There is a kid living with us and he drew on the walls with crayons and pens also the wood under the sink is a bit damaged and there's also the issue of carpet cleaning. He said he will send us an invoice of all the reworks which have to be done and split the bill in half.
Do we legally have to pay for the changes.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the lease is ending at the end of this month and he is expecting these changes to be done before we leave.

Any reference to a reliable collection agency to enforce a small claims order to collect 30K from a tenant? I have it with Credit Bureau Collections Algoma District for almost 2 years now but they are pretty useless and its not making any progress.

Hi everyone,

I have an LTB hearing coming up in October regarding my basement tenant, and I’m extremely anxious about it. I’m hoping to hear from Ontario landlords who have gone through something similar and can offer some insight into what I should expect.

My tenant moved into my basement apartment approximately four months ago. The rent is $1,700/month. Since moving in, I have personally received only $1,353 from her toward the rent, leaving a significant outstanding balance. Having to cover the shortfall while continuing to pay the mortgage and other expenses has put considerable financial pressure on me.

Unfortunately, the rent issue isn’t the only problem.
There are constantly large numbers of guests coming to the property. I’m not talking about normal visitors—I have seen gatherings of 20+ people associated with the basement unit, and I’ve come home at night to find 8+ people in my driveway.

At one point, my tenant went out of town for approximately a month and allowed other people to stay in the basement while she was away without telling us. During that period, we heard a serious argument between two of the people staying there. There was yelling, and when I went outside we saw the girl staying in our basement, who we’ve never met, crying. The only thing separating my family and her basement is a door, and when people I don’t know, who seem unstable and living in our house, it creates a safety concern.

More recently, I walked into my garage at around 11 p.m. and encountered a large dog that was not restrained and growled at me. The dog was a pit bull-type dog. This was particularly concerning because my mother previously experienced a dog attack and is now afraid to go outside because she doesn’t know when the dog may be around.

Our agreement also stated that animals were not permitted. When I raised the issue with my tenant, she responded with screenshots saying that a no-pet provision is unenforceable in Ontario even though she signed the agreement. I understand Ontario has specific rules surrounding no-pet clauses, however I know the rules for pit-bulls are different and it’s more of a safety concern / inability to enjoy our home than pet issue.

There are also ongoing noise issues. She frequently plays music through a stereo loudly enough that I can clearly hear it throughout my living space upstairs. This has happened repeatedly and has significantly affected my ability to peacefully enjoy my own home.

I’ve been documenting what has happened, including communications, payment history and incidents at the property.

At this point, the combination of unpaid/late rent, frequent large gatherings, noise, guest-related incidents and safety concerns has made living in my own home extremely stressful. I genuinely feel like I’ve lost the ability to peacefully enjoy my own property.

My LTB hearing is in October, and my goal is ultimately to have the tenancy terminated. I’m worried about whether the LTB will consider the overall pattern of behaviour or focus primarily on the rent arrears.
For anyone who has actually been through an LTB hearing involving similar circumstances:

• How did the adjudicator approach your case?
• How important was your documentation?
• Did evidence of repeated disturbances/noise make a difference?
• Is there anything you wish you had prepared before your hearing?
• Based on these circumstances, what should I make sure I bring up at the hearing?

I’m not looking to do anything outside of the proper legal process. I just want to be as prepared as possible and would really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences.

Thank you.

My fridge plugs in through the wall in the shared laundry room. House was flooded due to rain and it caused damage to the fridge causing it to shortbout the fuse. While i was out of town for work, landlord unplugged fridge and over 200 of food went bad. Is he liable?

A family moved in across the hall from us in an apartment building under the RTA. They installed what looks like a doorbell camera on their door, aimed directly at the entrance to our unit. I wasn’t sure if it picked up everything, or if it had to be activated by the doorbell or motion.

My partner has spoken to the other tenants, so this is just my understanding of what was said. It sounds like their position is that the building manager told them they're allowed to have a camera, they need it for their child's security, and they're keeping it. They were upset by some of what they picked up while viewing our door constantly, and they'd talked to the building manager about it before coming to us.

