In January 2021 an unsuspecting landlord in the Milton area opened up his family’s home of 7 years to a tenant. The landlord and his family were moving on to a new property, and he was proud to offer the home he had meticulously cared for to someone new to enjoy. As keys were exchanged, the landlord remembers writing to the new tenant, “I hope you enjoy this home as much as we have over the years.”
When selecting this tenant, the landlord did his due diligence. He reviewed many documents including employment letters, credit reports and other supporting information. Unfortunately a few months into the tenancy, rent began to be paid a little late. Soon, it was weeks late. Then the landlord discovered the tenant failed to transfer utilities to his name, as agreed. As of October 2021 the tenant stopped paying everything altogether.
When the landlord began to dig deeper, he discovered the tenants’ name on CanLii. He soon realized that the tenant lied on his rental application regarding previous residencies. When reaching out to the tenant’s previous landlord, he became even more distraught. He learned that his tenant has been investigated by the police for fraud, and owed the previous landlord over $26000 in arrears.
It soon became clear that the employment letter, credit report, pay stubs, essentially everything the tenant provided in his application was fraudulent and falsified. He made contact with the previous police agency who investigated the tenant for fraud and got very little support. He was referred to the police department within his region, who has yet to act upon the information he has provided.
After many months of attempting to work with the tenant amicably, once the landlord understood the tenants’ history and that he had been a victim of fraud, he applied to the LTB in December of 2021. As of the time of publication of this story, he is still waiting for a hearing date. Arrears, legal fees and damages amount to over $25 000 and growing daily.
The house that he and his family took such pride of ownership in for so many years is now in complete disarray. Upon inspection, the landlord has recently observed mountains of garbage bags, cat litter everywhere, rotting food in the kitchen and the pervasive odour of cat litter everywhere. The landlord estimates the home will require a complete renovation before it will be suitable for anyone else to live in, at an unimaginable cost.
The landlord has had to sell his vehicle in order to continue to pay the mortgage on his properties. His lines of credits are maxed out. He is struggling to come up with funds to cover his property tax and mortgage obligations, not to mention fund his children’s education. He can no longer save any money for retirement.
The landlord also reports his health has been severely impacted. He has been unable to sleep properly for months , and his pre-existing cardiovascular condition has been exacerbated by the stress of this ordeal, to the great concern of his doctor who is ordering further testing and blood work. His family sees the stress he is under and he worries about the impact this is having on his children.
The landlord is now considering exiting the rental business altogether due to the risk involved, the extreme delays at the LTB and the inaction of the Ontario government. He no longer feels safe or comfortable taking on the extreme financial risk of adding to the provinces’ rental housing supply. When asked how the landlord feels about the government’s role in this situation, he feels as though the government has abandoned small landlords. He expresses despair, frustration, and anger that the LTB and Ontario government have allowed the situation to get to this point by not cracking down on “professional tenants”, serial fraudsters, or even meaningfully addressing the extraordinary delays at the LTB.
“I feel so let down by this whole system and process. It’s sickening.”
