i.  I am learning how to get better at it every day.   Last weekend, I went up to our Northern Rocky Mountains to a high point, around 12,000 feet, and practiced my hand at astrophotography.   Going up so high is great, since there is less light pollution, so those of us who live in Alberta, BC, or the Yukon Territories, you are in luck.  Everyone else, well, maybe just move a little bit away from the city to get away from the light pollution.

This shot was taken at a 10 minute exposure, at about F4 and I think I had the Iso on at 800.  The lens is a 28-135.   I used an Apeture remote control to do the shutter and keep it down, and had it on a very steady tripod.   A bottle of wine helped too!

Look for wildlife right outside of your home, or apartment!

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It’s amazing what we’ll see if we just open our eyes.   This is the time of year where many families are heading to the mountains, or one of Canada’s national or provincial parks to ‘get away from the city’ and to find nature, and wildlife.   I’m all for that – a mental break from the hurry-scurry and congestion of urban life is always just what the doctor ordered.

However, if you aren’t able to get away, and need a nature fix – take a good look around your town, home, current surroundings, or apartment, and you might be surprised that nature has made a visit to you!

I happened upon this hummingbird in it’s nest, in a tree outside of an apartment complex.  The little fella had built it’s nest, and made a home right next to a busy driveway.  The bird was not very afraid of me, and let me come in really closely for a nice photo-session.   This bird was green and brown, and really blended into his (or her) surroundings, so if I wasn’t paying attention, I would have walked right past.

Hummingbird next to apartment

Looking Forward to Winter? Epic Snowball Fight!

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I know that it is only the beginning of summer, and that many parts of Canada have just started to thaw out for a few weeks, but really, winter is just around the corner..really.    So, to get psyched up for it, I have found an epic snowball fight video to share with you.  This fellow who did the video is very talented at using a Glide Cam, which allows you to run with the camera and have the shots come out smoothly.   I am glad he didn’t get his camera wet!  (I recommend changing the setting to HD – do this by clicking on the ‘gear’ in the menu bar, and you can make the video 720p!  Well worth it!)

Another quick and easy way to search for apartments in Canada

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Often times, searching using a regular internet search for an apartment anywhere in Canada will bring up dozens of websites, and often times many of these sites aren’t very useful, or relevant to what you are trying to find (unfortunately).   They may be well optimized sites, but they don’t have current listings, or what you are looking for.

An easy way to search for apartments (a way that surprisingly, many people have not considered, or tried) is by simply using google maps.

http://maps.google.com/

One you are in Google Maps, just type in a city name (i.e. Toronto, Ontario) and then the word ‘apartments’.   So, for this example, I typed in “Toronto Ontario Apartments”

Many pages of apartments came up, with addresses, phone numbers, a map with a “pin” telling you it’s exact location, and often times a website with more information.  In addition, may of the listings had helpful user reviews.

Using Google Maps to Find Apartments

This search method has also proved useful to me with smaller cities and towns in Canada, so I encourage you to try it if you are having trouble finding the information or listings that you need!

Interesting Question – Am I Responsible For The Rent?

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I received this question last week, and I honestly don’t know the answer to it, so I thought I  would post it here (removing names and personal info, of course).   If anyone has an idea or answer, please comment!

The message:

“I informed my landlord that i would like to move because i am 5 mo pregnant with twins. She advised me to sublet for Dec and to post ads. I was able to get two people who were interested. She refused the first couple. After meeting with them they signed the lease and she asked for a deposit then she decided the dog/pets was a problem. Which was not  true so she did not accept them .The second couple  the landlord did not meet with them for their appt. Both couples needed a place for December! they were from out of town.  Am I responsible for Dec rent I live in Laval QC. My landlord knew that i was moving Dec 1. I had just moved into the place Aug. 1 2011.”


					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Need a Sample Lease Page?

			
						

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Interestingly, one of our most popular pages on our site is our page where we have a downloadable ‘Sample Lease Agreement” – which can be viewed, copied, and printed.   It’s a basic, but comprehensive lease agreement that we feel covers all of the bases, and is easy to understand and follow.


We’ve put a link to this page on most of our site’s city pages in a new section that we have created in our sidbar “Helpful Pages.”


We’ll be adding more pages with helpful items for landlords, property managers, and renters over the next few months.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Free Photo Classifieds for Landlords and Property Managers

			
						

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We have started a new idea today for property managers and landlords.   If you are either, and you have recurring rentals (basically, you always have, or manage some sort of rental, and most often have availability), you may qualify to have a free photo listing on our site on a ‘permanent’ basis.    This listing can include photos(s), a map (if applicable, and a custom email form that will deliver messages from potential renters straight to your inbox.


