A Chatham landlord accused of renovicting his tenants is throwing his support behind plans to protect local tenants.
On Monday, Chatham-Kent (CK) council approved a motion from Councillor Marjorie Crew ensuring that any landlord who issues a notice requiring tenants to vacate for renovations or demolition does so in good faith. An official bylaw will be voted on during the summer.
While Crew's motion doesn't mention any local situations, it does come after she met with residents of Chatham's Terrace Forty apartment, as they were asked to leave in January due to renovations.
Rex Brondial, owner of Terrace Forty, told CK News Today that he has no problem with this decision.
"We welcome more protections for tenants, especially financial ones," he explained.
What Brondial does have an issue with is what he believes is a lack of support for landlords.
"The burden has been placed on landlords for far too long. The system is currently broken and set up for landlord failure, as evidenced by recent bankruptcies. Governments continue to increase costs for taxes, water, and development fees," he added.
Brondial also mentioned his issue with the cap on rent increases, currently set at 2.1 per cent for 2026, and the rising cost of insurance for landlords, which he claimed has increased by around 30 per cent.
"This is not sustainable," he explained.
Brondial has stated that the planned renovations for Terrace Forty are necessary. He's also rejected claims that he's pushing these tenants away to sharply increase the rent.
Some are fighting back against Brondial's defense. This includes Jeff Wilkins, a paralegal with the Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic.
Wilkins believes what's happening at Terrace Forty is the definition of renoviction. He said this is because tenants weren't told they could legally return to the building, with their rent increasing by only the aforementioned 2.1 per cent.
He suspects this was done to entice more people to accept a $5,000 payment to officially end their lease.