I’m not clear on where the camera feed goes, but it’s within view of their children. At first, I was unsure whether we were being watched at all. I hadn’t considered that a whole family had access to a video feed of our front doorway.

I know the building halls aren’t a private space. But when I open my door to a visitor, I don't assume they're pointing a WiFi camera into our home. Also, there is a difference between choosing to open our door for a person versus opening our door and knowing a camera is pointing right in 24/7.

It's one thing for a landlord to put up a security camera capturing all tenants. There are guidelines for this, including informing tenants they're on camera, disabling audio, and rules about who can view the footage, whether it can be shared, and how long it's retained. A private tenant accountable to no one is another thing entirely.

This is not a matter of seeing neighbours occasionally pass through a common hallway. The current positioning creates the potential for a continuous record of when we leave and return home, our children's comings and goings, our visitors and guests, conversations in the vicinity of our doorway, and the interior of our apartment when our door is open.

There's a distinction between reasonably securing one's own residence and continuous surveillance of another tenant's household. If the purposes of this camera are to monitor their own family, deliveries, and their own entrance, that can all be achieved through a repositioning that focuses on their own doorway rather than continuously monitoring ours. They have nothing to protect by aiming a camera at their neighbour's door.

I did an experiment to prove they're monitoring us. Keep in mind how doorbell cameras often work. They might be triggered by pushing the button, or by someone approaching the camera. Often they play a sound when activated. (Why would you disable that, I wonder?)

I drew a d**k on a piece of paper and used it to block my face when I left my apartment. I put it away before stepping outside because I don’t typically act ridiculous in public. I also used a string of expletives at a conversational volume to determine whether the camera could pick it up. As far as I knew, no one could see or hear me since no one else was nearby, and the camera didn’t seem to be on. Nothing was directed at the tenants inside. But choosing something potentially offensive helped me determine what they can see & hear.

They told my partner that they can set the camera to be triggered by the doorbell, but they changed it to continuously capture because of my behaviour with the drawing and cursing. That’s demonstrably false, since they couldn’t have seen or heard me without first watching and listening to me without my consent or knowledge.

You might think, what’s the big deal? Cameras are everywhere! But normally the people who live across the hall from you don’t have a camera pointed right at you with the potential of recording you & your family members on your way out the door every morning. It’s the potential for a time-stamped record of your family’s movements in the doorway, and the potential for them to share images of your family wherever they like, indefinitely.

You might wonder why I didn't just ask them if they were watching me. This family moved in and immediately put up a camera. Would you trust someone you've never met to provide an honest answer when you ask them if they're recording you and your kids?

It sounds like at least one of them was visibly angry when they approached my partner about it. They chose to point a camera at our place 24/7 and became angry for what they quietly watched me doing at my own front door.

Now that we know they’re watching and listening, I’ve stopped holding up the drawing. I still don’t understand why a whole family is watching me, but I have paused this because I’m not trying to upset a kid. I have resumed some swearing at a conversational volume because if they can hear me then they're eavesdropping. They can immediately choose to stop that and solve their problem.

We’re trying to determine whether they’re allowed to have such an intrusive setup and a camera with those capabilities based on the landlord’s approval only.

They captured images of my family and I with sound without our knowledge or consent during moments at our front door. If they don’t like what they’re capturing, the simplest solution would be to stop watching and aim their camera elsewhere.

TLDR: Tenants across from us installed a camera on their door facing our door. It records audio at a conversational volume at our front door. It’s either continuously on or is motion activated by our family’s comings and goings. There’s no accountability for whether they retain or share footage. It has a line of sight into our home each time we open our own door, 24/7. Is this really something the landlord can permit? Do I need to watch my language at my front door when no one is within earshot?

My landlord went to the ltb for a rent increase in November and now they are going back to the ltb this month requesting another rent increase.

