For as long as SOLO has existed, we’ve been sharing the truth about small housing providers and their unique struggles. One of our core mandates is to humanize the small “mom and pop” landlord, while sharing the many heartbreaking tales. The vast majority of these horror stories are preventable.
We’re already doing well at telling landlord stories. Some of them come in the form of images of destruction, others in the form of blog posts. Others rise to the level of national news coverage. Social media short-form content is also experiencing an explosion related to landlord/tenant relationships.
When we wrote about Elsie’s story last year, the response was overwhelming. Her story touched a nerve with so many. This lead to a wider reach with a CBC story and, eventually a GoFundMe. This direct action helped Elsie weather the long wait while her tenant’s squatted, rent-free in her home.
The public seems to be aware that small landlords exist, but media attention often doesn’t distinguish between small or corporate owner when reporting on landlord stories. Even more telling, when the story is tenant-centric, the type of landlord is almost never discussed. Small landlords need to be recognized for their significant role in providing housing in Canada, but also should be classified differently because of the specific hardships they can face. Small housing providers cannot take a $20,000+ financial loss on a home like larger corporations can.
But there’s more. Every landlord story we tell is part of a much larger narrative. How did the landlord/tenant relationship go bad? What’s the cost of this struggle? Blogs and news stories don’t take an in-depth look at what brought this conflict to a boil. And to be sure, we’re seeing a rise in tenant/landlord conflicts in 2023. When relationships are strained, there are many nuances involved. People are complicated. Stories need the time to breathe. Many stories deserve a more thorough investigation.
I want to change this.
I wrote the book From Rent to Ruin: The True Story of My Tenant Nightmare to tell my full story. One cannot sum up a year and a half nightmare in 1,000 words or less. We need to dig deeper into these stories to understand the dynamics between people and the kind of risk one takes renting a unit in Ontario. Too many crazy stories are met with a “What kind of person would do that?” Rent to Ruin is my answer. Along the way, I’m seeking an answer to the question of why?
The book can be ordered as an eBook or a Print copy on Amazon. For larger quantity orders, please contact us directly. SOLO members can read the full first chapter exclusively on our member’s site, so sign up here for free. Thanks to everyone that joined us for the book launch and signing at the SOLO’s Celebration Conference on November 3rd, 2023 where I signed copies of every book sold.
