One property manager is calling on Premier Doug Ford to make changes to the eviction process after a nightmare tenant destroyed a Burlington apartment unit. Property manager, Adam Kitchener took us on a tour inside the apartment at the intersection of Brant st and Churchill.

The carpet was ripped out, doors destroyed and furniture and belongings strewn across the floor. Rocks were through at the windows, delaying the renovation process. The tenant also took a blow torch and spelled his name on the wall.

Kitchener says there’s up to $30 000 in damage to the two bedroom unit, a cost that will come out of the landlord’s pocket.

“We took him over from the previous landlord and he had some mental illness and that was a big factor in what was going on.”

Kitchener says other tenants in the building complained about partying and drug abuse by the man in this unit but going through the process to try and evict him took months. There were multiple meetings with the landlord tenant board, lawyers, an adjudicator and after half a year of the tenant not paying any rent he was evicted.

“There needs to be a quicker process to get rid of the issue in the building so that everyone else can be at peace.”

That’s why Kitchener sent a letter to Premier Doug Ford asking for changes to the eviction process.

Mike Wood from Acorn Hamilton, an affordable housing advocate, doesn’t condone this behaviour but says the current eviction timeline is in place for a reason.

“If there was no process and landlords were able to just toss people out on the street that would be power abuse and we would see people get thrown out constantly.”

We received a statement from the office of municipal affairs and housing that said the PC government will carefully consider what they hear from all stake-holders during a future consultation. They didn’t provide any other details on when that might happen.