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Need help for adversarial landlord situation
Submitted by Jay Dixon on July 25, 2006 - 12:48pm.
tags:
Sorry if I am making a newbie mistake in posting in the wrong area.
I am in a particularily bad situation as a great tenant who has a landlord who will lie and harrass to get rid of me for a particular person who will pay more.
Even though this is illegal and unjust, I have been putting up with this situation for months without any support despite numerous attempts to get help in the community.
I have many long-term health problems that make the kind of housing I need and can afford extremely extremely rare.
All of my resources of time, money and now to the detrimint of my health are being used up trying to maintain the home that suits me perfectly, but not the landlord's behaviour.
If anyone knows of any lawyers or social workers familiar with housing issues- I need help ASAP.
If justice does not prevail- I may need help moving, storing items, and finding that rare housing that I can afford.
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Been there
Been there, albeit some time ago. If you've been accepted as a client by NLS then you've already accomplished more than I managed to do. Applied for Legal Aid, got turned down, turned down again when I appealed it because they claimed that I could get help from NLS. Even though I told them that I'd been told that they don't handle landlord/tenant any more. I had to threaten to file a complaint with the Law Society before I could get written confirmation of that from Jeff Schlemmer. Finally got an opinion from the law students at UWO, but no representation there either. So... I understand your reference to the full binder. My best suggestion is that you contact David Dimitrie at the Kipps Lane Tenants Association (dimitrie@sympatico.ca). He's visiting family in Windsor at the moment, but hopefully he's got email access there.
Another Update
Today I received the four page Ontario Rental Tribunal document.
In short, the decision was in my favour, and the landlord was told to back off and stop harrassing me.
A hollow victory as this was the second attempt to evict me.
In two separate incidents last week, a neighbour and I overheard the neighbours plan to conspire with the landlord to fake evidence so that they can get me out and another favoured person in.
Live the life you love
Love the life you live!
A Start...
Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal would be my recomendation if you are you are having problems getting repairs done, facing unfair rent hikes or things of this nature. If you are planning to "withhold" your rent from your landlord, it should actually be payed to the ORHT, who will hold it until the conflict is resolved (provided there is a legal basis for the complaint)
The Law Facualty at UWO does some landlord-tenant work (adcovacy and tribunals). fees are based on finacial means
Neighbourhood Legal Services does ORHT representation, but only in cases of eviction. they should be able to refer you to a lawyer though.
hope that helps...
Mike.
(ps: sorry about spelling, I'm in a hurry.)
Open a book before you open your mouth. <-easy now, its just a signature.
Thanks- (see above response)
As you will read, I have already tried to access those resources.
I have a tiny bit of help from Neighbourhood Legal Services and ORHT.
These landlords are on a campaign of terror and think that it is funny that I am disabled and poor and say that they wil outlast me.
They have broken in to my home and yelled at me multiple times, and are lying on the eviction papers.
I am in the unenviable position to have tremendously poor health ( In addition to eight chronic illnesses, I just spent the last 24 hours with food poisoning type symptoms due to an stress -related ulcer)
This situation forces me to try to find witnesses and documents for what I never did ( ie landlord lies), months ago.
Aaargghhh!!
Live the life you love
Love the life you live!
attempts
landlords can be dicks, and its unfortunate that the system of rental references doesn't have any refernce for landlords.
you mentioned many attempts in the community. where have you tryed getting help from? the places I would go would be the housing tribunal, neighborhood legal services, and the police. you should be able to get hooked up with advocasy through them. I have more resources, but theyre at work, but on wednesday night, I'll try to remember to look up somemore.
What I have tried...
I have THREE overflowing one inch binders full of information and contacts I have tried since the landlord seige began April 5.
One is all research on landlord /tenantcy law.
One is all the leagl papers received and sent as well as other documents.
One is logs of everyone I contacted ( ie date, time of contact, summary of message or conversation)
Despite hundreds of attempts to get help- I get almost nothing.
Neighbourhood Legal Services has accepted me as a client, but are so overburdened that they can only give me about 2 minutes every six weeks. The lawyer is on holidays so that I can't consult with him before the ORHT hearing.
My health is very very poor with eight permanent long term disabilities.
Every bit of my resources is going to try for a defense and not lose my tenancy.
This has worsened my existing conditions and has added new stress related health problems.
Someone screwed up and accidentally moved my two ORHT hearings ( for harrassment charges against the landlord) ( For landlord to evict me) FORWARD a week instead of back when I would have time to gather evidence and witnesses for both.
Short- term it has been my focus to get that fixed ( not my fault) but gathering all that evidence for 20 pages of documents for two tribunals is on my shoulders.
Most people who say "just move" aren't connected to my reality.
The main reasons I want to maintain my housing is:
- it is a great space that holds all my stuff at a price I can afford
- is one of the very very rare places that suits my specific health needs
- my health has already been severely diminished by all of the landlord stress and packing and moving would probably hospitalize me.
- I can't afford moving costs and have no access to a motor vehicle
Mostly- I am looking for resources to help me likely to win this ( ie legal help, social workers, etc)
I want to prove that this is outrageous landlord behaviour for which I need protection and that I am a quiet easygoing tenant who should stay.
If I can get housing that is similar to my current place, suits my health needs, and I can afford- combined with moving help...
I am gone like a shot!
If life is tremendously unfair- I may have to seek out resources to help move, store stuff and find new housing.
Live the life you love
Love the life you live!