October 18th, 2012
It’s Time to Fix the Ontario Residential Tenancy Act!
What is the National Post Story About?
The court heard that due to legal loopholes in the Ontario Residential Tenancy Act, empowered by the Landlord and Tenant Board, tenants have lived without paying rent for almost ten months.
How Much is the Rent?
The rent is $3,600/month. The apartment is in the heart of downtown Toronto.
What Does the Judge Have to Say?
$3,600 x 10 = OUCH!
The judge look carefully at the case and saw how loopholes in Ontario allowed a predatory tenant to abuse the landlord.
The judge then demanded change to the laws in Ontario and more fairness.
Basically the Wise Judge Saw It’s Just Too Easy To Screw a Landlord in Ontario
Yes.
What Are the Details?
A couple rented an apartment in Toronto last October (2011). After moving in they never paid rent!
A Toronto man and his wife moved into an apartment on Baldwin Street on October 11, 2011, and have not paid rent since, court heard, despite apparently still living there with pending appeals delaying any possible eviction.
At least I know I’m not the only one fed up with the things work.
It’s time to change!!
[...] The funds are sent directly to the landlord. This is very different than in provinces such as Ontario where payments are sent to tenants and not landlords, often leading to landlord/tenant problems. [...]
my dad is a landlord who is being harassed, abused, hes 60 his health is badd and hes on the verge of a heart attack, what can we do
[...] Instead of mature discussion, tenants are being encouraged to contact government by-law officers to punish their landlords. This is common in other anti-landlord provinces. [...]
took tenants to tribunal and lost unfairly. tenants ruined basement with mold and lied in court and got 2,000.00 for their ruined junk and a 20% reduced rent till basement redone. ruining lawn parking at front door on lawn. contacted fire dep’t bylaw, health dept and all unreasonably required more expenses by us. also I as landlord paid the 340.00 to take to court to have evicted for non payment and to end lease with two months notice but judge/arbitrator said No, they can stay till june and along with mediator took tenants lying side. totally unfair and no justice. cannot afford to take to higher court to fight. any ideas to dispute…. tigertail999@hotmail.com I am interested and totally frustrated.. unfair sytem and we were very very reaonable. landlords get no rights because some landlords are not good. more tenants are devious, crooked and abuse the law. Wendy
Had similar digusting tenant use the loopholes provided by the RTA and LTB to evade eviction and prolong my misery and fianacial ruin. My tenant is on socila assistance which I did not know when I rented to him, his work refrences seem legit. Small Claims court is a joke and I can not garinsh his welfare. So my tenant was walked away owning me 12 000 in back rent , lawyers fee and reapirs needed to the unit once he was finally evicted after 6 months of hell.What we need is federal garishment for dead beat tenants. There are no consquences for these individuals who use the loopholes and live off others peoples tax dollars.
[...] Of course, if tenants can’t pay current rents who will landlords rent to?On of the local landlords said that there are lots of available rentals available in Regina at reasonable rents. He said you can go to sites such as Kijiji to find them.He didn’t explain the bigger issue: the faulty way the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation analyzes rents. Some times it’s important to look at the bigger causes for problems. [...]
The lesson is if you can’t afford to go without collecting rent for a while, without becoming “ruined financially”, then find something else to do. Poor risk assessment of the endeavour and poor investment of your money even if isn’t nice what the tenants are doing.