Landlord sued after refusing to let movers bring in renter's bed frame

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A landlord who refused to let movers bring in a renter’s belongings, including her bed frame, was sued in a wild small claims case in the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal.

According to the tribunal decision, Rajdeep Malhi rented a room in a townhouse that Rajni Bala owned.

Malhi says Bala prevented her from moving into the townhouse by refusing to allow some of the renter’s furniture.

Malhi claimed that Bala said the furniture didn’t fit and allegedly damaged the stairwell and walls of the townhouse suite. Malhi claimed a $1,500 reimbursement for her troubles, including a $500 damage deposit and one month’s paid rent since she didn’t move in.

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Bala disagreed with Malhi’s claims. She said Malhi’s furniture did not fit up the townhouse’s staircase, and while the delivery people were trying to maneuver it upstairs, they damaged the walls.

After that, Bala said Malhi decided not to move in without notice and felt she was within her rights to keep the damage deposit and one month’s rent.

What did the tribunal think?

There was no evidence provided that movers damaged walls, contrary to. The evidence suggested they were refused entry at the front door altogether, which is why Malhi says she did not move in.

The furniture included a large wardrobe and a bed frame. The case decision said it was undisputed that the renter did not measure the wardrobe to see if it would fit up the stairs. The tribunal found that the renter did not ensure it wouldn’t cause damage.

For the bed frame, the tribunal came to the same conclusion: that the landlord didn’t want it causing damage and that the renter did not do enough to ensure it wouldn’t.

The tribunal found Malhi breached the rental agreement by not giving proper notice and forfeiting her one-month rent claim.

Ultimately, the landlord couldn’t prove that Malhi caused any damage, so she was at least entitled to her damage deposit back.

Malhi walked away with $579.09, which included the deposit and tribunal fees.