Ongoing delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) are prompting small landlords and property managers to fight back against what they claim is a broken system.
With over half of LTB cases related to rent arrears stuck in limbo along with more than 30 thousand eviction applications, frustration is mounting and housing providers are feeling the pinch.
“This delay at the LTB has created what’s called ‘professional tenants.’ By the time the landlord files with the LTB and gets a hearing date, [the tenant] has already lived there for over a year rent-free. Why? Because there are no consequences,” says property owner and real estate broker Nazar Ajeely.
In response, Ajeely and other housing providers are taking action: airing grievances on social media, reporting tenants to credit bureaus, and creating "bad tenant lists.” Some are publicising tenants' rent payment history online, while thousands of others are petitioning for automatic eviction of non-paying tenants.
Advocacy groups like Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario are gaining traction, while some landlords are leaving the market altogether – up to 30 a month, SOLO reports.
Douglas Kwan, Director of the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, echoes landlords’ call for LTB reform. He wants a return to in-person services, and points out the exponential rise in backlog that has delayed official recourse since the onset of the pandemic. “20 years prior to that, the LTB functioned fairly well with half the staff,” he says.
In navigating these delicate challenges, PayProp emphasizes the need for constructive dialogue and collaborative solutions to address the LTB delays and ensure fairness for all parties.
More LTB headlines
Landlords facing frequent, “huge” cash-for-keys demands – PayProp blog
Rent arrears increasing for Sault social services – CTV News
Striking tenants mark one year of withholding rent from landlords – CBC
