Shawn Eliovitz Brantford, Ontario, Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Tenants, Renting, Rental, Slumlord Brantford Ontario

I rented from Shawn Eliovitz in the city of Brantford, Ontario. While renting from him, we encountered a number of repair issues, none of which were addressed in a timely manner. These issues include:

• We did not have a working toilet for over a month.
• We did not have a working fridge for over a month.
• We were never given a fire extinguisher despite asking for one.
• We did not have a carbon monoxide detector.
• We had an issue with pest control. We requested assistance, which was ignored.
• The tenant living below us went without a working stove for several months.
• The tenant living below us had an issue where her heat radiator had exploded and water was pouring out. This issue was ignored for months.
• The tenant living in the garage (illegal unit.. more on that later) had many repair issues that were ignored.

Shawn hired unlicensed contractors to perform inadequate repairs. He hired some men to bring us a new fridge. These men were intoxicated and damaged the unit trying to bring a fridge in that was clearly too large. They left the fridge in our hallway for weeks while we waited for a fridge that would fit.

Shawn decided to sell the house in late 2016. He had an appraisor and inspector visit the property and when we asked if he was selling, he said no. A week later we saw a "For Sale" sign on the property and began receiving notices for viewings. We had a newborn baby at the time and were not impressed with having to accommodate many, many viewings. We accommodated approximately 40 viewings in total, many of which were without notice, held by rude and awful realtors, and we were subjected to having strangers pry through our personal belongings and holding conversations in our kitchen for 15 minutes after the inspection had ended. We had viewings after 7pm which is ridiculous to expect of someone with a newborn baby. Also, a lockbox was put on the property without our permission - something that is highly illegal and not allowed. 

In December 2016, the tenant living in the garage was threatened with an eviction because his unit was not "clean enough" for viewings. The unit contained items left over from previous unfinished repairs. It was not up to the tenant to clean this mess. The tenant is living in an illegal unit, a converted garage that still has garage doors on it. He was told he had 12 days to clean the unit or vacate the premises. First and foremost, tenants are required 60 days notice to vacate a residence via Ontario law. Second, this would be considered a retaliatory eviction because the tenant did not believe he should have to clean up someone else's mess. Third, this tenant is disabled and should not be expected to accommodate such ridiculous expectations.

In January 2017 the house sold. We were informed that another appraisor and inspector would be coming through. The inspector spent 4 hours at the property and encountered a number of incredible issues. First and foremost, Shawn had removed a load bearing wall from the living room and the attic was sagging in as a result. The living room ceiling had been replaced to cover a leak. The wall in the hallway was still damp from a leak that was not repaired properly many years ago.

I did some research on this Shawn Eliovitz individual and discovered that he has been in trouble with the Ontario Tenant Board for similar issues in the past. It would appear that he has a history of being a slumlord and awful person who only cares about himself and his money. He is rumored to work as an Investment Advisor and Financial Planner for RBC Royal Bank in Brantford, Ontario. If this is true, I would suggest avoiding him if at all possible. He is not to be trusted.

I would exercise extreme caution when doing business with this individual. I would also beware of SPM Property Management, as Shawn uses them to manage all of his properties. As well, Melanie Laracy with Sutton Realty. She often sells his properties. Melanie and Shawn are related, so of course she has his best interests in mind.

I have done my research on this property, the individual that owns this property, and tenant laws in general and consider this to be a factual review based on evidence and experience.