landlord tenant board

Shocking video shows police kick people out of illegal Toronto rooming house

A nearly nine-minute clip on TikTok has gone viral after it showed a group of people being evicted from an illegal rooming house in Toronto. 

The video, shared by @rashadrealestate, has amassed over 150,000 views despite only being uploaded on Wednesday. 

According to the realtor who documented the whole incident, at least five people were suspected of living in the renovated home, despite the "tenant" failing to pay the landlord. 

"So we have an interesting day in the life of a realtor. A buddy of mine owns three houses. For about a year, there was an old lady living in that house and she had a boyfriend, and that boyfriend was basically telling her not to pay the rent," Rashad says. 

@rashadrealestate How many beds did you spot? We all hear about bad tenant tales, but it's different when you actually see it. You've probably heard stories about tenants who stop paying rent or bring in extra people without telling the landlord. Well, this story has a lot of that. In a nutshell, the video shows a homeowner who rented their house to a tenant who stopped paying rent for nearly a year. Then, someone else who wasn't on the lease moved in, rented it out to a bunch of others, and pocketed the cash until they were finally kicked out. I believe that if a tenant stops paying rent, they shouldn't stay in the house. After all, the landlord still has bills to pay. Some people even go bankrupt because of tenants who don't pay. This should be a clear cut case - if you don't pay, you can't stay. #torontorealestate #torontohomes #gtarealtor ♬ original sound - Rashad 🏠 🏎

"Long story short, the boyfriend is living here now, and the old lady doesn't even live here anymore. It's reached the point where they got the eviction notice. The sheriff is coming by today." 

The realtor alleges that the landlord received a tip from one of the neighbours who claimed to have seen at least five to six people living in the house. 

"Apparently he's renting it out [to] a bunch of random people and collecting rent, while they're not even paying the landlord," Rashad explained. 

The realtor films the exterior of the home, and points out the missing garage door replaced with a tarp, as well as several broken-down vehicles in the driveway. 

Once the realtor, landlord, and lawyer enter the home, they find multiple makeshift walls and bedrooms, with as many as three beds located in one space. 

"This just goes to show you what can happen and how unfair the system is for landlords. You having to pay out of your own pocket, multiple mortgages, because you have people in your home, not paying the rent, and they know the rules and they're able to take advantage of the system because they know that they're able to live in there for at least eight to nine months before they get an eviction notice," Rashad said. 

The realtor also shows the property's locks being changed, as well as occupants who are informed that they'll have to remove their belongings from the house. 

"Most people don't see what really goes on and that's why I decided to record this behind-the-scenes of how it works when you finally get that eviction notice," Rashad said. 

"You have to come and forcefully take people out of the house, and I just feel bad because these people had no idea what was going on. They're just paying their rent to somebody else that doesn't even live here."

Lead photo by

@rashadrealestate


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