Zewdu v 159 Cowan Inc

Tenant wins · Toronto · 2025-05-29

Adjudicator

Robert Brown

Dispute

Substantial Interference

Amount

<$5K

Landlord

159 Cowan Inc

Tenant

S.Z.

Landlord rep

Lino Cardoso

Tenant rep

Shahbaz Khan

What happened

The Tenant filed an application alleging the Landlord interfered with their rights. The Landlord refused to provide payment information to the Tenant and a third-party agency (EPIC) which was trying to help the Tenant pay rent arrears from a previous eviction order. This refusal prevented the Tenant from voiding the eviction order under section 74(4) of the RTA, forcing them to use the one-time-only provision under section 74(11). The Landlord claimed they were wary of fraud and had provided written instructions previously, but the adjudicator found the Landlord willfully withheld information to cause the Tenant's eviction.

The ruling

The Landlord is found to have interfered with the Tenant's rights by willfully withholding payment information needed to void a previous eviction order. The Landlord is ordered to pay the Tenant $148.00, which includes $100.00 in general damages and the $48.00 application fee. The payment is due by June 9, 2025. If unpaid, the Tenant may deduct this amount from their July 2025 rent.