Latest news with #ThamaraDeVries
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Problem tenants finally leave P.E.I. rental property, but landlord's issues continue
Thamara DeVries is finally beginning the process of reclaiming her dream home, after months of watching the property turn into a nightmare. The landlord rented out the fully furnished house in Wheatley River, P.E.I., back in February to tenants she initially believed to be a mother with three daughters. But shortly after they moved in, DeVries discovered it was actually two adults and 10 children, along with multiple animals — and said they were destroying her home. Her battle to evict the problem tenants stretched up until this week, when the family obeyed a July 11 order to vacate from the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, packed their belongings into a moving truck, and left. "I don't ever wish this on anyone. I don't understand why everything takes so long," DeVries told CBC News on Wednesday. "There's appeal after appeal after appeal, which is extending the time, which is extending the damages to the property." After discovering how many people were living in the residence, DeVries immediately contacted the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC), which handles disputes between landlords and tenants on P.E.I. She argued that the tenants had given false information, that the home had an unreasonable number of occupants, and that unreasonable damage was being done. The commission initially found that there were no valid grounds for eviction. The monthly rent of $2,900 was being paid, at that point. As a series of accusations and counter-accusations from both parties dragged on, DeVries watched the condition of the home deteriorate. WATCH: P.E.I. landlord taking stock of damage after tenants with 10 children move out: 'It seems like a horror movie' Eventually the tenants allowed her to walk through the property, where she discovered knives jammed into door frames to keep people from entering, along with a foul odour throughout the house. She said the downstairs of the property had been turned into a greenhouse for growing plants and all the furniture had been tossed outside, exposed to winter conditions. She also found kittens in the bathtub, and alleged the family was breeding cats in her home. Outside, she said the tenants had turned the yard into farmland and dumped several truckloads of manure on top of where her well sits. Despite repeated requests to have it moved, she said the pile remains there. During a hearing at the end of May, DeVries presented documents showing no rent had been paid since April and photos of the damages. Ruling on the non-payment issue, IRAC eventually said the tenants had seven days to vacate, although a document viewed by CBC News noted: "We make no finding with respect to the merits of the landlords' claims respecting eviction on the basis of damage to property, for example." WATCH: 'That process has been painful': P.E.I. house owner has spent months trying to evict her tenants: But the tenants appealed that eviction notice, arguing they couldn't find housing within a week and alleging there was discrimination in the P.E.I. rental market against large families. The tenants also applied for a return of rent totalling $14,500, along with "compensation for emotional distress" in the amount of $12 million, according to IRAC documents. "The tenants say that they withheld rent because of the landlord's behaviour, [which] they characterize as harassment which breached their quiet enjoyment of the rental unit," one document says. On July 11, IRAC denied the tenants' appeal for more time and terminated the rental agreement, effective Tuesday, July 15. The commission also ordered the tenants to pay DeVries outstanding rent in the amount of $7,203.23, minus the $2,000 damage deposit that will stay with the landlord. The tenants left Tuesday evening, DeVries said, with the RCMP present to make sure the move went without incident. She's since been through the house again, and was "beyond devastated" by its state. When a CBC News team visited on Wednesday, there was a pervasive smell of cat urine. The back door had been taken completely off of its frame and left outside, most of the furniture and decor items were either gone or badly damaged, and the driveway was covered in manure. A formerly white couch with a floral pattern was a dingy brown, and there were a few cats still living under the floor. "It just seems like a nightmare. It seems like a horror movie," DeVries said. "It looks like somebody was in here purposely damaging the property. It doesn't feel like it was… a wear-and-tear type of situation." She isn't sure how much it will cost to fix up the home, but expects the pricetag to be in the thousands of dollars. On the brighter side, DeVries said she is touched by Islanders offering their support to help her paint and clean up the property. She plans to move back into the home once it's ready — and said she'll never rent it out to anyone again. She hopes her situation results in landlords having more rights in the future, and urged IRAC to speed up the eviction process in extreme cases like hers. "I understand that there are bad landlords, and I understand there are bad tenants, but what I find is that tenants do get away with a lot of damage," she said. "The process is so long that, unfortunately, it's inflicting extra damages that should be avoidable."
