Imagine being a landlord in Ontario. What would you think is the worst thing to find after a tenant leaves? Maybe garbage, dead rodents, dust, rain boots?
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Well, this Ontario landlord is stuck with an estimated $100,000 in property damage after the tenants moved out on July 1, and he says some of the things they left behind are pretty "disturbing."
It looks like "something you'd see in a jail cell, you know, when people, like, write on their wall," Justin Dean, an Ontario landlord, told Narcity.
Dog feces covered so many parts of a 1,100-square-foot house located on McGee Street in Pembroke, Ontario.
Large holes in the walls, whisky bottles scattered around the house, and so many other horrid things, stuck the landlord with nearly $100,000 in damages to his $350,000 home.
Kitchen. Right: Hole in an upstairs wall.Justin Dean
That's not all of it. There's evidence of a sewer backup in the unfinished basement, where a child's mattress was also found. In the shed, 37-year-old Dean found a dead animal carcass wrapped in a blanket with DVDs. Like, what?
"It was definitely heartbreaking when I did the inspection and walked through it," he told Narcity. "I couldn't believe the state — how they can let people live in that."
But most disturbing of all, Dean says, was "some kind of disturbing, just small messages in the bedroom" that appear to be scribbled by a child.
In one small bedroom, the words "Checklist: Sleep, cry, sleep, cry. Repeat," can be read. "Please don't die on me dad," is written next to the checklist.
Messages written on a bedroom wall. Justin Dean
Dean says after seeing the state of the house, he called OPP, Child and Protective Services of Renfrew County and Animal Protection. He said Child and Protective Services (CPS) and Animal Protection are investigating the incident.
In an emailed statement, the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP told Narcity that they were called about the property damage on July 4, just before 4 p.m. but no charges were laid.
"As indicated in the report the matter was deemed to be a civil matter," wrote OPP Constable Michael Mahon.
Kathy Davis, Executive Director for CPS of Renfrew County, said in an email to Narcity that the agency doesn't "comment on specific instances" and takes "great care in maintaining confidentiality and privacy for everyone."
However, Davis said that CPS must review all child protection concerns brought forward.
Low rent and sky-high garbage piles
Garbage piled in the basement. Right: Bedroom.Justin Dean
The four-bedroom apartment was supposed to cost the tenants only $900 monthly. As a first-time landlord, Dean says he didn't know market values and was surprised when the tenants offered him $400 more than he had asked for in November of 2018.
"I didn't know the market at all," he says. "I was just doing it just to cover mortgage for a while."
Bills would be paid in lump sums, which, in retrospect, he recognizes was a red flag. But, at first, he didn't notice much of a problem besides a small mess here and there.
That is until Christmas rolled around. The landlord said the tenants would ask for extensions on rent payments, and he agreed to set up a payment plan for the family with several children.
But things got a lot messier about a year and a half ago.
Garbage bags, along with the bylaw notices, started to pile up. The homeowner said he eventually showed up at the property to clean things up after getting warnings from the City of Pembroke By-law Services every month. He would make a five-hour trip from Woodstock, Ontario, where he now lives.
In the summer of last year, Dean went to Ontario's Landlord Tenant Board after inspecting the house and discovering $70,000 to $100,000 worth of property damage. On July 1, the tenants voluntarily moved out. But he was still left to clean in their wake.
Landlord says damage to his own first home is "heartbreaking"
Upstairs bathroom before renters. Right: Upstairs bathroom after renters.Justin Dean
The house on McGee Street wasn't just any home. It was Dean's very first owned home, which he bought 10 years ago, in "immaculate shape."
At the time, he made a nursery for his son, redid the flooring, put in a bedroom walk-in closet, and bought a new dryer before renting it out.
"It was heartbreaking because I put a lot, you know, I guess I put a lot of my own sweat into the house," the 37-year-old says. "I wanted to make sure this family — the home was ready for them."
When he first moved in, the homeowner said the street was nice. Now that his home's changed, he says his insurance company has told him much of the destruction counts as vandalism, which only covers $5,000. He may be able to make other claims but says, for the most part, he's dealing with lawyers.
After the incident, Dean says, "next time, I'll do my due diligence." If he ever rents again, he says he'll be looking for a really good insurance policy and do inspections at least twice a year. Now, that's some solid renting advice you might want to take from someone who's seen some of the worst!
Narcity reached out to Animal Protection and did not receive a comment in time for publication.