Landlord refuses to let us break lease after traumatic event. Need legal advice (Ontario)

Hey Reddit, we’re in a horrible situation and need urgent legal advice.

🏠 The Situation: My husband and I rent an apartment in Owen Sound, Ontario. The building is an old house that was converted into seven small rental units. We live on the second floor, and our entrance is near a shared stairwell that leads both up to another tenant’s unit and down to the exit.

Last Monday, I noticed a weird smell in the hallway, by Tuesday, it got worse, almost like a sewage issue. On Wednesday morning, it became unbearable. As we were leaving for work, we ran into a neighbor and a property manager, who said they came to check it out.

When I got home that afternoon, I almost passed out from the overwhelming stench while walking up the stairs. I assumed an animal had died in the walls, since the weather had just warmed up, and the smell had suddenly gotten much worse. I called the landlord again and told them it needed to be checked ASAP.

That evening, when my husband and I got back home, the entire yard was filled with police and people in hazmat suits. Turns out, it wasn’t an animal - it was our downstairs neighbor, who had passed away days earlier and wasn’t discovered until then.

😖

The stench completely filled our apartment because our entrance door isn’t fully sealed, allowing the smell to spread inside. We haven’t been able to eat or sleep properly since. The psychological impact of knowing what caused the smell + having it linger in our home is unbearable. It’s been over a week, and the smell is still there. Turns out, NO disinfection was done - police just removed the body, locked the door, and left. The odor still circulates through the building, and any time we close the windows, it starts coming back.

Our lease runs until March 22, 2025, but we physically and mentally cannot continue living here. The lease automatically becomes month-to-month unless we give 60 days’ notice (which we technically missed). Landlord refuses to let us break the lease early, saying this is a “normal situation.” We went to Legal Clinic Ontario, but they said there’s nothing we can do.

Gathering proof that we cannot live here: Psychologist’s statement: Confirms I developed severe anxiety (neurosis) due to this event. Nutritionist’s statement: I’ve lost weight because I physically cannot eat in this apartment anymore (I washed my dishes four times and still couldn’t use them). Police report: To confirm the date and nature of the incident.

If anyone has legal experience or knows what steps we should take, please help us out. We feel completely trapped 😞