Stuck with bad tenant during lockdown - what would you do?

Question

So I've been dealing with a bad tenant situation since February of this year. Filed an L1 to evict for non-payment of rent and also filed an L3 because the tenant finally agreed to vacate but then changed their mind after the province of Ontario declared an eviction moratorium in March because of the pandemic. Now she's essentially saying she doesn't have to pay anything because we can't force her out. Her family has also become involved with some very sketchy characters in the drug and sex trafficking trade that have made threats to the property jeopardizing the lives of anyone coming and going from the property.

I requested an emergency hearing from the LTB last week and was rejected. Right now we're stuck with a tenant that's not only bleeding us dry but also endangering the lives of anyone associated with the property. Since the LTB won't help I'm not sure where to turn. I know these are extraordinary circumstances because of the lockdown but does anyone have any advice or suggestions? We just want them gone.

Account Closed · Answer

Get off BP and call the cops.

Dinesh T. · Answer

Don’t give them the money till the day you go over and change the locks in front of them.

Start with offering 1 month.

Chris Baxter · Answer

If there is criminal activity, get the police involved.  Most bad tenants know how to work the LTB system, so don't expect help from the LTB

MacKenzie Wilson · Answer

Start doing daily inspections, check light bulbs, windows, furnace filters, etc. Be in their face and make it not enjoyable to continue to squat on your property. Of course, provide the proper notice requirements by law in your area.

This is what they are doing to you by not paying rent and freeloading. I've heard this done before with success but as you can imagine it will take effort on your behalf.

Hai Loc · Answer

Its unfortunate and your not the only one.. On the commercial side a lot of long time business in Toronto are shutting down.. Its sad all around.. I would just be optimistic that Ford open things up sooner than later

Joel Atzenhoffer · Answer

Wow, Evan, that sounds like a horrible situation. I hope you get this matter resolved sooner rather than later.

Evan Aagaard · Answer

@Kyle Johnson grey areas...  What would you suggest?

Evan Aagaard · Answer

Hai I think you've hit the nail on the head.  The uncertainty of this situation means that no one knows how long it could last, they could milk this for 6 months before the LTB intervenes and they know that.  I can't afford to pay them 6 months of rent to leave.  That would demolish my investment.  If the actual threat of a forced eviction was only a month or a few weeks away they might be motivated to accept a buyout but I think people need to be realistic here.  Historical tactics don't work in this situation.  The game has changed overnight and the laws that were supposed to be equitable for all parties have drastically shifted to disadvantage property owners.

Shane Hale · Answer

Paying a tenant to leave can be considered an investment. It's an investment in your mental health and the health of your building as a whole. If there are other tenants that are affected by your bad tenant's behaviour they will thank you for getting rid of them. If there are criminal activities going on in your building that will give it a bad reputation that will linger long after this tenant is gone. These kinds of tenants are likely to cause physical damage as well.

I had a similar issue with a new tenant who immediately fell behind in rent then hosted parties with their friends and damaged the building (our cost was around $500). I told them if they were gone in 3 days I'd eat the cost of the repair and the back rent. Likely never would have seen either of these paid anyway. Had the place rented to a far better tenant within a few weeks and have had steady rent coming in from them ever since.

Motivate them to leave voluntarily.

Kyle Johnson · Answer

Ontario is already one of the worst provinces to be a landlord, I can only imagine during a lockdown..  if you really need them out and can't hold through, the only way might be grey area methods in this situation.

Stuck with bad tenant during lockdown - what would you do?

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