The reason we are doing this, is that many of you list on our site every few days, and this will save you time, and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your ad will always appear towards the top of the listings.     If you are interested in learning more about this, please contact us and we will let you know what you need to do to participate, and if you qualify.


You can see a good example of one on our Montreal page




 


 


 

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Expanding your visibility and reach

			
						

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Seems like every day there is a new website out there that offers rental listings (usually for free) or some sort of classified service.  Then, there are the old standbys – Craigslist, Kijiji, and some of the other larger ones.


Basically – there’s a lot to choose from to list your property.


I think a lot of people out there stop with the larger sites when they list their rental or housing wanted ads, thinking that will do it for them.  Often times it does – and the property gets rented very quickly.


However, I do think that it is important to expand your reach and visibility to sites like mine – even though Canada Rentals is a smaller, less trafficked site – mine does have very good visibility with many searches.


I also think that there is a segment of the population who prefer to steer clear of larger sites – since there is a stigma, or trust issue in that sites like Craigslist (historically, in our view) have proven to be very popular with scammers.


That’s not to say my site hasn’t been a target either – it has – but one thing that we do to set ourselves apart is that we aggressively block scammers, and we also use our blog as a way to communicate to our site’s visitors about current scammers, what to be careful of, and other relevant and useful (we hope) information.


Ours is a simple site- but people who have used us before have by and large reported good results, and a safe experience.    We hope that you might consider our site to supplement your efforts on the larger sites, and maybe, perhaps, learn something new about the housing and rental market in your area!

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Phasing out our Office Space section

			
						

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After some careful deliberation, we have decided to phase out our Office Space section of our site.


We’ve looked at this section for the past few years, and really, it doesn’t get much traffic or action – so we’d like to take the section out as it really serves as only a distraction from the main part of the site.


If we receive any listings for office space or commercial rentals, we’ll simply put them on the appropriate city page of our main site.


If you didn’t know, Canada Rentals is a property listing message board – we offer a space to communicate with other property managers, people looking for rentals, and landlords.   Anyone may post a free rental or property rental listing that will remain active for at least 60 days, unless you remove your ad.


Canada Rentals has been around since 2005.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Peachland BC – Just A Bit Off The Beaten Path

			
						

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One of the things that happens frequently as I work on this site, is that I add new cities and towns to my list of places I would like to visit in Canada (a list that is becoming quite large, I must say).


The newest gem on my wish list of travel adventures is Peachland, BC.   I added this city/page to the site recently, and I think what happened is that I received a property listing, and it sounded fascinating.   I then checked out Peachland on a google map, and my curiosity was even more engaged.


Peachland, in addition to being on the shores of beautiful Okanagan Lake, is also within earshot of Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park – with over 10,000 hectares of rugged terrain, which includes lush grasslands, dense forests, mountains, and plenty of water activities.   What a great place to take a family camping, hiking, or cycling!


I then checked around for any good videos about Peachland, and found a good one (below) that shows the quaintness of the town, as well as the beauty of the waterside – sprinkled with parks, bike paths, museums and beach.  I also probably could have guessed that there is a reason it is called Peachland..since the area within and around Peachland is known for it’s lush fruit orchards.


I am thinking that this summer might include a trip to the Okanagan Valley.  I hope I can convince my family (although I don’t think it will be a tough sell to my 5 year old!)



					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Email being spoofed by a bottomfeeder

			
						

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So, one of my email addresses with canadarentals.net is being “spoofed” – basically it is being used to send spam – so it “looks” like it is coming from me, but really, it is not – I promise.  I hate spam as much as the next spam-hater, and spammers are the most bottomly of the bottomfeeders -


So, if you think you got a spammy email from me, please know it wasn’t me.


I have also looked into it, and there is really not anything anyone can do if their email address is being spoofed – unfortunately, and whether people realize it or not, their email address, at some point or another will probably be used/spoofed to send out spam too – especially if you have any significant online presence like I do.


Again, I am sorry if you are getting spam, and I promise, it is not from me!


-David

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Hey, Why Wasn’t My Rental Listing Included?

