Chelsea and her fiancé got an email from their property manager saying they had four months to move out because their landlord was planning to renovate their unit. They live in a complex of rowhouses.

A few days later, they got another email saying only three units had to move out in two months, and the landlord's family was going to move in.

"We were numb for days," she said.

Stoke FM is withholding her last name because she's worried she could have more trouble finding future rentals.

Scenarios ran over and over in Chelsea's head as she tried to figure out where they could live. She wondered if they'd have to cancel their upcoming wedding, and if they would be priced out of town.

The couple has a dog and a cat, and they couldn't find any rentals that are pet friendly. Chelsea noticed rental prices had gone up from when they moved into the house in 2020.

She posted about her situation in Facebook groups and people advised her that it was an illegal eviction.

The landlord offered the tenants in the three units money if they signed a notice of departure. The first to sign would get $6,000, the second $4,500 and the third $3,000. One of the neighbours, who is withholding their name to protect Chelsea's identity, said they hadn't responded to the owner.

"We were discussing the fact that that was not an acceptable option for us, and we knew without an official eviction notice we could stay," they said.

The neighbour said communication from the owner is unprofessional. He communicates through the property manager, by phoning one member of a household and ask information to be passed to the neighbours, and he sent emails with informal letters attached.

Chelsea's partner got a call from the owner after he hadn't heard back about the neighbours signing a notice of departure. He told them he had been lying—he wasn't a broke high school history teacher who bought the property as an investment, but a multi-millionaire who owns properties across the country. They didn't have to move out.

The neighbour verified that there was a phone call to one of the tenants, which was followed up by an email.

Chelsea said the owner told her partner his property manager advised him against what he was trying to do.

"It's just so shocking that he lied and admitted to being someone who's the problem in this town," Chelsea said.

Before the landlord called them Chelsea reached out to the former tenants of the unit. They were also evicted for supposed renovations. The landlord paid them for signing a notice of departure. Instead of renovating, he raised the rent and found new tenants.

If a landlord wants to evict tenants for renovations, he has to get a permit from the tenancy board and the city. Chelsea checked with both and he didn't have a permit.

Stoke FM hasn't verified anything with the landlord. Chelsea doesn't even know his real name but the station is working to try to find him.

She advises people in this situation to know their rights, know the Tenancy Act, ask for help, and hire a lawyer if you need to.

When he called to admit he was lying the landlord asked Chelsea's fiancé after if he could raise the rent anyway. "He said, 'Not a chance in hell,'" Chelsea said.

Click below to hear a full interview with Chelsea: