🚀 go-pugleaf

Very good point. I actually had to move out from the house I was renting 
because of such (and more funnier tactics). However, this was a lucky 
break for me, I am in a better neighbourhood now, renting just a room 
instead of having to worry about having other tenants sharing the house. 
Of interest, here are some of the tactics used by my landlord;

- putting a junk car in the hous parking - though of course he does not 
live there - claiming that the contract does not include renting the parking.

- serving a note of evection on the second day of the month (he insists 
that pay should be made on the first day of the month, which is not 
practical as I also had to collect rent from my tenants, some of whom are 
on welfare). I believe he was trying to develop a profile of delayed 
payment, though I ultimately paid all rent for the past 4 years. 

- Refusing to make repairs badly needed to the house. So, in one of his
bogus late payments claims, I did not pay, went to court with 2 films of
every room and wall in the house. Of course he refused mediation, went in
front of a judge, who ordered the repairs to be made and deducted $400
from the rent (which incidently I paid to court, which proved to take a
long time to reach the landlord)

Of course, repairs were done, but very unprofessionally, e.g. paint jobs, 
including changing the carpet of the first floor to the lowest grade of 
carpets available and the worst colour you can imagine.

- Asking to do repeated inspections at times he knows that me and my 
tenants are asleep (we work nights) even after the repairs were finished 
(of course doing them during the times we were supposed to be asleep in 
first place). These inspections I have rejected. I have called the police 
once for him as he entered the house without my conscent, for such an 
'inspection'.

- Bringing people to view the house for rent, though I have not given 
notice. This was to create uncertainity among my housemates.

- serving 3 consecutive rent 'increase' notices within one month, each 
cancelling the previous one and is of higher value. The last one stated 
that the rent will be increased by $150/month due to 'legal expenses'!!

Ultimately, I left the house, who wants to live in constant problems? I 
discovered that I am not alone in this. In fact the judge mentioned that 
the number of evection cases has risen considerably (even before the law 
became enforced) just in anticipation of it.

Where I work, I met a woman who was evicted by a court order that was 
obtained while she was out of the country (in February) and got evicted 
yesterday, without knowing even that a court order has been obtained. 
This has to do with the practice of accepting 'witnesses' that the formal 
papers were served to the tenant, instead of the more reliable registered 
mail. Of course the Sherriff does not listen, he has a court order (and 
of course many evection orders to enforce). She has to go to court!!! 

Yes, a lot has to be done to restore the human rights of tenants. 
Basically, I believe market forces will come into play and landlords will 
become realistic in their rent requirements and their treatment of 
tenants. However, I do not plan to wait for that to happen. I would do 
every thing I can to owning even a small apartment as a first time buyer 
within the coming three years. Until then, I hope that I can deal with 
landlords.
-- 
Nabil M. El-Khodari. 
"Men use thought to justify their injustices, and
speech to conceal their thoughts"        Voltaire