			
						

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So, if you are wondering why your listing didn’t appear on our site, it could be due to the following reasons, most of which are outlined in our Terms of Service on our listing page


- You are trying to include a URL in your listing – we generally do not post external URL’s in our listings


- You attempt to post the same ad day after day (duplicate content) without making any attempt or effort to remove your old listings (each listing gets an automated email with specific, easy removal instructions)


- Your ad really doesn’t offer anything helpful – if you try to post an ad promoting another site or service basically saying “hey, we have rental listings, come over to our site and check them out” – we probably won’t list it.    We want real, actual listings on our site.


- Your ad is irrelevant, or too generic (not an actual, physical rental property)


- It is obvious that your listings are being submitted by a 3rd party firm, such as an overseas SEO company (it’s easy to for us to pick these out)


- Your listing is spammy in any way, shape or form.


Basically put, each listing is looked at by an actual human being before it is activated – we do this to cut down on spam, and non-relevant or useless listings.


We want Canadarentals.net to be a respectful site with respectful users.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Laws regarding pets and property rentals

			
						

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I received a really great question this week from a site visitor about having pets – and if there are any discrimination laws regarding pets and rental properties (i.e. can you turn down a potential renter if they have a pet?).


The question was:


“Hi David,


Do you happen to know the laws with respect to turning down somebody wanting to rent your house on the basis of their having a pet? My son tells me that you can’t do that, unless it’s a sublet and it’s written in the lease that pets aren’t allowed.




My initial reaction and answer was:  ” That’s a good question – I don’t know “for sure” but it has been my understanding that you can turn someone down for the pets thing – simply due to allergies, damage, etc.   You can’t discriminate, of course, but pets – that’s a whole other thing that brings with it health issues, etc….

That’s my understanding, but I can’t take it to court with me if you get my drift…

If you find out for sure please let me know…I’ll try to do some digging too as I have time tomorrow.. ”


She (my site visitor) did some digging and found this:


Q6: The landlord says I must either move out or get rid of my pet; Do I?


A6: Only if the pet is dangerous, causes allergic reactions or causes problems for other tenants or the landlord, must you get rid of your pet or consider moving elsewhere as per Landlord application to terminate tenancy based on animals.


Even if you signed a lease with a “no pets” clause, if the pet is not a problem for anybody they can not enforce it; such no pets clauses are invalid under the law.


You do not have to move or get rid of the pet unless the Board issues a written order to do so. 


In addition, she found a great page on the Canadian Human Rights Commission website that “provides comparative information on the grounds of discrimination  covered by federal, provincial and territorial human rights legislation  in Canada.”


I think that, as a property owner or manager, adding “due to allergies” is a safe way to make sure you are covered.  I don’t think anyone can argue with that…

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
Montreal Listings and Duplicate submissions

			
						

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We’ve had a new thing happening, especially on our Montreal rentals page.  Several property management companies in Montreal have obviously hired people overseas to try to promote their sites and businesses.  I see these overseas folks trying to list multiple “properties” on our site every day, but they, I am sure, aren’t “real” listings in many cases – just duplicate ‘generic’ apartment listings with an e-mail address (and an attempt to post a link) – surely for the sole purpose of boosting their websites that they were hired to help.  These listings often come in waves of duplicates (having been listed many times before – or attempted to).

I’ve stopped posting many of these ads -(our site is human edited, so each ad has to go through an approval first, before it appears on our site).  The reason is – I believe that many of the search engines out there are sensitive to duplicate content, and I think our rankings declined somewhat because of it – since I have stopped doing this, it seems as if they are climbing back a bit.  We’ll see what happens.   I also think it is a bad user experience to have the same ad appear over and over, when it is obviously a “dummy” ad placed just for the link.

Montreal is the page where this is happening the most – we’ll see if it starts happening elsewhere, but in the meantime, we’re trying to limit how much of this happens on our site.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

		

						
A Scam – The Dialogue from Start to Finish

			
						

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I am posting this lengthy dialogue between someone who has been kind enough to share it with me, and a scammer – This was from Craigslist, but I am posting it here anyways – I have removed the property listers e-mail and identifying information, but have left the scammer’s stuff in there, so hopefully it will help anyone to avoid this scammer down the road.


**********************************************************************


Hi David

Another chapter to add, today the owner of the suite received a bank draft

for $4000 drawn on the BOM. To be honest not sure what the next step should

be, I haven’t checked with the RCMP but as far as I can see no Canadian has

yet been broken so I’d be surprised if the get involved. I can fax you a

copy of the cheque if you like. Help! G


—–Original Message—–

From: Canada Rentals [mailto:d...@canadarentals.net]

Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 9:06 AM

To: G

Subject: Re: Fraud details


I am going to post this whole thing on a new blog post this week, if you

don’t mind – called “A scam from start to finish”

I’ll remove your e-mail address but I think this will be really

helpful. Is that ok?

