Liyanage v Abbasi

Tenant wins · Oshawa · 2025-07-31

Adjudicator

Sheena Brar

Dispute

Illegal Charge/Deposit

Amount

<$5K

Landlord

U.A.

Tenant

M.L.

What happened

The Tenant filed an application for the return of a $1,000 security deposit after the Landlord unilaterally terminated the tenancy agreement before it began. The dispute arose when the Tenant, wary of a rental scam, requested the Landlord's identification before paying the full first and last month's rent. The Landlord refused to provide identification, told the Tenant to look for another unit, and blocked the Tenant from further communication while retaining the deposit.

The ruling

The Landlord is ordered to pay the Tenant $1,048.00 by August 11, 2025. This amount includes the return of the $1,000.00 deposit and the $48.00 application filing fee. If the Landlord fails to pay by the deadline, interest will accrue at a rate of 4.00% annually.