These Ottawa landlords say they've fallen victim to the same 'professional' tenants

Edriam Salter covers her nose with her sweater as she takes tentative steps through the Ottawa house she and her sister used to call home.

"I can't believe this was the place I used to live, this was my family home. It just smells like a zoo, even a zoo smells better," Salter said.

The 29-year-old takes in the damage she says was caused by her previous tenants. Salter says they only paid rent for three months of their 13-month tenancy, owing her more than $35,000.

She invited CBC for a tour of the property just minutes after she got the keys back following a lengthy battle at Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).

The tour revealed damaged baseboards, holes in the walls, broken lights and faucets, a clogged toilet, broken banisters and carpets covered in stains.

"I did my traditional wedding right here in this living room, but now looking at it. It's not the happy memories we once shared here," Salter said, fighting back tears.

Salter said the tenants, Megan and Justin, first moved into her home in August 2023 and were evicted this September. CBC is withholding the couple's surnames to prevent the identification of their children, who have had to move from home to home with them.

Salter said Megan and Justin are professional tenants and are intentionally not paying rent.

"I'm not the only one she's done it to. There's another landlord, the landlord before me and the landlord before that and the landlord before that landlord," she said.

According to the co-founder of Open Room, a website that makes LTB court orders easily searchable for landlords and tenants, professional tenants are often repeat offenders.

"A professional tenant in my opinion is someone who knows how to game the system and they know what to do to delay situations," said Weiting Bollu.

CBC spoke to Megan but she did not agree to an interview and did not respond to written requests for comment, however she denied any allegations that she and Justin are "professional" tenants.

CBC also spoke to three of Megan and Justin's previous landlords, all of whom own properties in and near Orléans and had similar experiences with the couple.

In total, the landlords say the couple has racked up nearly $100,000 in unpaid rent. That doesn't include thousands more in other costs, they said.