Landlord suddenly demanding money 3 months after move-out and threatening collections. Looking for advice.
Need advice because this situation feels insane to me.
My husband and I moved out of a rental unit in Toronto on Feb 27 after an agreed early termination with the landlord/property manager. We handed over the unit, sent videos/photos of the condition, and never heard anything serious after that. They didn’t mention anything about payment or whatever back then and just eventually agreed to let us end our tenancy early.
Today, out of nowhere, I receive an email demanding over $1,300 for “damages” and “rent differential” costs. The landlord claims they already sent this demand letter before… except they apparently sent it to an address that does not belong to me and that I’ve never lived at.
The “damages” include things like drywall patching and a plumbing inspection because I had installed a handheld bidet during tenancy. I already acknowledged I’m willing to reasonably address the plumbing concern if needed, but they hired emergency contractors without ever discussing costs with us first. The drywall was also patched before move-out to the best of our ability. Nobody told us there was an issue during inspection.
Now here’s the part that’s bothering me:
- We moved out almost 3 months ago
- They never contacted us about these alleged issues immediately after turnover
- They now claim the damages cost almost $800
- They’re also asking for an additional $525 because of “rent differential” from the early termination even though this was never discussed in our email trail with the property manager
The email threatens collections, court fees, interest, and says our credit could be affected for 7 years if we don’t pay by the end of the month.
For all I know, some of these damages could already be from new tenants because so much time has passed.
I responded trying to settle things amicably and said I’m willing to reasonably address the plumbing issue directly, but the overall amount and threats feel excessive and unreasonable.
My questions:
- Can landlords in Ontario suddenly claim damages months later like this?
- Are they allowed to charge “rent differential” after voluntarily agreeing to let us leave?
- What are my rights in this situation?
Would appreciate advice from anyone familiar with Ontario tenancy law because this feels very aggressive.