Abaza, Abushaar and Smart Living’s business strategy, as demonstrated by several examples over the last few years, is dependent on displacing existing tenants. Before buying a property, Abaza and co. will come up with a plan to “reposition” the property with the goal of increasing the value of the property by multiple folds.
Simply put, repositioning is a strategy to rebrand a property. The first step is often forcing tenants from their homes because the landlord sees them as an obstacle to market their new vision of the property. This is accomplished through eviction notices, rent increases, harassment, and/or disruptive construction. Most displacement occurs without formally evicting tenants because landlords like Smart Living are usually successful at pressuring tenants to move out using extra-legal tactics. Very rarely do landlords have to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Between March 2017 and February 2023, Smart Living Properties filed at least 119 eviction applications to the Landlord and Tenant Board. Their applications included everything from rent collection to demoviction and renoviction. While this may already seem like a high number of eviction applications, it very likely only captures a fraction of the the full-scale of displacement
Osgoode Chambers, 146–170 Osgoode St., Sandy Hill
Smart Living’s repositioning of the Osgoode Chambers rooming house in Sandy Hill is well documented. After purchasing the property in March 2020, Smart Living issued N13 renoviction notices to about 100 units. Tenants quickly formed a committee to resist the displacement. They reached out to other tenant organizers elsewhere in the city to support them. A large campaign to resist the evictions began in the summer of 2020 and resulted in the successful defeat of the renovictions for the small group of tenants who remained. While the original tenants pay around $500 for a room, Smart Living is renting renovated rooms at Osgoode Chambers from between $1,300 and $1,575.
68 Sweetland Ave., Sandy Hill
This building, located next door to Osgoode Chambers, was purchased by Smart Living at the same time as Osgoode Chambers. All tenants were quickly pushed out by Smart Living after receiving N13s. Units here now rent for over $1,425 for a one-bedroom and $2,575 for a two-bedroom.
280 Laurier Ave. E., Sandy Hill
This seven-floor apartment building at the corner of Laurier and Sweetland in Sandy Hill was purchased by Smart Living in November 2020. Smart Living quickly issued N13 renoviction notices to all tenants. The small group of tenants who stayed after the delivery of the N13s were subjected to constant disruptions and abuses, including unpredictable and long-lasting water shutoffs, construction debris left in common areas, and loud construction noises. Even when renovations were completed in vacant units, SLP still refused to let the remaining tenants stay at the property. Eventually, all tenants were pressured to move. SLP is now charging between $2,000 and $2,750 for one and two-bedroom apartments.
21–29 Russell Ave., Sandy Hill
This renoviction largely happened under the radar. After Smart Living purchased this heritage property, they issued N13s to all existing tenants. Tenants at Osgoode Chambers fighting their renoviction met these tenants on Russell Ave. and shared stories about Smart Living.
Manor Village, Nepean
Like Osgoode Chambers, Smart Living’s attempted mass eviction at Manor Village in Nepean was also relatively high profile. A small group of tenants refused to move after SLP tried to demovict them from their townhouses. When the City of Ottawa denied SLP’s demolition plan, they turned around and ruthlessly issued renoviction notices instead to the remaining tenants. The six households still refused to move and they have so far been able to keep their homes! Smart Living is using these townhouses as rooming houses for Algonquin College students, with rent starting at $700 per room.
Brigid’s Place, 80 Nelson Street
Abaza and Smart Living Properties purchased 80 Nelson St. from the Shepherds of Good Hope. Before 2008, it was a drop-in centre and from 2008 until its sale in 2019, it was an 11-unit Housing First for Women residence called Brigid’s Place. It was a “no-barrier home for women who have experienced life on the streets.” Smart Living is now renting units here from $1,475.
Brigid’s Place was “funded through the domiciliary hostel program, the city of Ottawa, homelessness partnerships initiatives, and Shepherds of Good Hope,” according to a QnA with Francine Vachon, the manager of Brigid’s Place.
The significance of Smart Living’s acquisition of supportive housing for people coming off the streets and their repositioning of the property into a high-rent building for young professionals and students is not lost on keen observers.
In 2001, the Shepherds of Good Hope actually tried to acquire the Osgoode Chambers rooming house to run it as transitional housing. However, the local homeowners’ association, Action Sandy Hill, rallied strongly in opposition to the plan for fear of impacting their property values and the plan fell through. Of course, we know how this played out, with SLP acquiring Osgoode Chambers in 2020 and renovicting dozens of rooming house tenants.