A tenant from hell recently was evicted. Now, she’s looking for another rental home. Will it be yours?
An 81-year-old Ontario landlord had to battle for months to evict a deadbeat tenant for failing to pay rent. After an initial LTB order to evict, the tenant abused the review and appeal processes numerous times. Although initially ordered to surrender the unit, the tenant came before the LTB a second time, and after being denied, she filed an appeal with the Divisional Court, which stayed the eviction orders until the appeal could be heard. Then, the tenant filed motions to delay the appeal. Nearly ten months later, the Court dismissed the tenant’s appeals.
By then, the landlord had lost 14 months’ rent and $12,000 in legal fees. She also had to pay for inspection and service charges to defend against the tenant’s malicious complaints filed with the city regarding the condition of the property. The landlord’s losses are significant — about $30,000 — and that doesn’t address the physical and emotional toll.
Fortunately for this landlord, the sheriff removed the tenant and the property is now ready to be restored. But that’s bad news for other landlords — it means this nightmare tenant now is searching for her next victim…
At TVS, we often witness the devastation left behind by nightmare tenants. That’s why we remain committed to providing landlords with the best available tenant screening tools, including:
Tenant Screening Reports
When landlords are struggling with problem tenants and contemplating the extent of the income loss, the last thing they want to ponder is whether the whole mess could have been avoided by running a tenant credit check. Tenant credit is a snapshot into the person’s ability — and willingness — to pay rent on time each month. In some cases, the credit report confirms the information that the tenant has provided. In others, it flags potential issues like chronic late payments, overextended credit, or outright lies. A landlord can choose to rent to a tenant despite a poor credit history. But that should be a choice, not a surprise.
In addition to tenant screening reports, TVS also provides landlords with free tenant screening tips. View our extensive library at LandlordTalking.com.
Report Rent Payments
TVS landlords have the opportunity to Report Rent Payments each month. That information is shared with Equifax Canada and associated with the tenant’s credit report. TVS provides a Notice to Tenant for landlords to include in the tenancy agreement that explains the tenant’s responsibilities. There is no greater incentive for tenants to pay rent on time each month than the fear that they may not be able to secure another rental — or any other credit — in the future. This system also provides a way for good tenants to build credit by proving they are financially responsible throughout the course of the tenancy.
Landlord Credit Bureau
This TVS database compiles information provided when landlords Report Rent Payments and allows member landlords to run a search. The LandlordCreditBureau.ca database is searched automatically when a landlord orders a tenant credit report through TVS. By reporting rent payments and participating in the database compilation, landlords take matters into their own hands — and thwart the problem tenants who otherwise victimize one landlord after another.
This post is provided by Tenant Verification Service, Inc., helping landlords reduce the risks of renting with fraud prevention tools that include Tenant Screening, Tenant Background Checks, (U.S. and Canada), as well as Criminal Background Checks, and Eviction Reports (U.S. only).
Click Here to Receive Landlord Credit Reports.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual legal counsel or consulting your local, state, federal or provincial tenancy laws.