Toronto landlord accuses tenants of fraud, forgery and not paying thousands in rent

A Toronto landlord's months-long quest to evict two tenants he accuses of fraud, forgery and non-payment of rent is heading to an eviction hearing Friday at Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). 

It's Mohamed Camara's second attempt to evict the two women in three months.

According to documents filed with the LTB, Camara says he's owed $13,000 in back rent from two tenants, at least one of whom he says used questionable ID to rent his downtown condo.

Camara says the two women named on the lease — who he believes are sisters named Shasteven Reid and Shi-Ronni Tynes — have paid no rent in seven months, have refused to let him enter to inspect his condo even after he'd given proper notice, and presented him with what he believes to be falsified identification, job references and credit reports.

He says police are investigating his allegations, but Toronto police would not confirm that.

"It's beyond frustrating," Camara told CBC Toronto. "I expect there'll be a number of repairs … plus lawyer fees; it's unbelievable. It's much worse than a case of rent not paid. It goes beyond that."

Camara says he estimates his total loss so far is about $22,000.

Camara first tried to evict the two last December, and was told by the LTB that he'd won. But within days, the women appealed and the board temporarily rescinded the eviction order.

The women told the LTB that they failed to attend the virtual hearing due to internet problems. 

A new hearing is scheduled for today.

Camara says his nightmare began a year ago, when he put his unit at 36 Lisgar St. up for lease. He says his real estate agent and an agent for Reid and Tynes came to an agreement effective April 1, based on stellar credit reports, personal and professional references and healthy-looking pay stubs.

The women agreed to a one-year lease at $1,900 a month for the two-bedroom unit.

All went well at first, he says, but by July, their payments were late, and by August they'd stopped paying at all.

That's when Camara applied to the LTB for an eviction. It's also when he says Reid began denying him the ability to inspect his unit on 24-hours notice, as the law allows.