Landlord sleeping on realtor's couch as he awaits hearing to evict troublesome tenants

A man in southwestern Ontario is sleeping on a couch in his realtor's basement, hoping nightmare tenants will vacate his home ahead of a months-awaited hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board. 

Kelvin Edmondson first rented out his Tillsonburg home in August of last year before heading off to work on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. While he was away, the tenants neglected to pay rent, including heat and hydro, and substantially damaged his property by housing a number of pets against their initial agreement. 

Edmondson says the tenants refused to leave on the agreed-upon move-out date of Jul. 31. He is now owed around $13,000 and is on the brink of losing the house. 

"My refinancing is up in October. And if I don't get this resolved, the bank is going to take my house away from me," said Edmondson. "And I will lose everything I own because of these people." 

Edmondson listed his house in November for sale and said the tenants deterred prospective buyers by preaching the landlord and tenants act as they went through the house. He recently took a leave of absence from his job to prepare the house for viewing. The tenants refused to let him in when he returned, and he could only enter with the help of the police. 

He found the property he had left in mint condition in a state of disarray, with the wooden flooring ruined from animal urine. Although the tenants at first said they only had a small puppy, they brought in three large Rottweilers, three cats and four rabbits. A bed is now in the downstairs area, while the master bedroom has been converted into a makeshift kennel with at least five animal crates. 

Outside the house, Edmondson discovered marijuana plants growing in the front yard. A flag featuring a marijuana leaf on the front porch activates the outside motion detector light throughout the day, running up the power bill. A metal sign threatening the use of guns pending trespassing has been nailed to one of the beams. 

In the back, another makeshift kennel has been attached to the shed, now filled with junk not belonging to Edmondson. The yard, he says, is filled with animal feces.

Edmondson's credit score has been impacted from his missing mortgage payments, and he is currently unable to take up a new job offer. He has been couch surfing since returning to Ontario. His realtor, Alisha Weildon, is the latest friend to take him in. 

Both Edmondson and Weildon have been working to bring the case to the Landlord and Tenant Board since November when they first filed an N4 for non-payment of rent. 

They filed an L1 notice for eviction in February and have been waiting with the tribunal for a trial date since then. After filing for an escalation, a hearing date has been set for Aug. 29. 

"But that's a really long time for someone to wait while these people are destroying his home and not paying," said Weildon. 

Edmondson's story comes on the heels of Ombudsman Paul Dube announcing his office is wrapping up an investigation into delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board, including nearly 2,000 complaints about the backlogged tribunal. 

Dube said the backlog has created hardship on the sides of both tenants and landlords facing financial ruin. A report on the matter is in its final stages.