Hi everyone,
I’ve been living in a basement unit of an old duplex in Ontario since October. The landlord does not live on-site. Since moving in, I've faced multiple issues where the landlord has been dismissive or failed to provide professional repairs. I need advice on my rights.
Hot Water / Faulty Faucet: The shower faucet fails to adjust temperature correctly. The landlord admitted it’s likely a faulty cartridge (and mentioned previous tenants had the same issue) but told me to just "turn up the boiler temperature" as a workaround. No professional repair has ever been made.
Property Damage & Landlord’s Refusal to Act: The upstairs neighbor is extremely reckless. While I was away on vacation, he shoveled snow from the front porch directly onto my car hood. He also repeatedly slams his truck door into mine, which has caused the paint on my car door handle to chip off. I sent photo evidence to the landlord, but she refused to take action. Her excuse was that she had already warned the neighbor about their excessive utility usage and "didn't want to bring up another issue" with them. She also claimed that since I don't have video evidence (CCTV), she won't intervene, essentially allowing the damage to continue.
Fridge Leakage: The fridge flooded internally, soaking all my groceries. Instead of calling a technician, the landlord forced me to perform a "manual reset/defrost cycle" myself. I had to move my groceries to other tenants' units, and some items spoiled. She refused to send professional help despite the mess.
Ant Infestation (Current Issue): As the weather warmed up, I found a massive ant infestation in the kitchen and bathroom. Her response was: "It’s spring, they get in from outside. Do you want me to drop off traps? Or you can get them yourself at Home Depot/Dollarama." I asked for the traps/baits, but she has been ghosting me since then, missing her own promised deadline to update me.
My Questions:
- Is "I don't want to bring up another issue with the other tenant" a valid legal excuse for a landlord to ignore property damage and harassment?
- Does the cumulative effect of these "patchwork" repairs and neglect constitute a breach of the landlord's maintenance obligations under the RTA?
- Do I have strong enough grounds to demand an N11 (Mutual Termination) or should I go straight to the LTB with a T6/T2 application?