Costly Disputes Between B.C. Tenants and Landlords
Each month Spraggs Law publishes Vancouver Legal News, a curated selection of articles about legal issues being discussed in the news. This month we start off with recent harassment and discrimination cases involving two B.C. tenants and an employee, followed by local tenant and landlord disputes, wrapping up with two examples of escalating battles between tenants.
Recent Cases of Workplace and Living Space Harassment and Discrimination
Employer claims they were never made aware of their employee’s disability before firing her
B.C. Human Rights Tribunal hears a difficult case between a woman’s workplace discrimination accusations and WorkSafeBC claim versus what her former employer states as being unrelated reasons for her dismissal.
Tenants face discrimination from landlord over their European heritage
While Vancouver tenants realize they’re up against tough competition when it comes to vying for a rental property, there are some things a landlord should never make part of the vetting process, such as questioning a prospective tenant about their heritage.
Tenant versus strata over a dispute with the gardener
A B.C. strata resident claims that her strata wrongfully accused her of harassing and bullying a gardener following two interactions that the accused insists were misunderstandings about mowing preferences.
Local Tenant and Landlord Disputes
Oh, the joys of being a landlord
Trusting your property to tenants (and pets) after a few bad apples leave damage and messes can be exhausting, infuriating and expensive. One Vancouver landlord is dealing with a risky tenant whose bad choices have already resulted in neighbours being attacked by her dogs and indoor squalor, causing a fire hazard.
A costly mistake
Both the landlord and tenant have rights and obligations. Failing to understand them (or uphold them) can result in costly retribution—a lesson this Metro Vancouver luxury condo tenant learned the hard way when she was court-ordered to pay nearly $25K to cover her landlord’s loss and damages.
Landlord losing money while waiting for help from Residential Tenancy Branch
In life, it seems common sense that failure to pay results in loss of services, but the contractual agreements binding landlords and tenants are complex. And while certain regulations are designed to protect the rights and interests of both parties, the limitations imposed by such rules can sometimes backfire. Such is the case for this Burnaby landlord trying to evict tenants who are strapping her with thousands of dollars in unpaid rent.
Oh, baby! That’s going to cost you
A nominal rent increase seems reasonable when an additional adult tenant moves into a suite. After all, someone needs to make up for the extra heat and hot water consumption. But a newborn baby? Upon the birth of their second daughter, this Nanaimo couple received an email from their landlord, notifying them of a rent increase for the “additional occupant”—something the couple is discovering that landlords can do on short notice.
Battles Between Tenants Get Ugly
What dangers lurk above.
Imagine being a single mom and having to live in a suite below a belligerent tenant that doesn’t pay rent and threatens your life and assaults you. That’s what one Metro Vancouver woman (and her landlord) are facing. The mom and her daughter are now seeking safer shelter after the Residential Tenancies Board “denied the landlord’s application for an emergency order of eviction” of the upstairs tenant.
Tenant versus tenant frustrations reach a boiling point.
Sharing a property with other tenants isn’t always easy, but one must choose their battles carefully. When the walls and floors that separate people fail to block cooking smells and noise, tensions are bound to occur, and they can sometimes get petty. One Burnaby landlord is caught in the middle of a dispute between tenants over cooking smells, noise and guests.
What Do You Think?
What do you think about these updates affecting citizens, employers, homeowners, and renters across Canada? If you have questions about employment law, family law, or your rights as a tenant or landlord for our team at Spraggs Law, we’d love to hear from you. Contact one of our lawyers in Vancouver today.
