Archive for the ‘Tenant Problems’ Category

International Students Be Careful Of Rental Scams

Friday, September 2nd, 2022

Coming to a new land can be exciting. There can also be dangers. So be happy, be positive but always be careful.

For example, be aware there are lots of “rental scams” happening in Ontario.

This has nothing to do with real landlords, but people who act as the landlord when they aren’t!

According to CBC news an international student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario says she was eager to settle into new housing ahead of the fall semester, but was stripped of her savings and is fighting poor mental health after falling victim to a rental scam.

The victim is Armina Soleymani who moved from Iran to Ontario 3 years ago to get her Doctorate degree.

She says:

“Before, I had one problem: Finding a place. But now, I have two problems: Finding a place and getting my money back … I can’t focus on my studies.”

Soleymani’s experience comes following a slew of warnings by the Waterloo Regional Police Service, and as officers confirm they’re probing multiple reports of rental fraud in the university area this month.

Soleymani said she began searching for a new rental unit near the university about two months ago in order to secure a place before her current lease expires Aug. 31.

How The Rental Scam Works

Earlier this month, she found an online listing from someone calling themself a tenant through a Facebook group that’s popular among students. The woman said she wanted to sublet a unit at a building on Columbia Street West in Waterloo. Soleymani arranged an in-person appointment to meet with the woman on Aug. 6.

Soleymani said the woman, who claimed she was a student, gave her a tour of the furnished unit, and then they signed a lease agreement.

She said the woman requested that Soleymani pay $2,000 in cash to cover first and last month’s rent and a key deposit.

“I got suspicious and asked her for her ID,” said Soleymani. “I asked her to come down in front of the building’s main entrance door where there were two security cameras and I paid her.”

Soleymani said the woman gave her a key, which turned out to be fake, and was told it would work on the move-in day, so there was no opportunity to try it out beforehand to see if it would gain her access to the building.

Soleymani also said she kept in touch with the woman through Facebook, but after a few days, she noticed the woman’s Facebook page had been deleted. When Soleymani went to check on the unit, she happened upon a building manager, who advised her she had been scammed by the woman and there were other victims.

From what Soleymani understands, the woman didn’t actually live there. She also understands, based on what the building manager told her, that the woman had been subletting the unit herself from another person who was subletting it.

Soleymani said she believes scammers go out of their way to target international students or those scrambling to find a place weeks before school.

“During this time, students are desperate, they just want to find a place,” she said. “I think right now I realize several [red] flags, but I was under the pressure of finding a place. When your priority is to protect yourself from being homeless, you can’t focus on other things.

“There are lots of international students … that are looking for a place with no success … We have no choice other than to trust people and I know for many other students who come from overseas, there’s no choice but using online applications,” she added, noting language barriers also make the process more challenging.

Soleymani said the situation has impacted her mental health, and left her unable to focus on her studies and research. She hopes her story will raise awareness and help others.

“I just want to warn the other students. I don’t want anyone to experience the same situation.”

How You Can Protect Yourself and Your Money!
According to the University of Toronto you can protect yourself in the following ways

Let’s All Go To Tenant School! (It’s Free)

Friday, August 5th, 2022

This is Cassandra from the forums. I’ve submitted this and hope lots of people read it.

Tenants only want to follow the rules and protect our rights under the law.

But what if you are busy working multiple jobs just to pay the rent and put food on the table for your children?

Meanwhile, you landlord is trying to do something you think is wrong but how can you fight back?

There is now a terrific way for Tenants learn more about our rights!

This will be informative and fun and teach you about your rights and how to protect yourself. Good landlords will appreciate you knowing about the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) so both sides are equal partners when it comes to understanding the system.

Here is the information:

Come to our August Tenant School – for free!
Register for the FMTA’s Tenant School program

You can now register for the FMTA’s Tenant School program which provides training to tenants and tenant association leaders about your rights under the law and how you can organize with your neighbours.

Some workshops will be over Zoom and others will be held in person at Christie Pits Park (across from Christie subway stop on the Bloor line).

