Thank you for your patience

Hello,

I want to speak to you directly and thank you for your patience. This past month has been extraordinarily difficult for our team and for owners navigating the transition. We’ve worked through days, evenings, and weekends to organize properties, communicate with tenants, and get services in place. We’ve made real progress, and I’m grateful for your patience while we’ve worked through so many moving parts.

Nearly all collected rents have now been paid out to owners, and we’re still receiving rent from several tenants. Where tenants remain unpaid, we began issuing N4 notices on November 3 when appropriate. We’re seeing some tenants respond and make payments after receiving notice. Each property’s situation is different, and we’ll continue following up on outstanding accounts.

Eviction support is one of the services we specialize in. During our management of your property, our in-house licensed paralegals handle eviction matters, including applications, hearing preparation, hearings, and adjournments, with no additional professional fees. Only applicable disbursements are charged. For an eviction matter we handle during our management term, you should not need to hire a separate paralegal.

All owner portals are active. You can use your portal to review your property information, and you should receive text and email notifications when rent is recorded and when funds are distributed, with a link to your portal. If you notice an error or have trouble accessing your information, please contact us through the website chat so we can look into it.

Some owners have asked to have management fees deducted from rent rather than paid by credit card. That’s no problem. We began with card payments so we could automate processes quickly during the emergency transition. As things become more organized, we can arrange for fees to be deducted from December rent collections. Please let us know if you’d like to make that change.

We have teams, realtors, vendors, handymen, and contractors across Ontario. I’ve worked in property management and real estate for 23 years, and as a broker of record, I know how important it is to have people available on the ground. For vacant units, our real estate team can list on MLS and Realtor.ca to give them broad exposure to prospective tenants.

We also own LandlordEzy, our property-management and screening platform, used by landlords and property managers across Canada. It includes screening tools such as Equifax credit checks and searches across more than 80,000 public Landlord and Tenant Board orders. With an applicant’s authorization and supporting documents, screening can also include reviewing financial records. Landlords who self-manage can also use LandlordEzy for screening, credit checks, rent ledgers, payment processing, and other tools for managing their properties.

I also want to be honest about what has happened behind the scenes. We have faced serious interference and difficulties getting leases, keys, and information needed to manage properties. In some instances, I believe other property managers took or withheld those materials and information. I have retained lawyers and sent cease-and-desist letters in connection with these matters. I’m not naming companies or sharing the details in this update while these issues are still active, but I intend to provide a fuller account publicly once the situation has settled.

Several property management companies in different cities hired SIREG employees and building superintendents. In some cases, information, leases, and keys were withheld or taken, and one property management company took control of an on-site office where important property information was kept. Because of what was happening, the court-appointed appointee took possession of the keys. These events disrupted the planned key transfer and access to information we needed to manage properties. I have retained lawyers and sent cease-and-desist letters regarding these matters. I’m not naming the individuals or companies while the situation is active, but I intend to share a fuller account publicly when the time is right. I urge owners to use care when dealing with the parties involved. For now, my focus is on moving forward and serving you.

This has been one of the most stressful experiences of my career. I’m proud of our team and the work they’ve done under pressure. I also recognize that our communication hasn’t always kept pace with the work taking place, and I’m sorry. I’ve added team members focused specifically on owner communication, and improving that communication is a priority for me.

Thank you again for your patience and for giving us the opportunity to serve you.

Warm regards,
Paul J. Rouillard
Broker of Record & Owner
OLH Property Management

Real estate: ListItMLS.ca
Ontario Landlord Help: OntarioLandlordHelp.ca
LandlordEzy: LandlordEzy.ca