CTV News
17-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Manure and missing appliances: Inside one P.E.I. landlord's nightmare
What started as a standard lease to three university students and their mother, turned into a months-long ordeal involving 12 tenants, nearly 14 animals and tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Kittens were still roaming the rental home when landlord Thamara DeVries repossessed it. She says they were part of a litter bred for profit in the bathroom. What started as a standard lease to three university students and their mother, turned into a months-long ordeal involving 12 tenants, nearly 14 animals and tens of thousands of dollars in damage. DeVries says the process of removing them was delayed at nearly every turn. Now, she is calling for urgent reform to Prince Edward Island's rental tribunal. 'I'm in shock. I'm devastated,' DeVries said. 'Seeing it being destroyed, not being able to do anything about it, it's very gutting.' She says the tenants moved in this past February and she stopped receiving rent in April. By the time they were evicted, on Monday this week, her property had been trashed. Appliances were missing, furniture was broken, couches were stained beyond repair and one back door had vanished entirely. P.E.I. landlord She says the tenants moved in this past February and she stopped receiving rent in April. 'The kitchen is absolutely filthy. You can take a look at the freezer,' she said, pulling the door open to reveal the mess. She estimates $80,000 in damages. Outside, DeVries says the tenants dumped truckloads of horse manure across the lawn, including directly on top of the property's well, its main water source. She filed her first eviction application in early March, citing over-occupancy and property damage. She says it was dismissed after 55 days by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) on procedural grounds. The wrong checkbox had been selected and attempts to inspect the home were physically blocked. She alleges the tenants had wedged knives into the doorframes. A second notice was filed in May for non-payment of rent and continued damage. DeVries says that application was granted on June 17, with tenants ordered to leave by June 24. But they appealed before the deadline. The hearing was delayed and later converted to a written submission without her consent. 'I don't feel any protection,' DeVries said. 'Not only that, but there's no consequences for the damages cost. I believe the system is killing small landlords like us.' In a statement to CTV News, IRAC said, 'The timeline associated with the appeal process is dependent upon a number of factors,' including 'complexity of the file,' and that the commission tries to handle matters 'in a way that adheres to legislation and is fair to all parties involved.' Across Canada, landlord–tenant tribunals have faced mounting criticism over long delays. In Ontario, eviction hearings often stretch beyond seven months due to case backlogs. In British Columbia, timelines are significantly shorter, with tenants typically ordered to vacate within weeks, even when they appeal. In P.E.I., the slow pace is pushing some landlords to walk away, says June Ellis, executive director of the Residential Rental Association of P.E.I. 'We've got a lot of good tenants,' she said. 'But it's difficult for them because properties are going to be taken off the market.' As for DeVries, she says she's unsure whether her insurance will cover the losses. But for her, the damage is done.
CBC
17-07-2025
- General
- CBC
P.E.I. landlord taking stock of damage as tenants with 10 children move out after eviction process
After months of stress, disappointment and bureaucratic back-and-forth, Thamara DeVries finally has her house in Wheatley River back. But it looks a lot different from the fully furnished house she rented out back in February. CBC's Sheehan Desjardins walked through the house with her to look at the damage.
