A new registry of bad tenants — and some landlords too — is gaining traction in Ontario

A new registry of delinquent Ontario tenants — and some unscrupulous landlords — is gaining traction among landlords and legal experts.

Weiting Bollu founded the platform Openroom a little over a year ago after she had trouble ousting a tenant from the home she owned in Vaughan — even after the tenant stopped paying rent.

"I thought I was the only one until I met other landlords. And I said, 'Why isn't anyone doing more about this?" she said. 

"That's when I said 'You know what? I build software for a living. Why don't I go build something myself?'"

She says the online database now contains more than 10,000 documents. The vast majority are related to delinquent tenants, although Bollu says there are also some problematic landlords listed too.

The tool is taking off as some landlords flee the rental market, contributing to the province's housing shortage, according to Boubah Bah, chair of the Small Ownership Landlords of Ontario.

"The number of landlords leaving in the GTA, we estimate, is 50 to 75 a month and climbing," he said. 

Anyone can access the Openroom and search a potential tenant or landlord's name to find out whether Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) has issued any orders against that person.  Orders include the names of both the landlord and the tenant, the alleged infractions and how the tribunal ruled — whether in favour of the landlord or the tenant. 

While Bullo started the database, it's now being expanded by members of the public who've learned about it through word of mouth.  She says lawyers, paralegals, landlords and tenants submit the names of people who have been found at fault by the LTB, along with legal documents to support their submissions.

Before listing an order against a particular tenant or landlord, Bollu says she checks to make sure it's accurate.

Bollu estimates more than 120,000 people accessed the database in the past year, with Openroom fielding 1.7 million searches during that time that time.

"You'll hear from landlords that it's mental distress, emotional, financial, legally, physical distress that they're under," she said.

"This pain? It's real. And I felt it and that's why I'm so passionate about making a change."

Bah says Openroom is providing landlords with a bit of hope.