AIPL Canada, owned by investors Shabeg and Dev Singh, is now evicting thirteen tenants from their homes on Dovercourt Road in Toronto’s west-end.
Shebeg Singh Dev Singh
AIPL bought the building at 394 Dovercourt Road in 2017. AIPL offered tenants small sums of money to move out. When tenants declined, AIPL issued eviction notices. AIPL has now applied to the Landlord and Tenant Board to evict all thirteen tenants.
This is renoviction.
We’ve all heard the stories. Investors buy rental properties in “up and coming” areas. They evict the sitting tenants, renovate units, and more than double the rent.
In Ontario, tenants’ “right of first refusal” is not upheld. On paper, landlords should give tenants the option to return to their unit once renovations are completed. In reality, the landlord rents the unit to a new tenant at a higher rent. The evicted tenant has no recourse to regain possession.
The Toronto Star has documented how the tenants of 795 College Street found this out the hard way.
AIPL claims it has to replace the electrical wiring at 394 Dovercourt. They say the work is so extensive that it requires tenants to move out. Tenants believe this is nothing more than a pretext to their eviction. While the wiring in the building is old, it is in good working condition. The real reason AIPL wants the tenants out is so they can raise rent on the vacant units without limit.