'I see a lot of red flags now,' says international student unhappy with state of room rental
CBC
Sujith Ashok was trying to rent a room close to Cambrian College.
But after handing over more than $1,000, he said the landlord didn't keep promises made about completing construction before his arrival.
Ashok is an international student from India who is studying project management at the post-secondary school in Sudbury, Ont. He's been in the city since the fall of 2020.
When he first arrived in Canada, he lived on campus in the school's residence, then moved to a small room on Barrydowne Road. He's been trying to find more economical accommodation closer to the school's campus.
Ashok found ads on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace and made several calls. He connected with a Realtor from the Toronto area who showed him three homes offering rooms for rent in the city.
The room he chose is in a three-bedroom house on Lamothe Street, not far from the college. The house was under construction when he first saw it in person, with materials piled in the living room and some work going on elsewhere in the house.
Ashok said he was told by the Realtor the work would be done by Aug. 15, when he wanted to move in.
Before moving in, he signed a lease and provided $1,090 toward the first month's rent and a security deposit.
But when he tried to get in on Aug .15, he realized the construction wasn't finished, the materials were still piled up and the lights weren't working on the first floor where his room was located. He also discovered several safety hazards like a loose step and an open hole in the floor.
"That house is not all ready — there are materials everywhere, there are no lights in the room," he said.
Ashok's room has a bed, but he said he was also promised a desk and chair.
He never moved in.
Ashok asked for his money back, but said he has been getting the run-around ever since, and is still waiting.
"I see a lot of red flags now so I don't want to go and start living there. The thing is I don't want to get into that right now because there are a lot of red flags," he said.
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