New Report Connects Ontario’s Biggest Renovictor – Michael Klein – to Renovictions Happening in 21 Buildings in 7 Cities…
Posted October 2, 2024
Ontario ACORN is raising the alarm on a landlord that we believe to be the province’s biggest perpetrator of renovictions – Michael Klein. Through corporate record searches, ACORN has linked Michael Klein to 21 buildings experiencing mass renovictions in Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, Cambridge, Guelph, London and Lindsay, Ontario.
Michael Klein has made renovictions his business. He buys reasonably affordable housing on the private market, mass evicts long-term tenants and replaces them with new tenants he can charge more due to Ontario’s system of vacancy de-control. Recently, Ontario ACORN submitted a complaint against Klein to the Federal Housing Advocate’s office.
Send a message to Michael Klein in support of tenants fighting back here
Information on Michael Klein is near impossible to find. The notorious landlord avoids detection by hiding behind numbered companies, creating new corporations for every building he buys, and providing false head office addresses on corporate documents.
ACORN is demanding:
- Cities pass strong anti-renoviction bylaws similar to Hamilton
- The Province must introduce vacancy control to cap rent increases on vacant units. This would remove the financial incentive for renovictions.
- The federal government must implement a public registry of ownership so that tenants know who their landlords are and hold them accountable.
- The federal government can require provinces and territories to implement full rent control, including vacancy control. It can also include a ban on renovictions. This can happen as part of the blueprints for the Renter’s Bill of Rights that the federal government negotiates with provinces and territories.
On October 2nd, ACORN’s profile on Klein coincided with a multi-city day of action where tenants of Michael Klein organized actions at their buildings to protest their renovictions.
Toronto – 994 O’Connor Dr
ACORN members came out to fight back against the flooding of N13 (renoviction) applications that Klein dispensed in buildings just a block apart: 994 O’Connor Dr and 508 Dawes Rd.
994 O’Connor Dr. was just hit with renovictions a few months back, and tenants were recently given cheques of 3 months rent (a legal requirement). 508 Dawes Rd has been going through this process for a while now, with three waves of renoviction notices taking over the building. With a 76% RentSafe score on 994 O’Connor Dr, Klein seems to be extremely negligent on purpose.
We chanted, we marched, we stuck his award onto BOTH the front and back door of the building. We also attached a letter demanding that Michael Klein drop the renovictions in 21+ of his buildings across Ontario.
Toronto – 3 Torbolton Dr
Tenants at 3 Torbolton Drive were joined outside their homes today by Etobicoke ACORN and Weston ACORN as they took part in the provincewide day of action against their landlord, Michael Klein of Family Properties.
We set up chairs, ordered pizza, and made a party out of it! Tenants spoke to passing drivers and pedestrians, explaining the rise in renovictions across Ontario and collecting petition signatures to demand government action. Many of these tenants are being taken to the Landlord & Tenant Board by Michael Klein this month, and made sure to give Klein the message: drop the N13s! We’re not moving!
Toronto – 80 Guestville Ave
80 Guestville Ave tenants organizing with York South Weston Tenant Union marched down Weston Rd & joined the provincial day of action against landlord Michael Klein, who has served over half of the building with N13s. Since buying the building, Michael Klein has used the same manual as in other buildings he owns:
– harass tenants
– try to take away people’s hydro and parking
– jack up rents
– send N13s to more than half of the building
Tenants are not going anywhere & are fighting back!
London – 1270 & 1280 Webster St
The ACORN Tenant Union on Webster St organized a powerful protest outside their buildings to continue their fight against Michael Klein. Tenants have been resisting Klein’s attempts to evict both buildings for unnecessary renovations for more than a year and a half. Members marched down the street where local media captured many chants and honks in support of tenants’ fight. Thank you to ACORN member, Michele Jollymore, for keeping spirits high with cake for tenants!
Kitchener – 149 Borden Ave N
Just this week tenants at 141 & 149 Borden Ave N received N13s from Michael Klein. Thankfully, tenants did not hesitate to organize. With lightning quick turnaround, new ACORN members tabled outside of their building, gathered support on petitions, handed out flyers on Klein’s shady business practices, and spoke to media about their main message – they’re not moving!
Hamilton – 221 Melvin Ave
Hamilton ACORN members from across the city came out to support Melvin Ave tenants who spoke out about Klein’s serial renovictions! We tried to give Klein’s Worst Renovictor award to management, but they refused to take it – no problem, we gave his award pride of place right outside 221 Melvin! We won’t stop fighting back until everyone’s affordable apartment is safe from renoviction!
Lindsay – 195 & 201 Lindsay St S
Kudos to new ACORN leader, Shawn Fowler, for pulling off ACORN’s first action in Lindsay, Ontario!
Tenants living at 195 & 201 Lindsay St S were recently served N13s from their new landlord, Michael Klein, telling them to move out for renovations. Tenants have lived in these homes for years, some decades. They are families, seniors and people with disabilities and they’re not going anywhere! Tenants were outside their building for four hours handing out flyers detailing Klein’s renoviction playbook and gathering tons of support from neighbours passing by.
Tenants already won a work stoppage from the City after Klein’s local affiliates were doing renos without building permits. Persistence & organizing pays off!
Cambridge – 94 Beck St
Tenants of 94 Beck St put up signs around their building calling out their landlord – Michael Klein – for being Ontario’s BIGGEST renovictor.
“Some of us have been here for over 20 years. We’re not leaving,” said Tammy Kincaid to the Village Report who has lived at 94 Beck St. with her son for the past 13 years.