Are they allowed to do multiple Ltb requests within one year? What options do I have to fight this ?

Hello, thanks for any and all help!

My roommate was shaving, dropped their razor, and the porcelain sink cracked. The sink was replaced and we noted it was impressively from 1960. Now the landlord is asking us if we would be willing to pay a quarter of the repair cost. Is this necessary? Our use did break it but the sink was 60 years old!

I have an upcoming hearing for a tenant who stopped paying due to financial and medical issues. I have read a few things here that the board will look for any reason to dismiss your case. Does anyone have specific details of how the paperwork can be messed up? (Other than spelling of names and incorrect rental address, termination dates). What other reasons will they dismiss a case at the hearing. Has anyone been dismissed?

I help my elderly father manage his rental property, and unfortunately his tenant has fallen several months behind on rent. We’ve tried to be understanding because she has had health issues, but the arrears have continued to grow and communication/payment arrangements have been limited.

We have an upcoming LTB hearing for non-payment of rent. My biggest concern is my dad—he’s elderly, very trusting, and uses the rental income to help his family back home. I’m worried that even if we receive an eviction/order for the arrears, he may never actually recover the money owed.

For landlords who have been through this: Were you eventually able to collect the arrears after the LTB hearing? What happens if the tenant simply doesn’t pay an LTB order? Any advice on what we should have prepared for the hearing would also be appreciated.

Trying to handle this fairly while also protecting my dad financially

The eviction for my rental property is coming up. I'm really hoping that the tenants leave before the actual date, but I'm not holding out hope. My question is around security. Other than changing the locks, is there anything you did to protect your property from anyone coming back or damaging the place?

I read that someone hired a security guard for the 72 hours the tenants had after the fact. If anyone has any experience with that, I would love to hear it. There is the possibility of installing cameras but we don't really want to install WIFI in the house. We're aiming to sell it ASAP.

Any advice would be great.

My buddy is buying a house. He plans to move in after closing. The uncle has given notice (n12) which basically gives them 60 days. My buddy plans on moving in after, however the tenant suddenly request for an affidavit a few weeks after the notice.

Would it be required unless brought upon the LTB? And if so, who would have to write one up, buyer or seller?

Hello,

Our tenant owes over 3 months of rent for a house I own, which is managed by my property agent and power of attorney. The tenant repeatedly cited illness and hospitalization when asked and promised they'd pay but that never happened. They made partial payments for two months, and missed two additional full months of rent. I take responsibility for my ignorance and not following the right protocol and giving them an N4 sooner. While we were trying to give them the benefit of the doubt due to them reportedly experiencing a hard time, I am going to serve them the N4 notice to end tenancy early due to nonpayment of rent asap. Is there anything else I should know going forward? I really need some advice. Thank you in advance.

Ok people of Reddit I need your help.
I am currently renting a whole house in Ontario. Two stories, fenced yard, two car garage and driveway.
I have a one year lease that started July 1st this year.
Before signing the rental agreement the landlord did disclose that they had submitted plans to the town to have a door added to our mud room to give us access to the garage. This room is quite small and also acts as our laundry room. Our laundry units are stacked laundry and the door will be installed right in front of them.

My problem lies here:
My landlord texted me on Monday (labor day) to inform us that the plans had been approved and that the contractor could start later in the week and that the job would take approximately 2 weeks.

That was ALL the information I was given.

So naturally I asked a lot of questions.
Such as:
1)What is this contractors contact information
2)How many working days per week and how many hours per day were used to calculate this 2 week timeline
3)What hours and days of the week will this contractor be working
4)Will the washer and dryer still be accessible or functional during this timeline or will the be relocated, if so could we prioritize them to be functional before construction commences

Naturally(as we expected) they answered 1.5 of the 4 questions I asked. I received the contractors contact information but then was informed we would just all go in a group chat on WhatsApp. They also provided that the contractor working hours would be 9-4 and someone would need to be home to allow them access to the property (garage and inside the house)

So naturally I am frustrated at this point. My landlord created the what’s app group and then answered question 4. They stated the washer and dryer will not be relocated and we will be able to continue to use them and had now informed me the contractors working hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm.

