80 year old scammers > foreign cafe investors

Question / Recommendation to the OP -- when I rent my apartment out, I always make it a point to cancel all the utilities (hydro, gas, whatever else) at the start of the tenancy and notify the tenant that he needs to arrange to have these things hooked up asap. I tell them about the date when my account closes, and the rest is up to them. BC Hydro and Tearson Gas never cut off the supply right away, but if a new account isn't set up within a reasonable time, they will cut service and the new account holder will need to pay for a setup fee of some sort.

This certainly isn't bombproof, but at least it reduces the insult that you have to pay for the tenant's utility usage.

On a different note, squatters that game the system like this really deserve to die the most painful death imaginable...

Cut off their electricity and utilities. If tenancy board calls you about it to complain just tell them the situation. Tenancy board will tell you to correct it but they don't enforce it because tenant owes money. That's my past experience with a bad tenant.

or go in and remove an appliance. Claim you need to get it repaired. Tenancy board isnt going to protect you so you got to play at the bad tenants level..

do not do anything without consent from the rto or you will just futher delay your efforts. as soon as you do anything without consent you become the "bad guy"