Kelvin Edmondson first rented out his Tillsonburg home in August of last year before starting work on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. While he was away, the tenants neglected to pay rent, including heating and hydro, and significantly damaged his property by housing certain pets contrary to their original agreement. Edmondson said the tenants refused to leave on the agreed-upon move-in date of July 31. Now he owes about $13,000 and is on the verge of losing the house. “My refinance closes in October, and if I don’t get this resolved, the bank is going to take my house,” Edmondson said. “And I will lose everything I have because of these people.” Edmondson put his house up for sale in November and said the tenants put off prospective buyers by preaching about the Ontario landlord and the tenants act out as they walked by the house. He recently took time off from work to prepare the house for viewing. The tenants refused to let him in when he returned and he was only able to get in with the help of the police. Tenants nailed a metal sign to the porch referring to the use of weapons to deal with trespassers. (Kelvin Edmondson) He found the property, which he had left in good condition, in a state of disrepair, with the wooden floor damaged by animal urine. Although the tenants at first said they only had one small puppy, they brought three large rottweilers, three cats and four rabbits. A bed is now downstairs, while the master bedroom has been turned into a makeshift kennel with at least five animal crates. Outside the home, Edmondson discovered marijuana plants growing in the front yard. A marijuana leaf flag on the front porch activates the outdoor motion detector light all day, draining the power bill. A metal sign threatening the use of weapons pending trespass is nailed to one of the rafters. In the back, another makeshift kennel has been attached to the shed, now filled with junk that doesn’t belong to Edmondson. He said the yard is full of animal droppings. Kelvin Edmondson says he hoped to earn some extra income by renting out his property while working in the Caribbean. (Submitted by Kelvin Edmondson) Edmondson’s credit score has been affected by missing mortgage payments and he can’t accept a new job offer. He has been couch surfing since returning to Ontario. His realtor, Alisha Wheeldon, is the latest friend to take him with him. Both Edmondson and Wheeldon have been working to bring the case to the Landlord and Tenant Board since December. They have filed two N4 notices to terminate a tenancy early for non-payment of rent. Edmondson was unable to disconnect the utilities, per his responsibilities under the Landlord and Tenant Board.
They filed an L1 notice (petition to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent and collection of monies owed) for eviction in February and have been waiting in court for a trial date ever since. Following the filing of an escalation request, a hearing has been set for August 29. “But that’s a long time for someone to wait while these people destroy their home and don’t pay,” Wheeldon said.

Thousands of backlog complaints

Edmondson’s story comes on the heels of Ombudsman Paul Dube’s announcement that his office is wrapping up an investigation into backlogs at the Landlord and Tenant Board, including nearly 2,000 late court complaints. Dube said the backlog has created hardship for both tenants and landlords, leaving them facing financial ruin. The report on the subject is in its final stage. “What they lack is access to justice in many cases,” Dube said during a press conference on August 10. “The system is bogged down. They don’t get answers. They don’t get hearings. They don’t get answers in enough cases.” Edmondson says his tenants agreed in writing to vacate the property on Aug. 15 and have confirmed it verbally twice. Ideally, they will honor this agreement and be able to repair the house and then put it back on the market. But if the tenants wait until the Aug. 29 hearing, he will lose his bills for another month, leaving his future even more uncertain. “If I lose my property and the bank forecloses, the first thing the bank will do is kick these people out. So why can’t I kick these people out of my house?” he said. “Everyone understands my situation, but not one person is willing to do anything about it because they can’t. They just seem to accept the fact that tenants have all the rights. And that’s it. End of story.”