CBC
17-07-2025
- CBC
Problem tenants finally leave P.E.I. rental property, but landlord's issues continue
Social Sharing Thamara DeVries is finally beginning the process of reclaiming her dream home, after months of watching the property turn into a nightmare. The landlord rented out the fully furnished house in Wheatley River, P.E.I., back in February to tenants she initially believed to be a mother with three daughters. But shortly after they moved in, DeVries discovered it was actually two adults and 10 children, along with multiple animals — and said they were destroying her home. Her battle to evict the problem tenants stretched up until this week, when the family obeyed a July 11 order to vacate from the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission, packed their belongings into a moving truck, and left. "I don't ever wish this on anyone. I don't understand why everything takes so long," DeVries told CBC News on Wednesday. "There's appeal after appeal after appeal, which is extending the time, which is extending the damages to the property." After discovering how many people were living in the residence, DeVries immediately contacted the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC), which handles disputes between landlords and tenants on P.E.I. She argued that the tenants had given false information, that the home had an unreasonable number of occupants, and that unreasonable damage was being done. The commission initially found that there were no valid grounds for eviction. The monthly rent of $2,900 was being paid, at that point. As a series of accusations and counter-accusations from both parties dragged on, DeVries watched the condition of the home deteriorate. 'It seems like a horror movie' Eventually the tenants allowed her to walk through the property, where she discovered knives jammed into door frames to keep people from entering, along with a foul odour throughout the house. She said the downstairs of the property had been turned into a greenhouse for growing plants and all the furniture had been tossed outside, exposed to winter conditions. She also found kittens in the bathtub, and alleged the family was breeding cats in her home. Outside, she said the tenants had turned the yard into farmland and dumped several truckloads of manure on top of where her well sits. Despite repeated requests to have it moved, she said the pile remains there. During a hearing at the end of May, DeVries presented documents showing no rent had been paid since April and photos of the damages. Ruling on the non-payment issue, IRAC eventually said the tenants had seven days to vacate, although a document viewed by CBC News noted: "We make no finding with respect to the merits of the landlords' claims respecting eviction on the basis of damage to property, for example." WATCH: 'That process has been painful': P.E.I. house owner has spent months trying to evict her tenants: 'That process has been painful': P.E.I. house owner has spent months trying to evict her tenants 9 days ago A Prince Edward Island woman says the province should make it easier to evict problem tenants. Thamara DeVries says tenants ruined the inside and outside of her house in Wheatley River. She says they made a greenhouse indoors, put manure on the lawn right over the well, and used the home to breed cats. But as she tells CBC's Connor Lamont, trying to get them out has been a challenge. But the tenants appealed that eviction notice, arguing they couldn't find housing within a week and alleging there was discrimination in the P.E.I. rental market against large families. The tenants also applied for a return of rent totalling $14,500, along with "compensation for emotional distress" in the amount of $12 million, according to IRAC documents. "The tenants say that they withheld rent because of the landlord's behaviour, [which] they characterize as harassment which breached their quiet enjoyment of the rental unit," one document says. On July 11, IRAC denied the tenants' appeal for more time and terminated the rental agreement, effective Tuesday, July 15. The commission also ordered the tenants to pay DeVries outstanding rent in the amount of $7,203.23, minus the $2,000 damage deposit that will stay with the landlord. The tenants left Tuesday evening, DeVries said, with the RCMP present to make sure the move went without incident. She's since been through the house again, and was "beyond devastated" by its state. When a CBC News team visited on Wednesday, there was a pervasive smell of cat urine. The back door had been taken completely off of its frame and left outside, most of the furniture and decor items were either gone or badly damaged, and the driveway was covered in manure. A formerly white couch with a floral pattern was a dingy brown, and there were a few cats still living under the floor. "It just seems like a nightmare. It seems like a horror movie," DeVries said. "It looks like somebody was in here purposely damaging the property. It doesn't feel like it was… a wear-and-tear type of situation." She isn't sure how much it will cost to fix up the home, but expects the pricetag to be in the thousands of dollars. On the brighter side, DeVries said she is touched by Islanders offering their support to help her paint and clean up the property. She plans to move back into the home once it's ready — and said she'll never rent it out to anyone again. She hopes her situation results in landlords having more rights in the future, and urged IRAC to speed up the eviction process in extreme cases like hers. "I understand that there are bad landlords, and I understand there are bad tenants, but what I find is that tenants do get away with a lot of damage," she said. "The process is so long that, unfortunately, it's inflicting extra damages that should be avoidable."
