Ontario landlord says he's drained his savings after tenants stopped paying rent last year
An Ontario landlord who says he's exhausted his savings and credit after his tenants allegedly stopped paying rent six months ago is frustrated he has no power to evict them.
Manmohan Arora, who owns and rents the property alleges the family currently living in one of his properties stopped paying their rent in November 2021, after beginning the tenancy in August.
“They only paid two months – September and October – and then, in November, they stopped,” he said, adding that they allegedly also stopped paying utilities. He says the total amount is close to $18,000.
By December, Arora said he still had not received a rental payment, so he recruited the services of paralegal Dionne Samuels-Dussie.
Samuels-Dussie said she made attempts to facilitate payments, but wasn’t successful.
“I reached out to them and they kept saying they were going to pay, but they didn’t,” Samuels-Dussie told CTV News Toronto.
CTV News Toronto has reached out to the tenants to give them the opportunity to include a statement but they didn't respond in time for publication.
The two filed an application to evict the tenants for non-payment of rent with the Ontario Landlord-Tenant Board (LTB) on Dec. 20.
Nearly five months later, Arora’s case has still not been heard by the LTB, and he says he’s exhausted all his financial options trying to make his mortgage payments without receiving rental payments.
“I've used my savings. I’ve used my line of credit. I’ve used my credit card,” he said.
Delays in LTB hearings, like the one Arora is experiencing, are common right now in Ontario. In spring 2020, the pandemic shuttered LTB operations for five months — since then, they’ve been unable to clear a backlog that has seen some cases drawn out for months.
In April, the government earmarked $19-million to the tribunal in an effort to “schedule hearing events and issue decisions quicker and more efficiently than before.”
When reached for comment on Arora’s case, the LTB confirmed they’d received Arora’s application and said they expect to schedule a hearing for him in June.
“The LTB recognizes the impact that delays have on those who access its services and is taking steps to address the backlog, including modernizing our organization and adapting many of our core services,” a spokesperson for the tribunal said.
“Depending on the application type, new matters are scheduled to be heard within three to seven months, on average.”
Meanwhile, Arora says doesn’t know if he can afford to wait much longer and has exhausted his financial options. With the tenants still occupying the home, he says he can’t even sell the property, something he said he’s considered.
“I don’t know what to do and I'm scared” he said. “I don't know what's next."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.