\The small, tidy Hamilton bungalow where Verica Grgic once raised her kids is destroyed.
The hardwood floors are coated with dog feces, with some of the excrement growing mould in the kitchen. The living room is strewn with belongings and garbage, dog toys and a mangled cat stand. The front wall and window are sprayed and streaked with what looks like blood. A pungent ammonia-like odour permeates the home.
Grgic and her husband, Marinko Vrbanic, showed CBC Hamilton the state of their Stoney Creek house a day after they got permission from Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to evict the tenant for not paying over $24,000 in rent.
It was an order Grgic had been attempting to get for a full year. She served the tenant an N4 notice in early 2024, applied to the LTB that March and was granted the eviction order in July, but then had to wait until last week to finally be allowed to change the locks.
"I'm not exaggerating — this was the worst year of my life," said Grgic. "I am so disgusted. I would never believe this is the real system, but I learned the reality."