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
P.E.I. landlord says rental turned into a nightmare after tenants 'ruined' her property
When Thamara DeVries handed over the keys to her fully furnished home in Wheatley River, P.E.I., in February, she thought she was renting it to a family of four. But shortly after move-in day, DeVries was called to help with the property's hot tub. "I realized that there was a mom and a dad and 10 children, which is definitely not what we agreed on," DeVries told CBC News. She said the couple confirmed the 10 children were all theirs and were all living in the house. DeVries immediately contacted the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC), which handles disputes between landlords and tenants on P.E.I. That began a months-long effort to evict the tenants. She said the legal process has dragged on, and in the meantime, she's watched the home deteriorate. "That process has been incredibly painful, excruciating and draining, to say the least," she said. "We have a hard time going to bed, and our financial situation has changed quite a bit, including lawyer fees and the fact that they haven't paid any rent since April." CBC News knocked on the door of the property in an attempt to speak to the renters, but no one answered. Eventually — after providing the tenants with written notice that she was going to enter the property, in accordance with IRAC policy — DeVries called the police for assistance. She said she didn't feel safe going in without officers nearby after noticing aggressive dogs on the site. Soon she saw something she found even more menacing. "There were knives all over the door frames on every door of the main floor — all covered in knives — to prevent us from walking into the property," she said. "We had to remove the knives and push the door in and to see the absolute disaster that it was." Once inside, the first thing she noticed was the smell — "the worst smell you could imagine," DeVries said. She said the downstairs of the property had been turned into a greenhouse for growing plants and all the furniture had been tossed outside, exposed to winter conditions. She also found kittens in the bathtub. "The furniture is gone, ruined. The floors are ruined. The screen doors and all the screens on the windows are ripped. The kitchen is absolutely trashed and the carpets are absolutely filthy and… my hot tub isn't working anymore and the yard looks like a dump," she said, describing her walk through the house. "At that point, I am beyond devastated." Outside, she said the tenants had turned the yard into farmland and dumped several truckloads of manure on top of where her well sits. Despite repeated requests to have it moved, she said the pile remains there. "I'm going to be left with maybe $80,000 of damages, lawyer fees to the roof and the mental stress that is … beyond anything anyone can imagine," she said. DeVries presented photos of the damages and documents showing non-payment of rent during a hearing at the end of May. IRAC ruled the tenants had seven days to vacate. But she said the tenants appealed the decision, arguing they couldn't find housing within a week and alleging discrimination in the rental market against large families. "Honestly, I have no idea how any of those two things are related to me," DeVries said. The tenants also applied for a return of rent totalling $14,500, along with "compensation for emotional distress" in the amount of $12 million, according to IRAC documents. That application was denied, with a residential tenancy officer for the commission writing that the tenants "have not established a valid claim for a return of rent and I do not have the jurisdiction to consider the tenants' claim for emotional distress." The next hearing between the two sides will be conducted in writing, and both sides can submit evidence later this week. It's not known when a decision will be made. It just feels that there is a high level of injustice and the process is not fair. — Thamara DeVries, landlord "In all rental matters, the commission endeavours to provide a timely decision to the parties, taking into account the unique circumstances of each matter," IRAC wrote in a statement to CBC News. Meanwhile, DeVries said it pains her to see the property her family worked hard to purchase — the place where she hoped to host her daughter's wedding someday — in an unrecognizable state. "It's the process that is killing us. It's not... that I have no evidence. It's the fact that the process is so slow and there's so many loopholes, and people know how to play the game," she said. "It just feels that there is a high level of injustice and the process is not fair." Conflicts between landlords and tenants are common on P.E.I., said Rowen Gallant, program manager of Renting P.E.I. at Community Legal Information. Gallant said the office often receives calls from tenants seeking to understand their rights or needing support after a relationship with their landlord has broken down. He added that landlords must also be informed of their responsibilities from the beginning. Renting P.E.I. offers a guide specifically for landlords. "It helps you know what you're getting into before you before you actually get into the trouble or the trouble starts," he said. He added that good communication and relationship-building are also crucial in preventing and managing potential conflicts. He said this applies to both tenants and landlords. "When both parties have a firm understanding of how the legislation works and what their rights are and what their responsibilities to each other are, that always is going to give you the best chance of success at having a good relationship."
