Need some advice about a cockroach issue and ending tenancy early in Ontario.
We’ve been dealing with a pretty bad cockroach problem in our condo for more than a month now. We first informed the landlord on April 13th, and although multiple pest control treatments were done, the issue still hasn’t been resolved. After the treatments, cockroaches started appearing all over the unit, especially in the kitchen.
Because of this:
- We’re not comfortable cooking anymore.
- We’ve had to throw away food multiple times because cockroaches were falling near the cooking area.
- We’re not sleeping properly and spend most of our time outside because we don’t feel comfortable staying in the unit.
- We had to repeatedly pack and unpack our belongings for treatments.
- Mentally and physically this has been exhausting for us for the past month.
At first, the landlord mentioned the usual 60-day notice period. Later, they said we could move out on June 1st, but they are not willing to return the last month’s rent. They said that, as a mutual understanding, they are reducing the notice period from 60 days to 30 days instead of following the original lease agreement. They also mentioned that we do not need to pay June rent since we already paid the last month’s rent before moving in.
We’ve documented everything — emails, photos, treatment visits, and communication history.
Has anyone in Ontario gone through something similar?
Can tenants legally move out early because of living conditions like this?
Would filing a T6 with the Landlord and Tenant Board help in this situation?
Would really appreciate any advice.