Ontario's Landlord Tenant Board is brutal

Ontario man gets house back after LTB evicts troublesome tenants, leaving thousands in damages

CBC News (abridged)
Isha Bhargava 16 September 2022

After waiting months for a hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to evict tenants from his property, a Tillsonburg, Ont., man says he finally has his house back. Still, he's left with thousands of dollars worth of damages, some alleged stolen items and unpaid rent. 

Last month, Edmondson told CBC News that he was sleeping on a couch in his realtor's basement while awaiting the hearing to remove tenants who neglected to pay rent and caused damage to his home by housing a number of pets against their initial agreement.

Mom, daughter face homelessness after buying home and tenant refuses to leave

CBC News Ottawa (abridged)
By: Priscilla Ki Sun Hwang
24 October 2022

Elsie Kalu lost job, seeking shelters, and begging Landlord Tenant Board for hearing

An Ottawa homeowner says she and her daughter could soon be homeless because they can't move into the townhouse she bought in April due to a tenant who refuses to leave — and she blames the Ontario government for failing her family.

Elsie Kalu says the ordeal led to her losing her job, plus she is now at risk of getting kicked out of her rental and faces threats of foreclosure — losing her property to the mortgage lender. She is begging Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to grant her a hearing so she can state her case to evict her tenant and finally move into the home she bought.

"Why would the government allow another person to take everything from one person? It's like robbing the poor to pay the poor," said Kalu, standing outside of the home she hasn't entered since buying it.

"It can't be right. I cannot provide social services for another citizen. I'm not rich enough."

Small landlords — those who typically own just one or two rental units — can become homeless when a tenant refuses to pay rent and leave a space the landlord needs for their own accommodations.

Kalu's paralegal filed a request to expedite her hearing. The LTB refused in September saying the case isn't urgent enough, according to its threshold.

Tenant’s lawyer responds

Lawyer Michael Thiele, who represents the tenant and the male occupant, said in an email that his clients have "the right to occupy the premises for an indefinite period of time." 

"Everyone knows how inflation has caused rents to skyrocket.  Affordability is a huge problem. Moving onto the street is not an option," Thiele wrote.

When asked why the tenant hasn't paid rent, Thiele suggested Kalu take it up with the LTB "if she believes that she is actually owed rent," but didn't elaborate or provide proof of payment when CBC followed up.

According to Kalu's submission, the occupants refused to let her inspect the home four times despite 24-hour notices — by posting doctor's letters on their door citing COVID concerns stating they're unvaccinated. 

Thiele responded to this stating the household is "entitled to protect themselves."

A landlord can enter a rental unit after giving 24-hour notice to carry out an inspection to see if it's in good repair, to carry out repairs, or for "any other reasonable reason" set out in the lease, according to the Residential Tenancies Act.

The occupants also refused to let an appraiser in to appraise the home, the LTB submission states, so Kalu couldn't get financing with her bank — forcing her to delay the closing and use a private lender with an 8.99 per cent interest rate and two per cent lender fee.

"The rights of entry are stipulated in the Residential Tenancies Act. This is not one of them," Thiele wrote. "Why should a tenant allow a landlord to enter a property to snoop around? This is the tenant's home and arguing that the tenant should open her door to the whims of the landlord disregards the fact that a person has the right to privacy in their home. The tenant doesn't need a reason to refuse. The landlord needs a legal reason to enter — the difference is significant."

The Act states a landlord can enter to allow a potential mortgagee or insurer to view the unit.

Kalu's LTB submission also states an occupant told her "the house is dilapidated," but refused to allow tradespeople she hired to enter.

Thiele said his client disagrees with this characterization, and said the tenant may file against Kalu at the LTB for the condition of the house, citing rent abatement.

Kalu said in her submission that the first time she met the tenant and the male occupant, they closed the garage door on her and her daughter's head.

In response, Thiele said tenants may have the right "to repel trespassers who refuse to leave" and said landlords can call police should they feel they have been wronged.

Please read the full news report. Elsie Kalu bought a condo townhouse.

The tenant’s lawyer raises a lot of points in response to the landlord’s complaints and it looks like the tenants are well dug in. The landlord and her daughter may have to move into a homeless shelter.

B.C. Realtor suspended after drinking client's milk straight out of carton

CTVNewsVancouver (abridged)
Lisa Steacy
24 July 2022

A Realtor in B.C. has been suspended after he was caught on camera drinking milk straight out of the carton in a home he was showing.

Lyska Fullerton, the Kamloops homeowner, posted a video of the incident on Facebook saying she was "beyond disgusted" by the behaviour.

The video shows a man walking around the kitchen, adjusting the blinds to let in a little more sunlight before making his way to the refrigerator. He then removes a carton from a shelf, and although his back is turned appears to bring it to his lips – the sound of liquid being swallowed can be heard faintly in the empty home.

Fullerton's post identifies the man as Mike Rose, with Royal LePage Kamloops Realty. It notes Rose is not the home's listing agent.

Ernst & Young fined $100 million over cheating on ethics tests

Hundreds of auditors at accounting giant Ernst & Young cheated on ethics tests they were required to take to get or maintain their professional licenses, and the company withheld evidence of the misconduct from federal authorities investigating the matter, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“In an enterprise, embezzlement is a given.”
—Little Women, a K-drama

Thanks, I always enjoy your mailings.

For years Isabella (our treasurer) made people think she was an accountant. Her son is the accountant, she works in his office.

She and her husband have been bankrupt twice and the condo was also in the son’s name to get a mortgage. When hubby drinks more truths slip out. She’s back on the board and since there are no real board meetings she manages the manager.

Some directors do keep their promises, our secretary told everybody he would run our condo like his track club and he does. No meetings, no records—easy job.

The previous president promised he would not run the condo like a business. We are still paying for that, and interest rates are up.
—Reader from Peel Region