Owner of Brampton rental home where fire killed four people denies being ‘absentee landlord’

Fire crews work the scene of a fatal residential overnight fire in Brampton, Ont., on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

The owner of a Brampton rental property is speaking out after a deadly fire at the home claimed the lives of four members of the same family, denying accusations of being an “absentee landlord.”

In a statement released through their lawyer, the landlord said they are “devastated by the tragic incident” and that “their hearts go out to the tenants and the other occupants.”

The fire broke out at 12 Banas Way, in the area of McLaughlin and Remembrance roads, at around 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 20.

Three women and a young toddler died in the fire, which is now being probed by Ontario’s Office of the Fire Marshal. A pregnant woman who jumped out a window to escape the fire survived with injuries, but her unborn child did not.

The landlord’s lawyer, Sukhi Baidwan, said in their statement that the landlord has faced “intense media scrutiny” since the fire.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown told reporters on Nov. 21 that the homeowner was an “absentee landlord,” who has lived outside the country for an extended period.

Brown said the homeowner submitted a building permit application to create a second unit in the basement in 2019, but never requested an inspection to check the work and also failed to comply with orders issued by city inspectors who visited the property. He said the home was not licensed for multiple tenants.

But Baidwan disputed those claims, saying “there were no alterations or constructions done on the property since its purchase from the builder” more than a decade ago.

“This property at 12 Banas Way, Brampton is/ was a 4 bedroom house with an additional partially finished basement which included a rec room, bathroom and a 5th bedroom as provided by the builder and approved by the city planner and purchased as a new construction,” Baidwan wrote.

He said the property was “lawfully tenanted” in March 2023, with the lease covering the entire house at a cost of $3,100 per month.

Investigators have said a total of 11 people lived in the home, including nine members of a multi-generational family and two others who lived in the basement.

However Baidwan maintains the lease only allowed four adults and one child to reside at the property, and the owner had no knowledge of any people staying there beyond that.

He said the landlord and tenant had a “good working relationship” and there was regular contact with one of the principal tenants.

Baidwan said the owner had been planning to sell the property and was on-site with a real estate agent on Oct. 23. The tenants were planning to move out just days after the deadly fire occurred, he said.

“The tenants had given the notice to vacate the property as of Nov 30, 2025. Prior to the tragic fire incident, the landlord was in touch with the tenant on Oct 30, 2025,” Baidwan wrote.

The landlord maintains they were not aware of any inspection requests from the city and never denied any requests to inspect the property.

They also said it’s untrue they blamed the tenants for the fire.

“The (landlord) has not blamed the tenants and to imply such is morally wrong,” Baidwan wrote. “No one should be blaming the victims of tragic events and the loss of life, nor should this tragedy be used to support facts that are not true. We all should endeavour to avoid speculations and unsupported inferences.”

Investigators have said there were fire alarms at the home, but it’s not clear if they were functioning at the time of the fire. The cause of the deadly blaze has not yet been determined.

With files from Joanna Lavoie