David


*************************


Hi David


My pleasure and thanks for the response.


This rental posting was posted by myself on behalf of a friend who is

not computer literate).


The following letters are posted chronologically beginning with the

Craig’s list ad that we posted, all communications from the scammers

are in red. The last letter is a beauty. I was quite lucky to get a

hit on the net as Google doesn’t give you anything unless you put

Andre Whiff in quotations.


Regards,


- G

**************************************************

Summary : -


Jamie Lee (jamie.lee00e@gmail.com )

Skype : – good.lord2

Andre Whiff : – (shipitfastnowuk@gmail.com) 


*(1) $550 one bedroom suite, ideal for student/couple (Lougheed mall

area) (map)*

*Date: 2010-01-17, 7:36PM PST*

*Reply to: …….@hotmail.com [Errors when replying to ads?]*


*• Immediate occupancy from Jan 21st, 2010*

*• Partially furnished basement suite in townhouse*

*• Private bathroom, shared kitchen plus some common area*

*• Laundry and utilities included with rent*

*• Please contact …….. at 604 ……… (preferred) or 604 ……….*

*Ga…… Dr. at B…….. Cres. (google map) (yahoo map)*

* Location: Lougheed mall area*


(2) $550 one bedroom suite, ideal for student/couple (Lougheed mall

area) (map)?


From: Jamie Lee (jamie.lee00e@gmail.com)


Sent: January 17, 2010 8:53:17 PM


To: ….@hotmail.com


Hello,


Kindly let me know if you still have the place for rent,


Thanks


*(3) Yes it is however you need to contact the owner by phone as his

computer is not working. (I’m helping him out with the advertising)

Suggest you call his cell in the morning 604 …….*

* *

*(4) Re: $550 one bedroom suite, ideal for student/couple (Lougheed

mall area) (map)**?*


*From: Jamie Lee (jamie.lee00e@gmail.com)*


*Sent: January 18, 2010 2:25:44 PM*


*To: ……. Hill (….@hotmail.com)*


Hello,


I was born in and raised in Europe 28 yrs ago and pretty much moved

around Europe half of my life until my parents decided to settle in

England where I live now. I’m a matured, Vivacious, career driven

individual. I don’t smoke and drink on very sparse occasions (probably

won’t even consume up to 5 liters in year) which might be buoyed

something very special like a job promotion or maybe a best

friend’s wedding (lol).


I should be arriving late January but I don’t mind taking the place

right away. I plan on staying in Canada for at least 3 years minimum

So I should be able to sign a year contract there is need for it.

I would be working as a Network Administrator. Where is the nearest

intersection and could you send me some pics?


My employer will be sending you payment for the first and last month

rent and also my shipper will be shipping my Honda 2009 model and

other personal effects before I move into your place.I wont be

bringing much over as I intend to buy most afresh there. But my PC

will be coming with me surely & other personal belongings.If this is

ok with you,kindly mail me back your name to make out the payment in &

your address to have it sent to.


I will be off to see my sick mum in the hospital who is due for

surgery soon. In case you want to get to me my skype is good.lord2

I look forward to your response.

Jamie

*(5) Dear Jamie*


*I must say I was very surprised to get a reply from outside the local

area, somewhere in the province perhaps but a reply from the UK was a

bit of a jolt. I have no problem to rent the suite to you under the

terms you mention with the one addition of a refundable damage deposit

equal to half a month’s rent ($275). That would make the total amount

$550 (Feb), $550 (last month’s rent) plus the above mentioned damage

deposit of $275 for a total of $1375. I will waive the January portion

of the rent. I have no need for a year lease or otherwise as the suite

can be rented very quickly given the location near Simon Fraser

University, a simple month’s notice will be fine. In so far as the

damage deposit is concerned BC rental regulations stipulate that if

the premises are left as they were found the renter is entitled to a

full refund plus interest. I will have you sign the standard BC rental

contract which basically lays down the terms and conditions of our

agreement. Unfortunately I do not have a specified parking stall for

your car however there are numerous visitor spots available within the

complex all reasonably close to the suite. I will send some stills and

even a short video of the area and Google maps can easily locate the

complex if you enter ……… Drive, Burnaby, BC in satellite

view. I might be able to communicate via Skype however I’m using my

friend’s computer as mine is down and will have to clear Skype use

through him. Contact information as follows…*


*Owner : – G…….y*


*Address : – 3……..Drive*


*City : – Burnaby, BC*


*Postal Code : – V3J …..*


(6) Re: $550 one bedroom suite, ideal for student/couple (Lougheed

mall area) (map)?

