1. Landlord’s Struggle for rent:

• Zahid Mahmood bought a house in Oshawa in 2021, hoping to earn rent income for his children’s education. He discovered his property in disarray, with tenants leaving behind trash, urine bottles, rodents, and feces after failing to pay rent.

2. Legal Battles:

• Mahmood’s tenants stopped paying rent in May 2022. He issued an eviction notice in August, leading to a lengthy legal battle.
• After months of waiting, the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) issued an order to terminate the tenancy, with unpaid rent exceeding $24,000.

3. Advocacy for Change:

• Mahmood joins other landlords seeking changes to eviction rules to expedite the process for non-payment of rent cases.
• Christopher Seepe, a landlord, initiated a petition for “automatic eviction” of non-paying tenants, citing frustration with LTB delays.

4. LTB Delays:

• LTB faced criticism for delays, with only 7% of hearings scheduled within target time frames in 2022-2023.
• Recent data indicates improvement, with 73% of hearings scheduled within targets in the second quarter of 2023-2024.

5. B.C. Model Critique:

• Some advocate for a system like British Columbia’s, allowing eviction orders without hearings if notices are uncontested.
• Critics argue such systems may expose tenants to exploitation by landlords and increase vulnerability.

6. Tenant Protection Concerns:

• Tenant advocates emphasize the need for robust measures to prevent illegal evictions and ensure tenant rights.
• They argue that landlords assume business risks, including rent defaults, in the rental market.

7. Landlord Frustration:

• Seepe’s petition garnered significant support, with over 29,000 signatures, reflecting growing landlord dissatisfaction.
• He believes streamlined eviction processes could benefit the rental market overall.

8. Potential Impact on Housing Market:

• Seepe suggests expedited evictions could encourage more landlords to participate in the rental market, benefiting both tenants and landlords.
• Mahmood, after his ordeal, is reconsidering renting out his property, aiming to sell it to recover losses.