Archive for the ‘Barrie Landlords’ Category

An Ontario Landlord Story Part 2 “Dealing With the LTB and the Sheriff”

Friday, May 31st, 2013

June 1st, 2013

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(To Read Part 1 of this important story click Here)

When she did not vacate the property, nor pay rent for December, I filed an L3 – Application to Terminate a Tenancy:  Applicant gave Notice or Agreed to Terminate the Tenancy.  I did not, on the advice of the LTB customer service person, file any additional issues at this time, as these were likely, he said, to prolong the process by requiring hearings.

This application was accepted and I received an eviction order within two days! For all the good it did us. When I spoke to the Sheriff’s Office it became clear that there would be no immediate resolution in spite of the order. The earliest they might possibly trouble themselves to come out and serve her with the notice of eviction was “sometime late January.” 

I found this extremely problematic, and did a great deal of research online, only to discover that delays of weeks, or even months, are apparently quite common in Ontario.

The Sheriff has a monopoly on evictions, and eviction orders only say “on or after” … they don’t set any sort of guidelines for what “after” might mean. Phone calls to my MPP’s office, the Ontario Ombudsman, and the Ministry of the Attorney General which oversees this “service” had no impact.

In any case, on the day which the eviction order could be turned into the Sheriff’s Office I (stupidly!!!!) I did exactly that, paying $401 for the Sheriff to not do his job. When I arrived at home, I discovered that the tenants had stopped by to serve us with a notice of a hearing and a stay of the eviction order.

The hearing date given on that set of papers was a Monday, but in Mississauga – an interesting choice, given that the Barrie office is significantly closer – but since I did not teach on Mondays, I was fine with that.

Since we were having a hearing anyway, we decided to cover all of the issues and I paid another $170 to file an L1 re: nonpayment of rent, and an L3, notice to evict based on the second N5. I also included a note asking that, due to my teaching schedule, hearings not be scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays, and a copy of my timetable.

When I received my notice of hearings, they were scheduled for not one, but two consecutive Thursdays – and when I called to complain about this, I was told that the tenant had requested that the initial hearing be moved and that this was also scheduled, now, on a Thursday, although not either those on which mine were scheduled. 

Apparently, no one at the LTB thought anything of forcing me to miss work not once, but on three consecutive Thursdays. If I was stupid enough to rent to deadbeats, clearly I deserved to also lose my job – although how they think that landlords will be able to continue to pay all the bills for the deadbeats without employment is beyond me.

They would not even consider rescheduling anything until I obtained written permission from the tenants!

This is a ridiculous requirement – the tenant certainly did not obtain my permission to move the initial hearing from a date on which I could attend without placing my job at risk to one which did exactly that – nor did she ever bother to notify me of the change.

Presumably she thought I would like to drive to Mississauga to find out that the date had been changed…

TO BE CONTINUED

To discuss this story welcome to the free Ontario Landlord Forum 

Barrie, Ontario Landlords News – Arrest in Landlord / Tenant Dispute

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

April 25th, 2013

Barrie Ontario Landlords Tenant Dispute

According to a report in the news,  An Oro-Medonte Township man is charged after a dispute with his landlady.

Barrie OPP were called to a residence on Penetanguishene Road on Wednesday.

The man allegedly assaulted the woman the day before on Tuesday and did again the next day.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time we have seen tenant violence against a a landlord.

Barrie Ontario – Tenant Allegedly Assaulted Landlord with a Punch…and a Broom and Knife!

The 48-year-old was arrested and charged with one count of assault and one count of mischief.

He was released on a promise to appear and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie on June 3rd.

To discuss this and other landlord and tenant issues go to the Ontario Landlords Forum

Barrie Landlord Wants to Warn Others

Friday, September 28th, 2012

September 28th, 2012

Barrie Landlord Legal Issue

Be Careful Who You Hire to Manage Your Rental Property!

What’s Going On in Barrie, Ontario?

A Barrie, Ontario landlord wants to warn other landlords about the trials and tribulations they faced being a landlord and renting out a property there.

What Happened?

The Barrie Landlord starts off by saying they have a “huge” warning to potential Barrie landlords about potential Barrie tenants!  Every landlord should read it.

