Tenants of a Little India semi-detached house are accusing their landlord of trying to evict them by passing off a prospective renter as her girlfriend, saying they planned to move into the unit together, the Landlord and Tenant Board heard Wednesday.The landlord disputed the claims, saying she did intend to move into the unit with the new renter, and that they became fast friends after their initial meeting — with the new renter signing written messages as “gf” (girlfriend) and with “massive hugs.” Though the landlord withdrew the N12 personal-use eviction notice in June, the tenants — with the prospective renter testifying on their behalf — pushed forward with the hearing Wednesday and are asking the board to rule the eviction attempt in bad faith and levy a fine against the landlord. Litigation paralegal Bradley Truax, who advised the tenants in the case, said he’ll be asking the board to slap the landlord with a maximum penalty of $25,000 for harassment towards tenants and preventing them from having a reasonable enjoyment of their place.Tenants Lucy Kohlhepp and her boyfriend, Robert Chapman, have been renting the two-bedroom house near Gerrard St. E. and Greenwood Ave. since April 2018 for $2,300. They told the board they received an email in early March from the landlord saying their lease would not be renewed and they had to move out.They said the landlord then proposed raising the rent by $150, saying it was for hydro. They rejected that proposal, as hydro costs were included in their rent.In back-and-forth emails over the next month, the tenants explained they had the right to move to a month-to-month lease, according to the Residential Tenancies Act. Toward the end of March, Krista Baker told her tenants she wanted to move into the house with her “girlfriend,” according to testimonies and email documents presented to the board, and served the couple the N12, a notice to end tenancy because th ...
|
