A tenant who has been evicted six times in seven years has been charged with fraud over her dealings with landlords.
The woman has been dubbed “the tenant from hell” by the Toronto Star, which has been tracking the current landlord’s several attempts over many months to evict the tenant for non-payment of rent. Each time, this tenant used the tenancy rules or avoid eviction orders. Now, she is facing criminal charges for allegedly providing false information on her rental application, along with fraudulent cheques.
In the latest turn of events, the tenant attempted to overturn a standing eviction order entered against her by exercising a rule allowing her to pay the overdue rent that was the basis for the eviction, along with the landlord’s filing fee. This can be done without notice to the landlord.
The tenant paid the past due rent. However, she made a miscalculation when tendering the funds and came up $170 short.
According to the reporters who were present, the tenant tried to pay the $170 while she was at the hearing to overturn her eviction, but the adjudicator refused to accept it, and instead ordered that the eviction would stand. The tenant vowed to appeal to a different court.
The adjudicator’s decision comes on the heels of sharp criticism from a Superior Court Justice who last month presided over a number of similar cases on appeal. He urged lawmakers and adjudicators to change the rules that allow tenants to manipulate the system of justice and score free rent.
Last week, with the assistance of the local sheriff, the woman was ousted from the rental property. She was allowed 72 hours to arrange a time to pick up her belongings. The landlord told reporters at that time he feared the tenant would not call, but instead would leave a mess behind for the landlord to clean up. Reimbursement for any damage to the property will require further legal proceedings, as Ontario landlords are not allowed to collect a damage deposit from incoming tenants.
Reporters investigating the case discovered the woman has been evicted six times in seven years. That information was obtained only after arduous research of court records and witness interviews, and underscores both the difficulty landlords face in screening tenants, and the necessity for verifying rental history through credit reports and interviewing previous landlords.
Specifically, the tenant has been accused of replying to rental ads and then providing false information to landlords on rental applications regarding her employment and income, obtaining a lease agreement using this false information, and passing bad cheques. Her trial on those charges is set for next May.
Earlier in the year, the woman’s photo appeared in the news, along with a request from police that additional victims call in their tips to Crime Stoppers.
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 in 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.
