Residents of quiet community north of Toronto speak out over what they say are substandard conditions

Residents of a quiet enclave north of the Toronto say they're worried about their futures because their landlord is not properly maintaining the land on which their houses sit. 

About 80 families live in Royal Oak Estates, in Cookstown, near Barrie, Ont. There, residents — mostly seniors — own their homes, but not the land where the homes are located.

The arrangement is called land lease home ownership. Homeowners pay a monthly lease to the landowner, plus property taxes. They're also expected to maintain the property immediately surrounding the house, such as mowing their lawns.

The landowner is responsible for managing sewage systems if they are off an individual's lot, plus water and power lines, roads, snow removal, and other maintenance issues that would normally be the work of the municipality.

There are a handful of land lease communities just outside the Greater Toronto Area. But at Royal Oak Estates, some say problems have been ongoing for about the last seven years.

"All we're asking is for the landlord to do the required maintenance. Part of the reason we pay fees is to have these problems looked after, and properly," said 22-year-resident Barb Coleman. 

Residents who spoke to CBC News said flooding is routine, trees and street lights aren't properly maintained and the roads are so cracked and filled with potholes that their cars are being damaged.

"Most of the year there's flooding...terrible potholes, and in order to drive, you have to dodge those," said Coleman. "Some people are [also] having trouble with the snow plowing."

The residents who spoke to CBC News blame the landlord and property manager, Sabi Ahsan, for not consistently living up to the landlord's responsibilities.

Ahsan denies he's a lax landlord. He says that he's been holding up his end of the leases. And besides, he says lots on the property are in high demand.

He also denies that roads in the community have ever flooded.

"Most of the tenants have lived there 20, 25, 30 years," he told CBC News. "There's a reason why they've been there that long. And whenever a home goes up for sale in that community, it is sold within days... because there's a great reputation. It's a great place to live."

Land lease home ownership is much cheaper than traditional home ownership, residents say, with rates that range from about $500 to $1,000 a month, including property taxes. Some also pay mortgages on the houses, but those tend to be low because they're only financing the cost of the house, not the land.

Paralegal Kathleen Lovett, who specializes in landlord-tenant issues, says there's good reasons why the land lease option is popular, especially among seniors.