Here is the schedule of workshops:

On Zoom:

Tuesday, August 9, 7-8:30 pm: Introduction to Landlord-Tenant Law

Wednesday, August 10, 7-8:30 pm: Human Rights and Housing

Thursday, August 11, 7-8:30 pm: City Hall 101

At Christie Pits:

Sunday, August 14, 11:30 am – 4:30 pm:

*Getting Repairs Done

*Community Organizing and Tenant Associations

Read more here: Come to our August Tenant School – for free! – FMTA (torontotenants.org)

 

The Nov. 30/2020 Change To the RTA Is KEY! Tenants Can Demand “In Person” LTB Hearings! “Online Hearings” Are Unfair And Break Your Human Rights!

Wednesday, January 6th, 2021

Tenants Can Now LEGALLY DEMAND  Illegal “In Person” LTB Hearings To Avoid the Unfair, Unlawful, Illegitimate “On-Line Hearings!”

Protect Your Human Rights! Here Is How You Can Do It

Tenant heroes are fighting hard to physically stop evictions and have all the right intentions. The problem is this isn’t working and tenants need a new strategy.

Comrades from all over Ontario need to begin focusing on legal and political tactics to protect us from the evil forces that want to kill us all. We need to use legal loop-holes now and then focus on changing the government using the state (and the bureaucracy and the police) for our goals.

With the power of the state in our grasp we can use the state as our weapon, and not Ford’s weapon.

It may seem weird that the best advice for tenants is found on the biggest small landlords site. This is because they allow us to post without censorship.

The Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board is now having “Online Hearings”. These hearings are horrific and unfair and have made the Landlord and Tenant Board an “eviction factory”.

They also break the Ontario Human Rights Code For Landlords And Tenants.

Online Hearings Are Designed To Take Away Your Legal Rights And Evict You! This Isn’t The “Canadian Way” And It’s Illegal!

A recent story on CP24 news said that with the Landlord and Tenant Board “Online Hearings” tenants are show no mercy and act so fast to evict you they don’t even allow you to assert your human rights!

‘People are being shown no mercy,’ advocates warn in Ontario’s online-only tenancy hearings

According to the news experts stated: “It’s bad enough in normal times for people to lose their homes and to be treated unfairly an administrative proceeding. But it can be life or death in the kind of situation we’re in now,

The Online Hearings Are Not Fair and Not Right!

The experts continued: “the shift to an online-only hearing model has made it harder for tenants to present their circumstances or access legal advice, including through ACTO’s duty counsel program.”

Lawyers must now introduce themselves to tenants in the virtual session, in front of all other participants, and both need to exit the meeting to speak privately.

Tenant lawyers are entering “chaotic” hearing situations where they struggle to make themselves heard.

NDP Housing Critic Says Online Hearings Leading To Human Rights Violations And Must Stop!

Amazing NDP Housing Critic and Future Housing Minister Suze Morrison, who introduced the motion, said the online hearing format isn’t accessible for people with visual impairments or those who don’t have stable internet access, among other challenges. Evictions must stop because of this unfairness.

“I’m deeply concerned that there are human rights violations happening here,” Morrison said 

But it goes beyond mercy and goes to breaking the law!!

Let’s look at just a couple of the abuses here! Canada isn’t a “banana republic” but LTB “online hearings” are!

What’s Wrong With Online Hearings? Take A Look At This Corruption! With Online Hearings You Have No Rights. 

Look at this goofball destroying lives:

 

 

Tenants Can Demand “In Person” Hearings To Protect Your Human Rights (The LTB Doesn’t Want You To Know This!)

A very important change happened on November 30, 2020 that the Heroic Tenant Fighters have not been fully aware of and tenants don’t know about!

On November 30, 2020 the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB)  said requests for in-person hearings would be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure people are accommodated under the Human Rights Code. As of mid-December, Tribunals Ontario had not confirmed if any in-person hearings had been approved.

Let’s take a look at the new rules:

November 30, 2020

Updated Practice Direction on Hearing Formats

Effective November 30, 2020, Tribunals Ontario has an updated Practice Direction on Hearing Formats. The Practice Direction outlines Tribunals Ontario’s approach to determining the format of the hearing that will be held, and how a party can request a different hearing format.The updated Practice Direction is part of Tribunals Ontario’s digital transformation to enhance the quality of dispute resolution services while meeting the diverse needs of Ontarians. The digital-first approach will continue even when the pandemic is over.

“Our approach to digital first is to create more convenient, accessible and timely access to justice but it’s not digital only. We are ensuring people who need a different hearing format are supported when they need it.” said Sean Weir, Executive Chair at Tribunals Ontario.

