Suspected squatters prevent new owners from moving in

It's been almost a year since Ryan Bedrosian bought his first house – a three-bedroom backsplit on the city's west side – with dreams of fixing it up and moving in with his fiancée, to whom he proposed a few days after the finalization of the purchase.

The plan was to demolish the interior down to the studs and essentially rebuild the living space before moving in by the end of 2023.

This does not happen.

Instead, Bedrosian continues to live with his parents as he attempts to evict a group of suspected squatters from the Elmira Road home he bought at a bank sale – while making loan repayments. ready and watching the house's water and electricity bills climb.

Factoring in the cost of meeting city-issued property standards to clean up the yard and attorney fees, as well as property taxes for property he doesn't use, Bedrosian says he's short about $50,000 and counting.

“I feel betrayed,” Bedrosian said, referring to what he perceives as indifference from the city of Guelph and local police, as well as the legal system that he says has let his life in limbo. “You are helpless. You have no control over what happens to you.

He's probably not the only one who feels helpless in the face of this situation.

“We are seeing unprecedented growth in encampments and unhoused people. And this particular situation, I would say, is a symptom of the fact that it's just unaffordable for people to live,” said Douglas Kwan, legal and advocacy director of the Ontario Tenant Advocacy Centre. “Housing is a key element of life in this society. You can't find a school for your children if you don't have a house to live in. You have no shelter. You do not have an address to include on your (work applications). The house is therefore as essential as water or air to ensure a certain stability in your life.

A man with a salt-and-pepper beard and wearing a baseball cap answered the door when a reporter attempted to speak with residents of the Elmira Road home on May 29. He offered to “make no comment” before closing and locking the door.

Bedrosian, 30, purchased the house in September for $630,000 through a power of sale process. The previous owner died in 2021, he said, explaining that the bank repossessed the house to recover the remaining mortgage debt.

No open house or showing was offered during the sale, but Bedrosian felt comfortable making the purchase without personally seeing the interior because the house is less than 50 years old.

“How bad could it really be?” » he remembers thinking. “I’m a handyman. I can renovate. I've already made one, so no problem.

When he asked for the keys after the purchase closed, he said he was told there weren't any — just walk in. Although he found it strange, that's exactly what he did.

Accompanied by his fiancée's father, Bedrosian opened the front door and discovered six people sitting on the floor and a total of around ten people inside. After telling them he had just bought the house and wanted them to leave, a woman “picked up her pillow and a small trash bag and walked barefoot down the street,” he said. explain. “Then other people started coming out (from the other rooms) – an old man probably in his 60s or 70s, some young people, a guy who said he was just staying at a friend's house .It's just chaotic.

When they refused to leave, Bedrosian called Guelph police to report the trespassers on his property.

He said officers showed up a short time later but after consulting with the department's lawyer, they refused to get involved.

“I’m just pissed because I think it’s bullshit. Our tax money allows the police to do their job. They are negligent,” Bedrosian said.

A Guelph police spokesperson declined to comment directly on Bedrosian's accusations.

“Each call related to housing issues is handled on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the fact that Residential tenancy law and property rights over residential property are civil matters that must be handled by the Landlord and Tenant Board or the Superior Court of Justice respectively,” wrote police spokesperson Scott Tracey in a response by email to GuelphToday. “The Guelph Police Service will assist the Sheriff in carrying out orders issued by either of these two entities.

On the advice of his lawyer, Bedrosian applied to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) in October for an eviction order. His request for an expedited hearing date was denied, with the hearing set for June 18.

“Who knows what will come of this,” said an exasperated Bedrosian. “Crossed fingers.”

The owner thought the end might be quicker last month, but that didn't materialize.

He said one of the squatters called him and told him the group would leave within 48 hours if he paid them $5,000 each. He countered with an offer of $1,300 each, believing it would be cheaper than his mounting legal fees.

“They said 'it's not enough to pay the rent elsewhere, so we're not interested,' which is crazy,” he said.

Throughout the process so far, Bedrosian said he has contacted city officials for various assistance, including turning off the electricity and water to the home, to no avail.

He said he also asked for help complying with property standards ordinances.

“There’s just no will to solve a problem,” he said. “It's just like, 'Hey, if it's not theoretically our responsibility, then who cares?' So basically, no respect.

It is unclear what residents will present or request from the CLI, if anything.

“(Both parties) need to seek clarification from the Property Tenants Commission because until this is finalized they are, by law, tenants with equal rights and security of “occupation,” Kwan said.

“And it’s important not to prejudge situations before you’ve had a chance to weigh in on the evidence.” Just as in criminal cases, we presume that the parties are innocent until proven guilty.