After being renovicted from her home of nearly 20 years, Darlene Wesley says she doesn’t care how long it takes, she wants Ontario’s rental housing enforcement officers to investigate and fine her former landlord.
The Hamilton tenant alleges her landlord illegally evicted her last winter from her affordable, $720-a-month apartment, under the guise it would be temporary to allow for major renovations.
He’d done the same to her daughter and two other neighbours, she said. But as soon as they’d all moved out, he was quick to rent their units to new tenants for over $1,600 a month.
While the landlord has been allowed to carry on with his business, Wesley said her life has been turned upside down.
“Who’s looking out for the little guy?” Wesley said.
The landlord did not respond to a request for comment.
Wesley said she wasn’t given the first right of refusal to the renovated space, which is required under the Residential Tenancies Act. Now she wants Ontario’s Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (RHEU) to hold him accountable.
The RHEU, run by the province, is mandated to uphold landlord and tenant rights. It has the power to investigate complaints and fine individual landlords up to $50,000. It works independently from the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).
“I don’t care if it takes five years. I want him to pay for what he did to us,” said Wesley, who is now paying hundreds of dollars more a month in rent despite living with her daughter. After covering rent and other expenses, she has no money left over and is close to using the food bank, she said.
The average monthly cost of renting a home in Canada is now $2,149, according to a report by rental search site rentals.ca and Urbanation, a real estate research firm. The data covers both the primary and secondary rental markets — including basement apartments, rental apartments, condos, townhouses and houses.
Unit receives 18,400 calls a year, investigates 200 cases
The chances of her landlord getting fined are incredibly slim.
CBC Hamilton obtained RHEU data in the last three fiscal years through a freedom of information request.
The RHEU’s receives over 18,400 calls a year, on average, from landlords, tenants and other parties.
Data reports show the RHEU opens 1,500 cases a year, on average, and the vast majority are closed at the “compliance stage” most often when a “successful intervention has been reached.”
That means only about 200 cases a…
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