The last 14 months have been tough for Anuratharan Nallathamby of Brampton, Ont.
In December 2024, the 49-year-old experienced chest pains, was admitted to hospital and was subsequently diagnosed with blockages to his heart. Then, in January, he underwent triple-bypass surgery from which he’s still recovering.
“My doctor said, ‘You have so much stress,’” said Nallathamby, who describes his tenants in one word.
“Scammers,” Nallathamby told Global News in a television interview in the park across from where he lives in Brampton.
Nallathamby says the five tenants occupying the Swans Acre Trail rental property purchased in 2021 completely stopped paying rent at the beginning of 2024, leaving him responsible to cover the monthly mortgage bill and many utilities.
“I’m struggling with the house. I need to sell the property; I can’t manage,” he said.
To date, Nallathamby says the tenants owe him about $60,000, including back rent and unpaid utilities, which he’s been required to cover or risk foreclosure.
A group founded by independent landlords in Ontario told Global News that Nallathamby’s case is just one of a growing number in the province.
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“I’m not surprised. It’s very common, even though the amount sounds outrageous,” said Rose Marie, a representative with Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario (SOLO).
The volunteer organization advocates for small-ownership landlords and was formed in 2020 after many landlords couldn’t collect rent from tenants who did not or could not pay what was owed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Global News has reported on other cases involving tenants who refused to pay small landlords even though the tenants did not claim financial hardship.
Nallthamby began his battle to get paid at Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board in January 2024.
The board ordered the tenants to leave the property, but they appealed. In February, the board upheld its original decision, and an eviction order is in place.
However, as Global News has previously reported, an eviction must be carried out by a sheriff, and there remains a backlog of cases. As a result, it can still take months for a landlord to force a tenant to move out even when they possess an order from the board.
“We want the law-abiding tenants looking to find housing,” said SOLO’s Rose Marie, adding that many small landlords are now getting out of the rental business because of cases like this one.
“The problem is not fixed,” she said, referring to claims by the Ontario government that the process is working more smoothly now.
Global News went to the house occupied by the five tenants listed on the lease: Jashandeep Singh, Rabalpreet Kaur, Kunwar Sher Singh, Karanbir Singh and Manpreet Kaur.
None of the tenants answered the door or responded to a written request for comment by Global News taped on the front door of the home more than a week ago.
While Nallathamby and neighbours on the street confirm the house is still occupied by the tenants, the backyard is overgrown with weeds and other growth up to a metre in height.
Nallathamby is waiting to get the home back but has no idea how much longer it will take before he gets the keys and the tenants are forced out.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
