'I see a lot of red flags now,' says international student unhappy with state of room rental

Sujith Ashok was trying to rent a room close to Cambrian College.

But after handing over more than $1,000, he said the landlord didn't keep promises made about completing construction before his arrival.

Ashok is an international student from India who is studying project management at the post-secondary school in Sudbury, Ont. He's been in the city since the fall of 2020. 

When he first arrived in Canada, he lived on campus in the school's residence, then moved to a small room on Barrydowne Road. He's been trying to find more economical accommodation closer to the school's campus.

Ashok found ads on Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace and made several calls. He connected with a Realtor from the Toronto area who showed him three homes offering rooms for rent in the city.

The room he chose is in a three-bedroom house on Lamothe Street, not far from the college. The house was under construction when he first saw it in person, with materials piled in the living room and some work going on elsewhere in the house.

Ashok said he was told by the Realtor the work would be done by Aug. 15, when he wanted to move in. 

Before moving in, he signed a lease and provided $1,090 toward the first month's rent and a security deposit.

But when he tried to get in on Aug .15, he realized the construction wasn't finished, the materials were still piled up and the lights weren't working on the first floor where his room was located. He also discovered several safety hazards like a loose step and an open hole in the floor.

"That house is not all ready — there are materials everywhere, there are no lights in the room," he said.

Ashok's room has a bed, but he said he was also promised a desk and chair.

He never moved in.

Ashok asked for his money back, but said he has been getting the run-around ever since, and is still waiting.

"I see a lot of red flags now so I don't want to go and start living there. The thing is I don't want to get into that right now because there are a lot of red flags," he said.

Supporting international students

Ashok is one of about 1,500 international students at Cambrian College. He's not the only one who's dealt with off-campus housing issues over the past few years. 

Because of that, Cambrian has made recent improvements aimed at supporting international students, some of whom have been victims of rental scams or dishonest landlords.

Cambrian College has allocated 100 residence rooms specifically to international students, said Dan Lessard, the college's manager of communications.

"Now, that doesn't mean more international students can't stay on campus in residence, but we're designating at least 100 specifically for international students. And that's new this year," he said.

Cambrian's student council has also retained a lawyer to provide legal advice to students dealing with off-campus housing issues.

"That lawyer may be able to start your process and guide you in the right direction," Lessard said.

The school's website has a section that highlights information about tenant rights and important community resources like bylaw and fire services.

"There's information to guide them to the right people to talk to," Lessard said.

"There's very little we can do to intervene in that situation because that's between them and their landlord, but how can we help them go through that process, and that's what we were trying to do by adding some of these resources."

Along with consulting the web page, international students dealing with an off-campus housing issue should contact Cambrian International for additional support.

In the meantime, Ashok is staying with friends until he gets his money back.

He said he can't afford to pay first and last month's rent elsewhere until he's reimbursed. He has also started to fill out the forms needed to take the issue to the Landlord Tenant Board.

According to the Ontario Land Registry, the property on Lamothe Street was purchased in July 2022.

CBC News reached out to the Realtor who is managing the property for the owners. She lives in the Toronto area.

She said Ashok will be given all his money back, as long as there is no damage to the home. However, she maintained there was no promise the construction would be complete when he moved in.