Matters will be scheduled for video, telephone or written proceedings unless a different format is required as an accommodation for an Ontario Human Rights Code-related need, or unless a party can establish that the specified hearing format will result in an unfair hearing.

All Tribunals Ontario’s hearing centres are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, a party can contact the tribunal to make a request for an in-person proceeding. The tribunal will determine whether the matter will proceed in a different hearing format or whether it will proceed as an in-person proceeding. Tribunals Ontario will schedule limited in-person events when we are able to do so safely.

When in-person proceedings are available, Tribunals Ontario’s hearing centres will adhere to strict health and safety measures to protect staff, adjudicators and Ontarians. More details about safety protocols at hearing centres will be provided later this winter.

Tribunals Ontario is committed to providing fair, effective and timely dispute resolution services to the people of Ontario.

Read more here.

 

 

Tenants Have Human Rights In Ontario, But You Must Demand Your Rights

Ontario landlords must obey the Ontario Human Rights Code For Landlords and Tenants

Tribunals Ontario is committed to providing fair, effective and timely dispute resolution services to the people of Ontario

Housing is a human right

International law says that people in Canada should be able to get good housing that they can afford. To help achieve this in Ontario, tenants and landlords (or housing providers) have rights and responsibilities under the Human Rights Code.

Under the Code, everyone has the right to equal treatment in housing without discrimination and harassment. As a landlord, you are responsible for making sure the housing you operate is free from discrimination and harassment.

People cannot be refused an apartment, bothered by a landlord or other tenants, or otherwise treated unfairly because of their:

  • race, colour or ethnic background
  • religious beliefs or practices
  • ancestry, including people of Aboriginal descent
  • place of origin
  • citizenship, including refugee status
  • sex (including pregnancy and gender identity)
  • family status
  • marital status, including people with a same-sex partner
  • disability
  • sexual orientation
  • age, including people who are 16 or 17 years old and no longer living with their parents
  • receipt of public assistance.

People are also protected if they face discrimination because of being a friend or relative of someone identified above.

Where do housing rights apply?

The right to equal treatment without discrimination applies when renting or buying a unit (for example, in a high rise apartment, condo, co-op or house). This right also applies to choosing or evicting tenants, occupancy rules and regulations, repairs, the use of related services and facilities, and the general enjoyment of the premises.

As a landlord or housing provider, you are one of the people responsible for making sure tenants’ human rights are respected. Government legislators, policy makers, planners and program designers, tribunals and courts must also make sure their activities, strategies and decisions address discrimination issues in housing.

Choosing tenants

The Code says what business practices are acceptable and what information you may ask for when choosing tenants:

  • Rental history, credit references and/or credit checks may be requested. A lack of rental or credit history should not be viewed negatively.
  • You can ask for income information, but you must also ask for and consider it together with any available information on rental history, credit references and credit checks (such as through Equifax Canada).
  • You can only consider income information on its own when no other information is made available.
  • You can only use income information to confirm the person has enough income to cover the rent. Unless you are providing subsidized housing, it is illegal to apply a rent-to-income ratio such as a 30% cut-off rule.

You can ask for a “guarantor” to sign the lease – but only if you have the same requirements for all tenants, not just for people identified by Code grounds, such as recent immigrants or people receiving social assistance.

Accommodating tenant needs

You have a legal duty to accommodate tenants (meet special needs they may have) if they have real needs, based on Code grounds. You must accommodate up to the point of undue hardship, based on cost, the availability of outside sources of funding, or health and safety concerns.

For example, for a tenant with a disability, you might need to make changes to a unit, a building entrance, sidewalks or parking areas.

Some tenants need changes to rules and practices to accommodate changing family situations or religious practices. Sometimes a tenant who is unwell or who disrupts others (either because of a disability or due to that person being the target of discrimination themselves) may need help. You should assess your role to see if there are things you can do as a landlord to help the situation.

You and your tenants share the responsibility for making the accommodation work. You must take an active role in the process and work with tenants in good faith to find the best solution. If your tenant provides you with medical or other personal information, you must keep it private.

Landlords must work with tenants to find and put in place the most appropriate accommodation as soon as possible. If this cannot be done without causing undue hardship, or if it will take a long time, you must provide interim or “next-best” accommodation.

Special programs and circumstances for housing

Under the Code, special programs are permitted to help a group of people who are disadvantaged based on Code grounds, as long as these programs meet the requirements the Code sets out. Examples would include setting up housing designed for older people, people with disabilities or university students with families.