What is Their Warning?

The landlords is on record stating “We have had a home in Barrie and paid taxes to the city of Barrie for over 18 years now.”

So Why Did they Become a Barrie Landlord?

They say: Last year our family returned out west to work. We hired a very large property management company in Barrie to rent out our home. The company said they were ‘Full service’ and would provide landlords ‘Peace of Mind’.

They Were Happy With the Property Management Company? They Did a Great Job?

According to the landlords:  Regarding the promises…”This could not have been further from the truth.”

Who Did the Property Management Company Get to Rent their Property?

The tenants placed in our home had horrible credit, a record of past evictions in Barrie. They were even known to the Barrie police.  She soon found out the only reference that this PM company did  was a phone call to the tenants’ relative (aunt!)

What Happened When the Property Management Company Was Alerted to This?

When she contacted the company about the problems, the company gave her 30 days notice to discontinue the relationship.  This left the landlords on the other side of the country to deal with it.

Then?

The landlords in BC began the eviction process.

What Occurred During the Legal Process?

The landlord says that when she asked why renters that have been evicted ‘multiple times’ should be allowed to go through the system on a continual basis and hurt other families, the government told her ‘It was private and confidential.’

Did Anyone Pay the Rent Owing?

The day before eviction, the County of Simcoe actually paid the tenants’ rent bill in full. This meant the tenants would not be evicted…for now.

These Tenants Were on Ontario Works (OW)

According to the landlord, Ontario Works funded these tenants, who  are known to the police, who do not pay one penny in rent, do not pay any utilities (which, we have been told will be added to our taxes) and do not even mow their own lawn.

As of August, 2012 these tenants continue to live for free and the landlord is now going to have to go through the whole legal process yet again.

How Much Do the Barrie Tenants Owe Them?

The landlord has $8,000 in debts for legal fees.

She says her family is close to being ruined financially.

Has the Government Helped?

The government offices have offered no assistance to her family.

Local MPPs were not interested, and the city won’t help.

What About the Insurance Companies?

The landlord says it’s ironic insurance companies are now revoking policies to people who live out of province and have rental properties.

Will These Barrie, Ontario Landlords Rent Their Property Again?

She says her family will never rent out her house again.  In fact, her family could lose their home because of becoming a landlord.

She asks: WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM IN ONTARIO?  It’s the same question Darius Vakili asked after finally evicting serial bad tenant Nina Willis.

She says it’s unfair when government goes to those wh live dishonestly and are rewarded for their deeds year after year.

Who is the Landlord?

Mary-Jane Fogel, now of Duncan, British Columbia.

To read the original newspaper story go to the Barrie Examiner.

To discuss this story, go to the Ontario Landlord Forum.

Barrie Landlords, be warned by Mary-Jane Fogel’s story.  Make sure you choose the right property management company and make sure you know what Ontario Landlords face.

Renter Bit Me, Barrie Ontario Landlord Tells Police

Saturday, September 8th, 2012

September 8th, 2012

 Always Be Cautious and Prepared During Landlord and Tenant Disputes

A Biting Incident? Really? A Landlord Faced this in Barrie, Ontario?

Yes, a Barrie Ontario Landlord faced this. According to a report by Sun News, a teenager in Barrie, Ontario faces charges for mischief and assault.

The teen renters’ Barrie landlord told police the teen bit him during an argument between the two of them.

What Led to the Argument?

The police were contacted and asked to come to the rental property at around 8 p.m.  When they arrived they were told the teenager had been removed from the rental property.

The police officers then left.  The teen returned and started to smash windows at the rental property.

What Happened During the Window Smashing?

The Barrie Landlord confronted the teen leading to her leaving again.  This time the landlord followed her and got on the phone to alert the police again.

And…

Then, according to the police, the teen tenant turned around and bit him.

Horrible! Was the Teen Arrested?

The teen tenant was charged with two counts of mischief, assault and for breaching probation. This is just another example of how bad some tenants can be and why landlords need to be careful with tenant screening.

For one Barrie landlord, it was a night to forget. The police did a good job. This is an example of why landlords in serious and heated disputes with tenants should contact local authorities who are trained to deal with such matters.

You can read the Sun News report here.