Greed of rental property owners makes them suffer and tenants rebel against paying due rents, and cases pile up and take a long time to be heard.

A man from Ontario says he has debts of more than $35,000 from a tenant who does not pay rent and refuses to leave the house. 

The homeowner says he feels frustrated because it takes a long time for the Landlord and Tenant Board to assist him.

Tony Palandra from Markham, Ontario, said he had no idea that when he decided to rent his father's house to help the family, it would lead to frustration, increasing bills, and ongoing problems.
 

Palandra told CTV News Toronto: "They say they will pay rent in August, September, October, November, then Christmas came, and they really have no intention of paying."

Palandra, who said he has about $35,000 in debts from the tenant, is one of a number of landlords who say they have been waiting for months for their cases to be heard by the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board, but cannot because of a large backlog of cases.

The board had to close for five months during the pandemic, and landlords like Palandra said they are struggling to have their cases heard.

He said, "You cannot talk to anyone there, as the site is not easy to use, and I waited nine months for the rental."

Meanwhile, the Ontario Landlords Watchdog Group, an advocacy group for landlords, said there are also homeowners trying to sell their properties but cannot because tenants refuse to leave.

Kaila Andrade, founder of this group, told CTV News Toronto: "Landlords ... are looking for any way to get the tenant out so they can exit the business."

 Andrade explained that the backlog of cases at the board has always been a problem and the COVID-19 pandemic made it worse.

She added: "The Landlord and Tenant Board has their usual record of cases, then COVID-19 backlog, and now they have huge changes with the new eviction system causing more backlog."

On the other hand, the Landlord and Tenant Board told CTV News Toronto that the pandemic had a "significant impact" on the number of cases facing such problems, but things are slowly improving.

Adding, "In the first five months of the global pandemic outbreak, the Landlord and Tenant Board suspended non-urgent eviction hearings unless the issue was urgent due to serious and ongoing health or safety problems in a residential complex or a serious illegal act occurred in one of the complexes, where this suspension had a significant impact on the number of active cases we have."

Adding, "While we recognize the impact of delays on those who come to our services, we are making progress depending on the type of problem, as new matters are now typically scheduled within three to four months."

Explaining that, "Applicants can submit a 'Request to Shorten Time' form if they feel their requests should be prioritized. These requests are reviewed by an adjudicator for a decision, and if granted, a hearing is scheduled at a dedicated urgent matters hearing within a few weeks."

For his part, Palandra said his bills are increasing, and he also has to pay property taxes in addition to utility bills and just wants to have his case heard.

 Palandra said, "All I say is either pay the rent or leave."