When the Code does not apply

The Code does not apply in the case of a disagreement or “personality conflict” with a landlord or another tenant unrelated to a Code ground, or if a tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with the owner or the owner’s family.

You can advance human rights in housing

Housing providers can take a number of steps to prevent discrimination and harassment and address human rights in rental housing by developing:

  • anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies
  • plans for reviewing and removing barriers
  • procedures for responding to accommodation requests
  • procedures for resolving disputes quickly and effectively
  • education and training programs.

It is important to make sure that organizational rules, policies, procedures, decision-making processes and culture do not create barriers, and do not cause discrimination. Areas where barriers could exist include wait-list and eligibility criteria, and occupancy rules including guest policies and bedroom requirements,

Follow some key human rights principles:

  • design inclusively – which means thinking about people’s possible accommodation needs before you design your building, set up your rules, etc., so that your housing does not cause new barriers
  • identify and remove existing barriers
  • maximize integration – which means setting up housing and programs that are inclusive, where everybody can take part
  • look at the needs of individuals. and consider the best possible solution

 

How You Can Use The New Rules Made On Nov. 30, 2020 And Win!

Remember the Landlord and Tenant Board has clearly stated the following:

“Matters will be scheduled for video, telephone or written proceedings unless a different format is required as an accommodation for an Ontario Human Rights Code-related need, or unless a party can establish that the specified hearing format will result in an unfair hearing.”

This is the loop hole to protect you and your family!

Who Can Demand An “In Person Hearing” Based On Human Rights Rules For Landlords?

Let’s take a look at the rules again:

Accommodating tenant needs

Landlords have a legal duty to accommodate tenants (meet special needs they may have) if they have real needs, based on Code grounds. You must accommodate up to the point of undue hardship, based on cost, the availability of outside sources of funding, or health and safety concerns.

For example, for a tenant with a disability, you might need to make changes to a unit, a building entrance, sidewalks or parking areas.

Some tenants need changes to rules and practices to accommodate changing family situations or religious practices. Sometimes a tenant who is unwell or who disrupts others (either because of a disability or due to that person being the target of discrimination themselves) may need help. You should assess your role to see if there are things you can do as a landlord to help the situation.

You and your tenants share the responsibility for making the accommodation work. You must take an active role in the process and work with tenants in good faith to find the best solution. If your tenant provides you with medical or other personal information, you must keep it private.

Landlords must work with tenants to find and put in place the most appropriate accommodation as soon as possible. If this cannot be done without causing undue hardship, or if it will take a long time, you must provide interim or “next-best” accommodation.

Special programs and circumstances for housing

Under the Code, special programs are permitted to help a group of people who are disadvantaged based on Code grounds, as long as these programs meet the requirements the Code sets out. Examples would include setting up housing designed for older people, people with disabilities or university students with families.

 

Tenants Facing Eviction Need To Go On Offence And Demand “In Person” Landlord And Tenant Board Hearings Based On Your Human Rights!

-Landlords have a legal duty to accommodate tenants (meet special needs they may have) if they have real needs, based on Code grounds. You must accommodate up to the point of undue hardship, based on cost, the availability of outside sources of funding, or health and safety concerns.

-For example, for a tenant with a disability, you might need to make changes to a unit, a building entrance, sidewalks or parking areas.

-Some tenants need changes to rules and practices to accommodate changing family situations or religious practices.

-Sometimes a tenant who is unwell or who disrupts others (either because of a disability or due to that person being the target of discrimination themselves) may need help. You should assess your role to see if there are things you can do as a landlord to help the situation.

-You and your tenants share the responsibility for making the accommodation work. You must take an active role in the process and work with tenants in good faith to find the best solution. If your tenant provides you with medical or other personal information, you must keep it private.

-Landlords must work with tenants to find and put in place the most appropriate accommodation as soon as possible. If this cannot be done without causing undue hardship, or if it will take a long time, you must provide interim or “next-best” accommodation.

-Special programs and circumstances for housing

Under the Code, special programs are permitted to help a group of people who are disadvantaged based on Code grounds, as long as these programs meet the requirements the Code sets out. Examples would include setting up housing designed for older people, people with disabilities or university students with families.

Tenants Facing Eviction Can Go Offence And Demand “In Person” Landlord And Tenant Board Hearings.

