Brampton landlord frustrated over $25,000 unpaid rent

A landlord in Brampton, Ontario, is frustrated after being unable to collect $25,000 in back rent from his tenants. He claims the tenants are misusing the legal system to avoid paying rent and have repeatedly delayed eviction proceedings. Moniechand Latchminnarine bought a house for his children five years ago. He decided to rent it out first but has faced ongoing issues with the tenants for four years. He has gone to the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board three times to try to evict them, but each time, the tenants appealed the decision. Now that the case is in court, Latchminnarine is unsure when the tenants will leave. He says they told him they do not have to pay rent while the case is in court. Meanwhile, he is still responsible for the mortgage, property taxes, and utility bills. Latchminnarine has even sold some of his retirement savings to cover these costs. Despite a court order for the tenants to pay him $5,000 in January and $6,000 in February, they have not made any payments. They did not respond to requests for comment. Latchminnarine is at his breaking point and says he no longer wants to be a landlord. An advocacy group, Ontario Landlords Watch, agrees that the system needs to change. They believe some tenants are taking advantage of the situation due to financial hardships. The Landlord and Tenant Board claims it is working to improve wait times for hearings. Last year, it resolved a record number of cases, but landlords like Latchminnarine are still struggling with long delays and unpaid rent.