From: Jamie Lee (jamie.lee00e@gmail.com)


Sent: January 20, 2010 4:36:14 AM


To: G…. (……@hotmail.com)


Hello,


My employer has sent payment to your location and I’ll be sending you


the details later. This will enable you know when it will arrive. I


will appreciate if you notify me as soon as it does.

This is the first time I will be traveling to North America and I

believe articulating myself with the cultural change will not be

difficult as people like you will make me settle in easily. In the UK

majority of us are conservatives and I believe Canada is an

environment with more liberal and free thinking individuals.

Facing new challenges and enhancing my skills will be first priority

and I promise you that you will not regret ever renting the place out

to me as I am a very matured and understanding person.

Most importantly my shipper will be getting in touch with you

regarding shipping of my Honda Accord (2009) to your place and I have

given him your contact.His name is Andre Whiff and he’ll contact you

by email.

Yours sincerely

Jamie

(7) Hello ,

I am Andre Whiff and I am Mr Jamie Lee’s shipper.He instructed

me to get in touch with you pertaining his personal effects that he

will be shipping from the UK to Canada but I have been instructed not

to commence shipping until you confirm receipt of your rent.

There are certain details that I will be requiring from you so as to

make sure everything goes as planned.But most especially I will be

needing the address that Mr Lee’s effects will be arriving in

Canada.

I await your response and full co-operation.

Thank You

Andre

*(7) RE: Jamie Lee’s shipper**?*

*From: ……. Hill (…….@hotmail.com)*

*Sent: January 23, 2010 10:21:19 AM*

*To: shipitfastnowuk@gmail.com*

* *

*Go…….y*

*3……., Burnaby, BC, V3J ……. *


(8) From: Jamie Lee (jamie.lee00e@gmail.com)

Sent: January 24, 2010 4:14:28 PM

To: ……. Hill (…….@hotmail.com)

Hi …….,


I called Mr ……. ,he refered me to you and gave me your number to

call you. I tried calling and left you a voice message.

Jamie

PS:Did you get and email from my shipper Andre?


(9) Hi,

My mum’s surgery is scheduled to take place in 8hrs time, wish me luck!

Here’s a poem I composed(100% Plagiarised,lol).

Jamie


Canada, oh Canada

what hast thou done with me

whenever I do close my eyes

my heart is there with thee

Your mountains and great forests

of an infinity

Sequoias stand majestically

ancient serenity

What everlasting pleasure

lies in your scenery

the crumbling walls of what once was

beneath a Maple tree

Golden fields of waving grain


whisper a lullaby

the sunset slowly fades away


beyond your endless sky


Canada, oh Canada

what hast thou done with me

I feel thou whispers in my soul

I wish to be with thee

I spot a single red deer

scent danger in the breeze

the slightest noise will make her flee

among your mighty trees

I see your children playing

out on a frozen pond

at snowball fights and slapping pucks

a magic way beyond


Mem’ries of the days gone by

engraved into my soul

return to you I will some day

it’s always been my goal

Canada, oh Canada

what hast thou done with me

thou temptress of my craving heart

I long to be with thee.

					

		
		
	


				
					
	

				
					
	

		

						
Removing a page from search cache

			
						

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I had someone (very nice) e-mail me to have me help them remove their info that has been stuck in google’s index for many months.   She had posted an ad with us, and several months ago asked us to delete her ad – a very normal thing, which we always honor within one day.

Well, if you do a search for her on google, and weird URL for our site comes up that isn’t even the right structure of URL’s we use, and some of her ad info is being pulled in – however, the ad page with her info has been removed for many months – it is not on the remote server – so nowhere on our site is her information still active on our site.

The weird URL structure is…weird – her ad “address’ appears after /index.cfm/ (the homepage file for our site – which is completely strange.

Anyways, she went into google’s webmaster tools, and asked them to remove the information by submitting a support request.  We’ll see if it happens, which I hope it does.  This is uncharted water for me – almost always if you remove a page, within a reasonable amount of time it is removed from search results.

I am reluctant to do a “404″ for the page, as I don’t want the index page of our site 404′ed as well – I’ll have to look into that more after I do a little more research.   It just makes me a little nervous…