Dealing With Difficult Tenants
From the archive. Written in 2012. Laws, figures and links may have changed since. For current Ontario rules, see what changed for Ontario landlords in 2026.
Difficult tenants are a reality of being a landlord. You're going to have some. Difficult can mean many things: they don't pay the rent, or don't pay it on time. They're noisy. They're unreliable. Sometimes they're belligerent. Difficult tenants can also be time-consumers: tenants who complain constantly about small things, contact you about every little item, or pick fights with other tenants for no good reason. Here are a few tips for dealing with them.
Set expectations. I do this every time I rent to someone new. When rent is due is a given, though it belongs in the written lease too. Beyond that, tell a prospective tenant what you expect about noise, getting along with other tenants in a multi-unit building, routines like garbage day and laundry schedules, and how you'll resolve issues together. I once had a tenant who appointed himself the sheriff of a fourplex I own. He called people out on every little thing, and didn't seem to hear me when I explained that I didn't need a superintendent and that he should bring any problem to me directly.
Be proactive, reasonable and responsive. Most tenants will tell you that an unresponsive, defensive owner is the main ingredient in a resentful relationship. Imagine paying someone rent while they're never available and get defensive about a problem that matters in your home. As an owner, you have an obligation to respond to your tenants' needs, within reason. Things happen, and most tenants understand that. If you show you want to work with them and find a solution, most tenants will respond, and that's one of the best ways to avoid difficult tenants in the first place. It is their home, after all. Be reasonable, expect reasonableness back, and be careful what you say when you're dealing with a problem.
Learn the Residential Tenancies Act. Visit the Landlord and Tenant Board's website, or the equivalent body in your province. Know your rights and your tenants' rights, and the steps for problems like unpaid or persistently late rent. Follow the rules, and be prepared for a difficult tenant to become a bad one.
Avoid the Board if you can. You'll probably end up at a hearing at some point, which is why knowing the act matters. But many landlords play the Board card far too early. Pulled out the wrong way, it can turn a solvable situation into a full-blown problem, and you'll be paying the costs of resolving it formally. I believe in giving notices and following the formal process only in the worst situations: refusal to pay, habitual late payment, unruly behaviour or damage, or someone it's impossible to talk to. If you can work it out without an adjudicator, do.
And whatever happens, write it down: dated notes of every conversation and incident are what you'll need if it does go to the Board.
Originally published December 19, 2012. We've removed links that no longer work and some that had been added without our permission.