Testifying in the Hearing
It is an offence under the Act for a person to make an untrue statement in information provided under the Act, which includes during hearings.
The hearing officer knows nothing about the details of your case. You should prepare a point form summary, not a script, from which you can testify or answer the hearing officer's questions. Be sure the summary proceeds in a logical, brief manner.
Start at the beginning. For example, if you are claiming rent owing, you might prepare as follows:
- Address of residence and name of Tenant.
- Copy of any lease or details of any verbal lease as to the agreed upon rent.
- The rent ledger to show the detailed history of rents and payments.
- Receipt book and bank statements.
Or, if your case is about a refrigerator that fails to operate properly or at all, you would want to cover the following points:
- Address of residence and name of the landlord.
- Copy of lease or details of verbal lease.
- Problems encountered with the refrigerator.
- Details of when you contacted the landlord about the problem including any written request to repair.
- Details of when and how the problem was addressed.
- A list of food lost and replacement costs.
- A copy of receipts for any meals that had to be eaten outside the house.
Similarly, if you are defending a claim, you would prepare your evidence in the same logical manner, covering all of the points you feel essential to your case.