While Online Hearings are unjust, In-Person Hearings are fair and you will have legal rights.

Online Hearings are a trap that will get you evicted and destroyed!

Also, In Person Hearings will be delayed for months so you don’t need to worry about being evicted like cattle being slaughtered to make hamburger.

Find part of the Ontario Human Rights Codes That Fits Your Situation and Demand A Formal, Real “In-Person” Hearing and Win!

File a Tenant Rights T2 Form against your landlord and explain you couldn’t pay rent (or didn’t pay rent) because your landlord broke the Ontario Human Rights Code!

The Human Rights Code won’t be legal if you share a bathroom/kitchen with your landlord or you are just having a “disagreement” with your landlord. So make sure to explain your situation is not just a “disagreement” but the landlord is breaking your Human Rights! This will mean you have the legal right to an “in person” hearing!

Remember, according the Human Rights Codes Landlords MUST ACCOMDATE TENANT NEEDS.

For Example:

1. Landlords have a legal duty to accommodate tenants (meet special needs they may have) if they have real needs, based on Code grounds. You must accommodate up to the point of undue hardship, based on cost, the availability of outside sources of funding, or health and safety concerns.

For example, if you are feeling sick or have an injury  you might need to make changes to a unit, a building entrance, sidewalks or parking areas.

IF THE LANDLORD DIDN’T MAKE THESE CHANGES THEY ARE BREAKING THE ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS CODE.

2. Some tenants need changes to rules and practices to accommodate changing family situations or religious practices. Sometimes a tenant who is unwell  may need help. 

SO IF YOU WERE SICK OR LOST YOUR JOB AND UNWELL YOUR LANDLORD NEEDS TO MAKE SURE THEY HELP YOU OR THEY ARE BREAKING THE HUMAN RIGHTS CODE.

3. Landlords and your tenants share the responsibility for making the accommodation work. Landlords must take an active role in the process and work with tenants in good faith to find the best solution.

YOUR LANDLORD MUST BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TRYING TO MAKE YOUR ACCOMMODATION WORK. THEY CAN’T JUST LEGALLY KICK YOU OUT WITHOUT DOING SO.

4. If your tenant provides you with medical or other personal information, you must keep it private.

YOUR LANDLORD MUST KEEP ALL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION PRIVATE. THEY CAN’T MAKE BILLBOARDS OR ‘BAD TENANT LISTS’ OR THEY WILL BE FINED

5. Landlords must work with tenants to find and put in place the most appropriate accommodation as soon as possible. If this cannot be done without causing undue hardship, or if it will take a long time, you must provide interim or “next-best” accommodation.

IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOUR RENTAL (FOR EXAMPLE IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE DURING THE PANDEMIC) YOUR LANDLORD MUST HAVE TRIED TO OVER YOU INTERIM ACCOMMOCATION.

There Is An Eviction Blitz And The Landlords Are Paper Tigers Who Are Getting Easy Evictions ONLY Because of Corrupt On-Line Hearings! Only A Corrupt Fascist Gov’t With Massive Foreign Funding Is Causing People To Be Evicted And Suffering!

Fight Back And Get Your In Person Hearing And Avoid Being Evicted Due To Banana-Republic Style Corruption And Political Manipulation

When ideology clashed with opportunism, Lenin invariably chose the tactical path above doctrinal purity https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/vladimir-lenin-who-power-rise-how-russian-revolution/

Tenant Groups We Know The On-Line LTB Hearings Are Corrupt. Ford Won’t Fix Them! We Must Help Every Tenant Get An In-Person Hearing NOW! When We Control The State We Can Defund The Sheriff Instead Of Fighting On Their Fascist Terms! Do It!

 

YOU *DO NOT* HAVE TO PAY RENT ON THE 1st IN ONTARIO (You Have A 2 Week Legal Cushion, And Months More)

Sunday, December 8th, 2019

In These Difficult Economic Times With Precarious Employment and Lay Offs Many Good Tenants Can’t Pay the Rent On Time…But You Can’t Be Kicked Out!

“No baby, we won’t be homeless as Mummy looks for a new job”

We live in difficult times.  Good landlords are aware of this and will support this post as it’s just an informative way your tenants can keep renting your over-priced property and making you rich for doing no real labour.

Landlords need to remember that while you do no work to take our money, tenants must struggle and work every day to try to feed our families and pay you your pound of flesh.

