Bissett v Hyatt

Tenant wins · Wallaceburg · 2025-07-22

Adjudicator

Amanda Kovats

Dispute

Harassment, Maintenance, Tenant Rights, Vital Services

Notice

Tenant rights (T2)

Amount

<$5K

Landlord

A.H., D.H.

Tenant

M.B.

What happened

The Tenant filed an application alleging the Landlords substantially interfered with her enjoyment of the rental unit, harassed her, and withheld vital services. The Tenant claimed items were stolen from a storage arrangement prior to the tenancy, which the Board dismissed as outside its jurisdiction. However, the Board found the Landlords harassed the Tenant through invasive surveillance, threatening text messages involving child protective services, and failing to provide heat throughout the winter and spring months.

The ruling

The Board ordered the Landlords to pay the Tenant a total of $4,270.05, consisting of $3,070.05 in rent abatements and $1,200.00 for emotional distress. The Landlords were also ordered to pay a $500.00 administrative fine to the LTB. The ruling recognized that the Landlords' failure to provide heat and their systematic harassment/surveillance of the Tenant constituted a severe breach of the Residential Tenancies Act.