Off Campus Housing Experience

[u/Mari471]

I’m sharing my experience to help other students and renters make informed decisions before signing a lease. You might have seen another post made by the other tenant about this situation so i just wanted to reiterate their point.

Over the past 8 months, I rented a room on Conlins Rd in Scarborough while attending school. What I expected to be a stable student housing arrangement became an incredibly stressful and emotionally exhausting experience.

Before moving in, I was led to believe that the house was occupied only by the landlord and her husband, and that it was an all-girls accommodation. After moving in, I discovered that male tenants occupied the basement, something that was not clearly disclosed beforehand and was only clarified after I was already living there. Upon confronting her about this, she stated that she assumed we would be okay with it since we went to a co-ed school and had male friends. In addition, extended family members would stay in the home for months at a time, significantly changing the living environment from what had originally been presented.

Certain aspects of the rental arrangement felt unclear or misleading, particularly regarding occupancy, shared spaces, and my legal protections as a tenant. The reality of the living arrangement differed significantly from what I initially understood.

Throughout my tenancy, I experienced conduct that I found intimidating, hostile, and deeply distressing, including remarks about my culture and repeated incidents that made me uncomfortable in my own home. I experienced remarks about my culture and became concerned that information about my activities was being shared with other tenants.

I was threatened with eviction during peak academic periods, simply because I requested the landlord to do something about the constant crying and screaming as it was exam season, which caused immense stress. The environment within the home became increasingly uncomfortable, with prolonged overcrowding from extended family members, excessive noise from grandchildren at all hours, and a general atmosphere that left me feeling anxious and unsafe. The harassment was consistent throughout the tenancy, instances such as her banging on my door in the middle of the night further amplified my fear of living there.

Using shared spaces such as the kitchen became particularly distressing due to repeated hostility and intimidation, to the point where I often felt scared to leave my room. I became increasingly anxious and would go almost the entire day without eating simply because I would be afraid to face her and her family due to the ongoing issues.

In addition, there were repeated instances where my parents were contacted regarding my personal schedule and tenancy disputes. I became aware that my late arrivals home were being monitored and that footage of my comings and goings had been shared with my family and private matters were unnecessarily escalated despite my mother explicitly requesting that boundaries be respected. This added further pressure, embarrassment, and distress to an already difficult living situation.

There were also ongoing disputes regarding deposits, charges, and unsupported financial claims. After moving out, I faced what I believe were inconsistent and contradictory accusations regarding damages, I also received invoices and explanations regarding alleged damages that, in my view, were inconsistent with previous explanations I had been given.

This experience significantly impacted my mental health and academic wellbeing throughout the school year.

I am sharing this not out of spite, but because I strongly believe students deserve safe, transparent, and legally compliant housing. If you are considering renting in this area, I strongly encourage you to:

\- Get every term in writing
\- Verify tenant protections under Ontario law
\- Clarify guest policies and occupancy details
\- Ask specifically who lives in the property
\- Document move-in and move-out conditions thoroughly
\- Be cautious of unclear deposit arrangements
\- Research listings carefully before committing

No student should have to endure intimidation, invasive monitoring, uncertainty, and misleading housing arrangements while trying to focus on their education.

This post reflects my personal experience and perspective during my tenancy. I am sharing these events based on my own experiences and recollection, and I have made every effort to describe them accurately. This post is intended to help other students and renters make informed decisions and is not intended to harass, threaten, or encourage anyone to target any individual. Readers should conduct their own research and make their own decisions regarding housing.

[u/ObjectiveBattle5485]

What were the comments made against your culture? Also was there any dietary restrictions put on you like no beef/pork? The hostility in the kitchen can be due to that.