The Toronto Star recently had an article about being evicted and what tenants can do.  The advice was good but very limited as most mainstream media is these days.

This Is A War Against Tenants And the Working Class

The reality is workers are being laid off or even fired in place of third world factories with no human rights.

Even in Toronto many workers are given a low severance and an evil “good bye” as companies seek cheaper labour as they outsource.

Tenants are victims of the “gig economy” unlike Baby Boomers and Generation X who had it so easy in an era of low costs and high wages and even idiots and high school drop outs could get high paying jobs.

They put their businesses in places where workers are treated like slaves. Workers are whipped, chained, raped and beaten…all to make sure that new iPhone gets built for a low cost.

Landlords have a social responsibility

Good Landlords Will Understand Late or None Payment of Rent And Agree For Delays

Tenants are struggling. 

Smart landlords will have some empathy and understand if you can’t pay rent on time. They will give you a break and let you have a month or two of late rent, or even free rent for a few months.

Why Will They Give You A Break? 

Because the costs and risks of renting to new tenants is huge.  They might get a game player who never pay. Or get a nasty tenant who will damage their unit or upset others (including other condo owners). They should give you a break…but….

Landlords hate Tenants who know the rules!

If You Don’t Pay On The First Will You Be Kicked Out?

No!

There is a legal process landlords must follow.

If you don’t pay rent you will have months of rent free living and the opportunity to pay (and stay in your home) after many, many months!

I Didn’t Know That! What Is the Process? 

Landlords will file what is called an N4 to tell you to pay rent.  This give you 14 days to pay, but even if you don’t pay it’s okay!

The N4 is pure intimidation, you don’t have to move! LLs use this paper work to intimidate & threaten.

So If I Don’t Pay I Will Get Kicked Out?

No. 

Not at all, you are protected. You don’t have to pay for 14 days…and if you don’t pay in 14 days the landlord has to “apply” for a “Hearing Date” which can take 6 months or more (and you can pay right up to the date you will be evicted).  So you have months to pay the rent.

So What Happens If I Don’t Pay On The First Of The Month?

The N4 gives you two weeks to pay. You don’t have to pay the rent on the 1st of the month!

The landlord needs to then apply for a “court date” at the Landlord and Tenant Board.

These dates are between 6 to 18 months. That means you have a breather for a long time! 

In These Crazy Economic Times You Deserve a Break At Your Landlords Profits Expense!

Nothing can happen until you go to “court” at the Landlord and Tenant Board.

What Happens In The Period of Not Paying And the Hearing Date?

Nothing. 

You don’t have to pay a cent. And your landlord can’t harass you. 

If they do you can call the government Bad Landlord Police and get the landlord fined and even criminally charged!

You can also call the police.

So I Can Not Pay For Many Months and Still Stay In My Rental?

Yes. 

It’s not “your rental” it’s “your home”. 

The landlord will have to wait for months to get a “court date” at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).

What If I Want To Stay, Should I Pay All Rent Before the LTB Hearing?

No. Don’t be foolish.  This is a “business negotiation”.

Go to the Hearing. You are the victim and your landlord is getting rich thanks to your suffering and poverty!  LTB judges know this!

The LTB has a room where tenants and landlords can “work things out” called mediation.

You can agree to pay the rent owed, but why not negotiate?  Say you will pay 20% to avoid a “trial” at the LTB. 

Many landlords will be happy to get the money and avoid the stress of going in front of an LTB adjudicator and potentially getting nothing.

Landlords are scared of trials where they will be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Google “Nuremberg trials“.

How Can I Prepare For the LTB Hearing?

The best defense is a good offense.

Let’s walk you through this….Take a look around your home.

Do you see any maintenance issues?

Remember: no house is perfect so for sure you can find something.  Mold, stairs not up to code, fridge is not super cold, etc, etc. etc.  You can use this as a weapon!

Do I Have To Tell My Landlord About These Problems Before the Trial?

NO!

Don’t tell them. 

Bring them up at the LTB hearing and SHOCK your landlord.

This will immediately lead the adjudicator to cancel your hearing and book another one so the landlord can fix the things you brought up (hint: bring up a lot of stuff!)

You get another 3 – 6 months of rent free living. You need this help you SURVIVE in this crazy property owner controlled brutal capitalist world!

Landlords call this “trial by ambush” but it’s just part of the legal system to protect good tenants. And it will give you months of more free rent.

