Multiple Notice's Cause Confusion (LTB)

(Re), 2018 CanLII 120835 (ON LTB)

1. The Tenant made a preliminary motion to dismiss the Landlords’ application.

2. It is the Tenant’s position that because of confusion resulting from the Landlords having served the Tenant with N5 and N6 and N7 notices at the same time with the same termination date claiming in all three the same two reasons for ending the tenancy and evicting the Tenant, namely, for having removed the baseboard heaters and for fire code violations.

3. It is undisputed that an additional allegation in the N5 notice (not made part of the N6 and N7) regarding the Tenant obstructing access to the parking lot was corrected by the Tenant within the 7 day period following the service of the N5 notice. Therefore the allegation in N5 respecting parking has been voided in accordance with section 64(3) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Act).

4. The only other issue in the N5 that is also not included in the N6 and N7 is the allegation that the Tenant interfered with the Landlords’ attempts to access the rental unit to perform maintenance. I find that this allegation has also been voided because it is not disputed that the Landlord did not seek further access to the rental unit within the 7 day voiding period.

12. Undoubtedly, a landlord is entitled to serve more than one notice of termination respecting the same conduct or event. Indeed, the Board’s Interpretation Guideline #10 states in part:

Sometimes the same event may give rise to more than one ground for termination, as a result the landlord may serve more than one Notice of Termination citing the same event as the reason for both of the Notices….

Although the landlord is permitted to give Notices of Termination with different termination dates, confusion to the tenant should be minimized. The Notices may be challenged on the basis that they are confusing and therefore defective. In the worst case, an application may be dismissed.

13. However, as suggested in the Guideline, this does not mean a landlord can do so in a way that causes confusion. That is exactly what has occurred in the present case where the Tenant is being told he can and cannot avoid eviction for the same impugned conduct. This contradictory direction would likely confuse any reasonable tenant.

14. Further, I cannot see how it makes any difference in what way the Tenant is able to void the N5 notice, such as paying for the repairs within the 7-day period, when that notice is being compared with the N6 and N7 notices with respect to whether the combination of all three when served together creates confusion.

15. For these reasons I find the combination of voidable and non-voidable notices served on the Tenant for the same alleged conduct is confusing and causes all the notices before me to be defective. I cannot consider the Landlord’s application to terminate the tenancy in the absence of valid notices of termination.

TSL-96380-18 (Re), 2018 CanLII 120849 (ON LTB)

1. On March 16, 2018, the Landlord caused a first N5, N6, and N7 notices of termination to be given to the Tenant on March 16, 2018 with each containing the same schedule attached outlining the Landlord’s complaints. The N6 and N7 notices are the basis for the L2 application with a termination date of April 30, 2018.

2. A second N5 notice was given to the Tenant with a termination date of July 31, 2018. The schedule attached to the second N5 notice appears to be the same one that was attached to the first N5 notice. The second N5 notice is the basis for the L2 application with a termination date of July 31, 2018.

3. Notwithstanding the impugned conduct is common to all three notices, only the first N5 notice provides that in order to avoid eviction the Tenant has 7 days to stop the activities or correct the complained about behaviour. The N6 and N7 notices do not permit the Tenant to avoid eviction by stopping the complained of activities and paying for repairs within 7 days. In other words, simultaneously, the Tenant is being told she can and cannot avoid eviction for the same impugned conduct.

4. Undoubtedly, a landlord is entitled to serve more than one notice of termination respecting the same conduct or event. Indeed, the Board’s Interpretation Guideline #10 states in part:

Sometimes the same event may give rise to more than one ground for termination, as a result the landlord may serve more than one Notice of Termination citing the same event as the reason for both of the Notices…

Although the landlord is permitted to give Notices of Termination with different termination dates, confusion to the tenant should be minimized. The Notices may be challenged on the basis that they are confusing and therefore defective. In the worst case, an application may be dismissed.

5. However, as suggested in the Guideline, this does not mean a landlord can do so in a way that causes confusion. That is exactly what has occurred in the present case where the Tenant is being told she can and cannot avoid eviction for the same impugned conduct. This contradictory direction would likely confuse any reasonable tenant.

6. In file number SWL-42630-12 the Vice-Chair denied the landlord’s request for termination under the L2 application because the notices given to the tenant lacked detail and “service of two different notices in respect of the same issue, one voidable and one not, is sufficiently confusing that the [t]enant would reasonably have been confused by receipt of those multiple notices.”

7. I find the reasoning in file number SWL-42630-12 persuasive and as a result I find the first N5 and the N6 and N7 notices given to the Tenant are nullities. Furthermore, because the second N5 is, in fact, a first N5 but indicates on its face that it is not voidable, it, too, is a nullity.

8. For these reasons I find the combination of voidable and non-voidable notices served on the Tenant for the same alleged conduct is confusing and causes all the notices before me to be defective. I cannot consider the Landlord’s L2 applications to terminate the tenancy in the absence of valid notices of termination.