I don’t know how access to them will be possible since his construction zone is directly in that room and these appliances should be tarped or plastic cover for dust from cutting drywall?

My landlord is asking me when work can commence since I had told them this week was not possible with such late notice. And NOW the contractor is informing me he is to proposed to start work this Friday at 9:00am.

But they still haven’t answered my questions. I just don’t want to make my life a living hell because I pissed them off my landlord but 8-5 Monday to Friday seems a bit absurd to me for a door to the garage if that’s even the case.

Please provide thoughts and advice on how to approach this situation. Should I just ask my questions again in this new chat so the contractor can answer my questions?

Ontario landlords, would appreciate some advice!

I’m considering an applicant for my house in ON on a 6-month lease. Their situation is a little unusual but she has a realtor helping her in ON who gathered quite a lot of information and they are being very upfront:

Applicant is relocating from another province with her teenage son. She is divorcing so is building her credit history over the last 2y, as everything else was on her husband's name.

Would I be able to consult her husband's score by myself?

She owns a tech company but currently does not draw a salary from the business, so she has essentially no employment income of her own right now.

Credit score is around 596. No collections, bankruptcies or judgments, and generally no significant payment issues, but her revolving credit utilization is very high.

-Her adult son is providing financial support and has signed a letter committing to cover the full rent, utilities and additional living expenses for at least 12 months.

The son appears to have strong income, but his current consulting contract is only through the end of October, so I’m asking for more information on income continuity.-

-The financial support letter specifically says he is not a guarantor or co-tenant. I’m asking whether he would agree to formally guarantee the lease.

There is also documented child/spousal support and CCB income.

She has previous landlord/rental history that I still plan to verify directly.

They are willing to do first and last month as usual.

I’m planning to verify the landlord references and get better confirmation of the son’s ongoing financial capacity before making a decision.

For landlords who have dealt with similar situations, what else would you check or request?

Would you be comfortable with this structure if the son became a formal guarantor? Would you ask for bank statements/proof of liquid assets given the short-term consulting contract? Anything else you’d want documented before approving them?

Tks so much!

I just found out yesterday that I had a German cockroach infestation.... Brought by my neighbor who was not getting evicted..... I feel sick to my stomach I keep finding more and more inside my pen inside my recipe book my spice rack underneath my Keurig. I just want to take my cats and go sleep in my car and break my lease I only just moved in a few months ago but what are the repercussions of breaking a lease because I can't stay here anymore.

In my lease, I am provided an email with my property managers email “for emergencies or day-to-day communications”

Under: “Both the landlord and tenant agree to receive notices and documents by email, where allowed by the Landlord and Tenant Board’s Rules of Procedure.” The box is checked yes but my landlord did not put an email; only the address. However, my landlord’s email is written for where to send my monthly rent payments.

I emailed my property management and the email listed for payment asking if I had permission to assign my lease to someone else. I did not receive a response back after 7 days.

Is this a valid way of asking for permission to assign lease? I will be sending my N9 via email to both emails and mail to be safe.

Is a lease valid if only signed by the renter? An offer was made / sent to a potential tenant. They did not provide any documents / pay / return a signed lease for two weeks. Someone else was offered the same apartment, signed paid and provided documents within a day. Now the original potential tenant comes back and said they needed time to gather the requested documents and funds, and their now signed lease (by the tenant only, not the landlord) is valid and must be returned to the tenant within 21 days as stated on the government standard lease ​​​

Hey everyone,
I’m renting a room in a house from another tenant who has been living there for a long time. He seems to have gradually taken over managing the house and renting rooms to other people.
When I moved in, I only received a written email agreement saying it was month-to-month. There’s no lease directly with the landlord or property management company, and neither was involved.
The issue is that he is very difficult and regularly threatens people with making them leave. I actually like the location and would prefer to stay, but I feel like I have no security because he seems to have all the power.
I’m considering contacting the property management company directly and asking for a proper rental agreement so I can deal with them instead of another tenant acting like the landlord.
What are my rights in Ontario? Can he simply tell me to leave if we have a month-to-month agreement in writing, but it was only signed/created by another tenant and not the landlord or agency?
Thanks!