This is the best way for poor working class tenants to fight their rich “villa in Paris” or “apartments in China or Iran”.

More Help For Tenants

Remember you can get free legal help (and your landlord doesn’t and has to pay thousands).

Yes, it’s free!  And it will lead your landlord to have to pay for legal representation and while you get if free they will be charged $250 to $400+ per hour! 

You can bleed your landlord dry as they can’t afford these rates.  You pay nothing and they have to pay $300/hour and you can bankrupt them, as many tenants have done (not reported but we all know the score).

So I Don’t Need To Pay For Months And Can Still Live In My Rental Home?

Yes. 

The whole process will take at least 6 to 8+ months (you can live rent free). 

You Can Also Appeal

After 6-8 months to a year of living rent free, and using this money to pay for university and better food for your kids you still have option.  You can pay and stay or you can just leave.

Stay Strong! Don’t Be Intimidated! Learn How ‘The System’ Works To Protect Your Family!

Tenants Waking Up And Fighting For Our Rights

If you can’t pay rent don’t be intimidated. You have a system that protects you and you can even not pay and stay in your home for months (or years if you are smart).

Tenant: I Called The By-Law Department Directly And They Ordered My Landlord To Fix Things…Or Get A Huge Fine!

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

As part of our “Let’s Improve the Ontario Rental Industry” we have invited landlords and tenants to share their opinions on how we can make these improvements. These opinions are from individual contributors and are not the opinions of the Ontario Landlords Association. We believe by fostering communication between landlords and tenants we can improve the Ontario rental industry

 

You Can Make Sure You Get Fast Repairs By Just Calling Your Local By-Laws Department Directly And Reporting Your Landlord

Sorry I’m not a professional writer or anything but people here encouraged me to share my story to help other tenants. There have been lots of great tenant posts that have helped others like How Ontario Tenants Can Easily Break a Lease, so I’ll try.

Second, this has nothing to do with all the good landlords out there who care about their tenants and make sure their rentals are safe.  This is just about the bad landlords.

I’m a single mum renting a place. As a single mum having a clean and safe property is a priority for me. So when I saw black mold in the bathroom I needed to act to protect my kids!

I called the landlord on Saturday night and texted 5 times and got no reply!

Even by Tuesday no reply, that’s 4 days of potentially poisoning my child!

I went to the Ontario tenants forum and asked others what to do and they said call the by-laws department directly and there is no need to even talk to your landlord because every city and town has laws for maintaining safe houses and tenants can call by-laws directly.

Landlords must follow the law!

By-Law Officer Was Professional And On My Side!

The by-laws officer came the next day and I asked her to do a huge, complete inspection of the rental house to protect me and my kids and she agreed.  She saw the black mold.

But it didn’t end there, as the Officer inspected the entire rental property! 

I was so happy to have help and protection for me and my family! She also found a lot of other issues (wiring, insulation) and even found the shingles were not up to code!

The by-laws officer said she would send a letter to the landlord demanding things get fixed or the landlord would be fined thousands of dollars. The landlord was also given a firm date to do the repairs, so they couldn’t “play games.”

A week later the landlord contacted me and gave me a schedule for lots of contractors to come to fix the mold and all the other issues.

I said “NO! You need to follow MY SCHEDULE or I will call the By-Law Officer again!” 

My landlord agreed fast, because he was worried that I was a smart tenant who knows my rights and he can’t treat me like crap or I will call the by-laws department again!

Tenants if you have any problems don’t even waste your time to call your landlord.  They are cheap and stingy and don’t care about you and your children at all!

Don’t waste time…call the by-laws department directly and they will come, you let them in, and you show them all the potential problems.

Then, the fight is between by-laws and your landlord, not you and your landlord.

And landlords get scared when the government is involved and will respect you and fear you for know how to protect your rights! They also know if they get fined the government will collect it.

Tenants Can Call By-Laws Directly And They Will Force Your Landlord To Make Repairs Or Get Charged Thousands of Dollars

Good landlords who take care of their rental properties don’t need to worry. But if you have a bad landlord you can call by-laws directly and make your landlord scared and obey your every command!

How Can You Contact Your Local By-Laws Department? 

Just call your city or town. And ask the receptionist to put you through to “the by-law department”.  It’s easy and they are excellent!

Ontario Tenants – Bad Landlords Are Out There But You Can Protect Yourself!