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Two Ontario landlords owed $70,000 after ‘professional’ tenants stopped paying rent, trashed property

During the pandemic, there were massive backlogs at Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board (OLTB), and wait times for hearings were taking as long as a year.

After clearing the backlog, the board can now hear a case within three to six months, but some landlords say tenants are still abusing the system.

According to one landlord group, there is a growing number of “professional” tenants who have found “loop holes” to delay proceedings.

“She won’t budge and the house is in complete disarray. It’s really bad,” landlord Danielle Breau of Sunderland, Ont. in Brock Township told CTV News.

Breau has a home in the area which she rents out, but she says for more than a year and a half, a woman who lives there has refused to pay rent.

The home is now a complete mess and overrun with garbage, according to Breau, and she says she is owed $25,000 in back rent.

Breau said she’s taken the tenant to the OLTB twice, but due to delays and issues in the proceedings, the tenant has been allowed to stay in her house free of charge.

“She’s paid zero dollars. So, we can’t do anything about it. Our hands are tied and we have tried every route,” said Breau.

Another landlord with a rental property told CTV News his tenant has not paid rent for almost two years and owes about $45,000.

Shawn Grewal of Brampton said he’s been before the Landlord and Tenant Board but he has also faced constant delays and the tenant continues to live in his house.

“These tenants know exactly what they are doing and they will use the system and all the delays to live for free as long as they can,” said Grewal.