ZHANG v Lamothe

Tenant wins · Sudbury · 2025-09-02

Adjudicator

Julie Broderick

Dispute

Illegal Charges/Deposit Return

Amount

<$5K

Landlord

L.L.

Tenant

B.Z.

What happened

The Tenant applied for the return of a last month's rent deposit after vacating the unit. Although the Tenant provided short notice to terminate the tenancy, the Tenant successfully found a replacement tenant who took possession of the unit immediately after the Tenant's departure date. The Landlord initially agreed to return the deposit but subsequently refused, despite suffering no financial loss.

The ruling

The Landlord is ordered to pay the Tenant $1,465.00 by September 13, 2025. This amount represents the last month's rent deposit that was illegally retained. If the amount is not paid by the deadline, simple interest at 4.00% per annum will accrue on the outstanding balance.