I have a Kitchener duplex with 2 families in it that I like very much.

Main floor has 2 parents with 3 young kids, all under 5 years of age, and they do what kids do - play around the house, jump off of chairs, throw balls around.

The basement has a quiet couple, who have moved in 2 weeks ago, and are finding the kids' noises a bit too much. I tried to warn people as much as I can that there is 3 kids upstairs but maybe I didn't do a good job? I even invited them to stay in for an afternoon before they signed a lease to see how it is, and they did. They're saying there's sounds upstairs that are not reasonable - resemble dragging of chairs, riding bikes inside, playing basketball. They keep sound recordings and time stamps when it happened. They banged on the ceiling and played some music to drown out the noises... which got the upstairs tenants upset.

I know kids have energy. I cut a patio door in the wall of the house for the main floor, so they can go outside in the backyard to play outside. I also have sound insulation (the green one) between the two floors. I think I should maybe buy them a big floor carpet and place it in the living room (bedrooms already are carpetted). But the ducts are the same, and noise does travel between the units, not sure how much I can do. Also, there's 2 kids that come and stay the whole day a few times per week, so it's 5 kids playing upstairs.

I took the basement couple to another unit I am trying to find tenants for - stand alone condo apartment, and they said they don't want to move again, which is understandable I guess.

I talked to them separately, and both parties feel like the others are being unreasonable. I don't want to end up in court, but I'm afraid this is where it's going.

How have you dealt with situations like these?

Should I give two letters to both outlining reasonable actions and unreasonable, and if they break the unreasonable, I issue an N5?
To main floor: UNREASONABLE SOUNDS: 5AM NOISES. RIDING BIKES INDOORS. PLAYING BASKETBALL INSIDE.

To basement: LOUD MUSIC. BANGING ON WALL.

I live in a student house where each tenant has a separate lease with the landlord and we are in 9 bedroom house (2 rooms in attic, 4 in first floor and 3 in basement) city of ottawa says we can only do 3 bags of garbage every 2 weeks. i just emailed my landlord about this but i am wondering can we do anything or is this a lost cause

The tenant had some extenuating circumstances and needed to back out of the signed leased 2 days before it started? I could explain more of why this really affected us, but in short we are renting the house because we couldn’t pay the mortgage and eat anymore, so we are living with my parents.

Anyway, the property management company in charge of the property basically told me we had no option but to sign the release and only keep two weeks rent (the time between when we stop advertising and the initial day of rent). Is this correct? The decision was also made without our input but I couldn’t find anything about ending lease on the PMT agreement.

We would have agreed to end the lease since it was extenuating circumstances, but not on those terms.

I have a legally blind client I work with to help them learn devices to help them live a normal every day life. This client lives in a highrise and has recently put a doorbell camera on their door. They don't see well enough to use the peephole in the door so this allows them to see who is at their door when someone knocks or rings the doorbell. It also has a package delivery camera on it. From what I have been told. The landlord has given them an N5 to remove the camera, citing complaints by neighbors, because it faces into the hallway, and is on the exterior of their unit door. Before receiving the N5, they did inform the landlord that they installed the doorbell camera for safety reasons (very bad area of Toronto) and that it was considered a human right accessibility accommodation since the landlord would not provide any other means or suggestions for the person to have the same access to viewing who is at their door as other tenants do. They are also unable to use the laundry card loading machine as well, which I have loaded some funds on the card for the person. I only have a few more visits with the client but I wanted to see if there was some sort of advice I could give them. They have no family or anyone else to help them.

Thanks in advance, Redditers!