A Brampton landlord admits he’s losing sleep over a tenant who allegedly stopped paying rent and won’t vacate, with the case headed to Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) next month.
The tenant, who once claimed to earn about $120,000 annually as an online content creator, is facing eviction proceedings filed by her current landlord after almost a year without rent. The most recent landlord, Ramanjeet Singh, says she paid the initial and last month’s rent and moved into his Brampton townhouse in April 2025, but has since stopped paying and refuses to leave.
Singh estimates the tenant owes just over $23,000 for back rent and utilities, forcing him to cover those bills, plus his mortgage and his family expenses. “I can’t sleep at night, my health is affected,” he told CBC Toronto. “I don’t know how I’m going to feed my kids.” CBC Toronto attempted to contact the tenant for comment but was unable to reach her, so her identity is not being disclosed.
Under Ontario law, landlords cannot evict a tenant directly; only the LTB can issue an eviction order. Singh filed with the LTB in September seeking eviction and back rent, and the board could require the tenant to pay what she owes or order her removal from the property.
A hearing is scheduled for April 9. In the meantime, Singh says the ongoing financial strain has left him contemplating selling the property and he warns he may never rent again.
This is not the first eviction-related issue for the tenant. In April 2023, Tim Rye rented a furnished two-bedroom condo in downtown Toronto to the same woman for about $4,500 per month. Despite paying a three-month deposit, rent payments stopped after month one, and Rye claims the tenant later told him she’d lost her job. After a third unpaid month, Rye applied to the LTB for eviction, and a hearing occurred in April 2024. The tenant reportedly requested a delay citing pregnancy and health issues, a claim later found untrue by the LTB. An eviction order was issued for May 26 as she had already moved.
The LTB concluded the tenant owed Rye about $59,000 in back rent and ordered her to pay $35,000—the maximum amount the tribunal could grant at the time. Rye, however, suspects he’ll recover little, if any, of the money, and estimates roughly $30,000 in damages and lost furniture also resulted from the tenancy.
For landlords pursuing money owed by former tenants, the LTB provides an L10 form (Application to Collect Money the Former Tenant Owes) to help with collection, though success isn’t guaranteed. Rye emphasizes that the ultimate goal is accountability as much as repayment.
Experts advise landlords to conduct thorough tenant screening before signing a lease. Ajay Grewal, a lawyer who represents landlords and formerly served as an LTB adjudicator, recommends professional screening services and public resources like CanLII (a free database of court cases) or Openroom, which tracks LTB decisions against tenants and landlords.
Grewal notes that the LTB does not maintain a record of tenants evicted or those who owe money due to past rulings, and he warns that a troubling tenant trend could be emerging. “Many landlords are exiting rentals altogether and investing in what feel like more reliable opportunities,” he says. As rental supply tightens, some renters may turn to unconventional strategies to save money and dodge obligations, he cautions, acknowledging that there are “bad actors” who can afford to pay but choose not to because eviction takes months.
Tribunals Ontario reports that by September 2025, the LTB reduced its active case backlog to 36,689 applications, down from a peak of over 53,000 in early 2024. Nevertheless, average hearing wait times remain between three to seven months, with urgent matters moving faster.
Author: Michael Smee, CBC News
